Maybe the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team should take the “disrespected” approach into the second half of its schedule.
It certainly worked the first time the Mocs used it in the second half of a game this season.
At halftime on Oct. 1 at East Tennessee State University, UTC coaches and players weren’t pleased with the behavior of the Buccaneers as the teams went to their locker rooms, which are right next to each other at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. The Bucs had dominated the first half while building a 13-0 advantage, and during the break it was fairly evident to the Mocs that their hosts thought the game was over.
Asked about the worst stuff they heard, UTC coach Rusty Wright declined to answer, noting it was too graphic to be shared in a public setting, as did multiple players. Beyond what was said, though, the Mocs could hear music blaring in the Bucs’ locker room — something to be expected in a postgame celebration.
“It was like, ‘We’ve got 30 more minutes left,'” UTC receiver Tyron Arnett said. “Then they came out in the second half too loose, so that motivated us because we realized they actually thought the game was over.
“It just gave us an extra chip on our shoulder to get the job done, which we did.”
Added junior cornerback Kam Brown: “We realized they didn’t have any respect for us, so we just decided to close our mouths and put our heads down and go play 30 minutes as hard as we could.”
That’s what they did, storming back to comfortably win 24-16 behind a defense that held ETSU to two first downs and 44 yards on 24 plays in the second half and an offense that had 271 total yards against the Bucs in those final two quarters.
Maybe it wasn’t a good thing that the Mocs (4-1, 2-0 Southern Conference) needed that jolt to bring their best, but it could also be the jolt necessary for them to realize what’s going to be needed to close out the regular season strong and earn the program’s first Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearance since 2016. Wright has stressed the importance of putting 60 minutes of successful football together — the complete game sought by coaches at all levels — and in the second half at ETSU, the Mocs showed how good they could be.
That, though, was for 30 minutes; how would that look if it were an entire game?
Showing that is the challenge for the Mocs, who are ranked ninth by FCS coaches and 10th in the Stats Perform Top 25, as they return to competition after last week’s open date by hosting Virginia Military Institute (1-4, 0-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium.
If the Mocs come out on top, it would be Wright’s first win against the Keydets, who are 2-0 versus UTC since he took over before the 2019 season. But it might be the Mocs’ last win — when, as Wright said, “We could have easily folded our tents at halftime” against ETSU — that proves to be the catalyst toward a return to the playoffs.
“That’s what you fight every week, and I think that’s what we’re fighting for,” Wright said. “We’re fighting to find that best game we’ve played. As you go through this deal, when does it show up? When does everything get put together, and who does it show up against? That’s what you’re constantly fighting for. We’re constantly trying to get better. I think we still haven’t played our best game yet on both sides and in the kicking game, but if we continue to go out and practice it and try and do those things with a purpose, we’ll get there.
“I firmly believe this group has it in them and we have more in us. We’ve got to find it and got to keep searching for it to get it done.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.