During a recent practice, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore cornerback D.J. Adams was unable to make a play on a ball in the air, instead forcing the incomplete pass.
“You must not want to make any money!” cornerbacks coach Korel Smith playfully shouted to the former Cleveland High School standout, a challenge to go get the interception next time. Meanwhile, other defensive backs offered instruction and encouragement to Adams, a backup who has appeared in the past five games.
Yes, this was only practice, but the moment was indicative of a different age for UTC’s defense.
On that side of the ball, the Mocs have typically been led in recent seasons by a front that has been at or near the top of the Southern Conference in sacks for the past decade. With the 2024 regular season past its halfway point, though, the Mocs’ 10 sacks — four of which game in a single game against conference rival East Tennessee State — are tied for seventh in the nine-team SoCon.
A closer look shows the Mocs are still generating backfield pressure, but now they’re doing so in a way that’s leading to opportunities for takeaways. And creating turnovers is something UTC has done at a high level this season, ranking seventh in the Football Championship Subdivision in takeaways with 15 and second in the FCS in interceptions with 13 (fellow SoCon program Mercer leads with 16 picks).