University of Tennessee at Chattanooga linebacker Ryan Consiglio doesn't make many "dynamic" plays, coach Russ Huesman said. He just makes plays - a lot of them.
Consiglio, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior, leads the Mocs with 43 tackles, third-most in the Southern Conference and 11 more than any other UTC player. Consiglio had 86 stops last season, his first as a starter, and trailed only senior Joseph Thornton, whose 95 led UTC.
"He's not the fastest guy; he's not the most physical guy. If you look at him in the hallway, he looks like he needs about six more years in the weight room, but he does a great job for us," Huesman said. "He was good last year and he kind of got overshadowed a little bit. Joe Thornton made a lot of plays and made a lot of dynamic plays."
Consiglio, UTC's only returning starter at linebacker and a preseason second-team all-conference pick, said he's OK with not being a "dynamic" player, as long as he gets results.
"I'm just really enjoying it and I'm having a blast out there right now," Consiglio said.
All of UTC's linebackers will need to be at their best Saturday when the Mocs take on The Citadel and its triple-option offense. Because of the off week UTC has had some extra time to prepare for it, but it's still going to be a challenge to stop, Consiglio said.
"This is one of those games you've got to go into it thinking, 'I'm going to have 20 tackles,'" he said. "You're put in the position where that is definitely feasible."
Changes around SoCon
In the past two weeks, three of the nine teams in the SoCon have made changes at quarterback.
Last week, Western Carolina true freshman Brandon Pechloff started ahead of Zac Brindise against The Citadel and led the Catamounts to a win. Monday, The Citadel coach Kevin Higgins said redshirt freshman Sam Martin will likely start in place of true freshman Matt Thompson against UTC.
Samford coach Pat Sullivan said Tuesday that redshirt sophomore Connor Lowery will replace junior Dustin Taliaferro, the 2008 SoCon freshman of the year, as the Bulldogs try to give their offense "a spark."
Extra points
Backup tight end Louis Gibson, a redshirt sophomore, has taken a leave of absence from the Mocs for personal reasons. ... Safety Jordan Tippit, who's been out with a high ankle sprain since the Jacksonville State game, went through all of Tuesday's practice and should be available Saturday.