Going into the second year in the program under coach Tom Arth, the feel around the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team is different.
Junior quarterback Nick Tiano says, “We’ve adjusted.” Senior defensive lineman Derek Mahaffey calls the team “hungry.”
Both could be right, and the early feel among the Mocs is that the program is on the right track – although it took one of the worst seasons in a decade to get there.
“The difference between last year and this year is night and day,” Tiano said after Thursday’s practice, the team’s second of the preseason. “Last year, I remember stepping out here, eyes wide open, not really confident in what you’re doing. It’s one thing to know the system on paper, it’s another thing to come out here and execute it, so I think getting a year under my belt – having last spring, fall camp, season, another spring, summer and now camp – I feel so confident coming out here.
“The guys are all more confident in the system, and we’re just ready to go.”