While there is still some uncertainty regarding the details of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's football season this school year, what's known is that in less than a month, the Mocs are scheduled to play a game.
The Football Championship Subdivision program will return to practice Friday afternoon in preparation for an Oct. 24 contest at Western Kentucky, a Football Bowl Subdivision team in Conference USA.
The Hilltoppers were on the Mocs' schedule even before the coronavirus began to affect sports, and they remained there when the Southern Conference postponed league competition in fall sports. The Mocs had hopes of playing additional nonconference football games this fall at Troy and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but those opportunities were lost as some questions about how participating in games this semester would affect players' college eligibility weren't immediately answered by the NCAA.
But is one game worth it?
It is for seniors who may not come back for a spring season, which the NCAA and the FCS are currently working to put together. It is for the UTC coaching staff to have a chance to evaluate the current roster and see what needs must be addressed in recruiting going into fall 2021. It is for the athletic department, which stands to make $350,000 from the trip to Bowling Green.
But most of all, it's worth it for all of the players who have been going through workouts since the early summer amid the uncertainty created by the pandemic. Mocs coach Rusty Wright, who guided the Mocs to a 6-6 overall and 5-3 record in SoCon play last year in his first season, the plan is to treat the week leading up to the Western Kentucky matchup like a "bowl game." That might even include sightseeing in the town where Chevrolet's famed sports car is manufactured.
"We may go up there, see some Corvettes up in Bowling Green on the way up and hang out a little bit, enjoy each other and enjoy the time we get to play football," Wright said.
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / UTC defensive linemen Devonnsha Maxwell, left, and Ben Brewton team up to sack East Tennessee State's Trey Mitchell on Oct. 17, 2019, at Finley Stadium.Some UTC players have already announced on social media that they are opting out, including defensive lineman Dantrell Barkley, a 2019 transfer from Charlotte who said Wednesday that he would graduate from UTC and play his final season elsewhere. However, those absences will provide opportunities for others, with the worth of the lone fall game increasing even more for those who might not have been able to play.
Other questions remain for the Mocs entering the start of official practice, though; here are two of the biggest ones:
1. Who plays quarterback?
Nick Tiano's graduation left a glaring hole in an offense that returns experience at every other position. The most experienced backup is probably junior Cole Copeland, who hasn't played football since a SoCon All-Freshman season - in 2017. Former Old Dominion quarterback Drayton Arnold backed up Tiano last season, but he threw just 10 passes - and completed five of them for 36 yards - all in a 45-0 loss at Tennessee. They appear to be the top two candidates to start, although both could play against the Hilltoppers.
2. How about the defensive line?
The Mocs lost two-thirds of their defensive line from 2019, but there's optimism in the program that there won't be a step back at the position, with some belief the group could ultimately be even better. The leader is All-SoCon selection Devonnsha Maxwell, who had seven sacks last season, but who will join him? One possibility could be Rhode Island transfer Tez Wilson, who had eight sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss during his career with the Rams. Another could be Giovanni Reviere, who started at Purdue as a freshman before falling into a backup role last season. Add in freshmen John Prince and Quay Wiggles on top of that, and there are good options up front.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.