EXPECTATIONS
It’s not unreasonable to think the Mocs could – and should – be around .500 this season. Even with the offense having its worst overall showing since 2008, the Mocs finished 3-5 in the Southern Conference with a roster of players who never fully bought into the coaching staff’s schemes. The late-season improvement came once everybody appeared to be on the same page. This season they seem to be starting on the same page, but the team will be young depth-wise with only 15 seniors, eight of whom have starting experience. If the defense remains around the top of the SoCon (UTC led the league in total defense last season) and the offense improves, a two- or three-game improvement is probable.
CONCERNS
UTC will start the season inexperienced at linebacker and extremely thin at running back. The Mocs have good options at the top of the depth chart at both positions, but it’s likely that a freshman or two could be relied on at those positions. Also, has the offense gotten better? Has the offensive line improved? Although the answer appears to be yes to both questions, we won’t know definitively until the season opener on Aug. 30.
WHAT’S NEW
The Mocs brought in four Football Bowl Subdivision transfers – three on the offensive line alone – and a pair of junior college transfers to bolster an offense that ranked near the bottom of every league category in 2017. Through the preseason, the players have appeared far more bought-in to what’s being asked, which in turn has led to the team looking better during practices.
OUTLOOK
Gone are the days of the “gimme” game, a la Mars Hill in 2015 and Shorter a year later. After starting the season with Tennessee Tech on Aug. 30, the Mocs have a tough September with three games on the road, two against teams that beat them in 2017 in The Citadel (Sept. 8) and UT-Martin (Sept. 15). Then league favorite Samford comes to town before UTC ends the month at East Tennessee State. October doesn’t get easier with back-to-back trips to Wofford and Western Carolina, although the Mocs get a slight reprieve against a rebuilding Virginia Military Institute on Oct. 27. November finishes with a game at Furman and the home finale against Mercer. The Mocs then end the regular season at FBS Top 25 member South Carolina. Eight of the Mocs’ 11 opponents are either in the top 25 of the national polls or receiving votes.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Ball control certainly would help. The Mocs ranked next to last in the SoCon in turnover margin last year, with only winless VMI trailing. Better offensive production must start with the line’s improvement, which will improve the rushing attack, which will improve the quarterback play, and all that is important. As good as the Mocs’ defense was, they generated only 13 turnovers last year, with seven of those coming in the upset of eighth-ranked Samford. If takeaways go up and their own turnovers go down, the Mocs will be better.