The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team's bid for an undefeated Southern Conference spring season ended Saturday afternoon in a 35-28 loss to Mercer at Finley Stadium.
The Mocs (3-2, 3-1), who are ranked in the top 10 in both Football Championship Subdivision polls, are scheduled to face Western Carolina (1-8, 1-5) next weekend in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
UTC coach Rusty Wright opted to sit 21 of his usual 22 starters against the Bears (3-5, 3-2), with the only exception quarterback Drayton Arnold, a fifth-year senior making just his fifth collegiate start. Arnold split series with junior Cole Copeland, and only a handful of normal starters even got in the game for the Mocs.
After leading 14-7 at halftime, the Bears had 272 yards of total offense in the second half.
Here are some quick takeaways from UTC's loss.
Backup depth is solid: The Mocs started 13 freshmen against the Bears, with the nine on offense including all five linemen. For a half, the defense shut down a pretty potent Mercer rushing attack, although that unit ultimately came back down to earth. However, the UTC offense moved the ball well behind its young offensive line, with Arnold and Copeland combining for 226 passing yards and the Mocs totaling 364 yards of offense. It was a rough-looking game, but a lot of the mistakes came from overanxious players making mistakes that young players make, such as false starts, offside and holding calls.
Lance Jackson: Due to the Mocs' depth at running back, the redshirt freshman from Norcross, Georgia, hadn't made his way into a game prior to Saturday's start. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder showed he has a future at UTC, though, rushing for 137 yards on 19 carries, including a 66-yarder. Being stuck behind 2019 SoCon freshman of the year Ailym Ford, 2018 All-SoCon back Tyrell Price and Western Kentucky transfer Gino Appleberry on the depth chart, Jackson's carries may be limited, but he showed he can be counted on when his number is called.
Special teams: Oh, those special teams. They've been a net negative this season for UTC, and Saturday was no different as freshman punt returner Jamoi Mayes - who did have six catches for 97 yards and a score - muffed three punts (although one of those was waved off due to a penalty). The mishandled punts set up both of Mercer's first-half touchdowns. In the second half, the Mocs lost field position by not fielding a couple of Mercer punts, with the ball rolling about 20 yards on one of them. Those little things can be fixed, but they cost the Mocs this time.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.