Terrell Robinson had "fun" last Thursday in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team's 35-0 win over Glenville State. The triple-threat quarterback caught a long touchdown pass, ran the ball and completed some passes in his return to the lineup.
In his first public comments since quitting the team on Sept. 4 -- three days after the season opener -- and returning two days later, the redshirt sophomore from South Pittsburg briefly addressed what transpired.
"I just want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, the fans," he said following Tuesday's practice. "I was just reacting at the moment, but everything's good; me and the coaches have moved past everything, and we've got an understanding of what's going on.
"We're focused on what we set out to do, and that's to win this championship."
Following his return to the team, Robinson sat out the Jacksonville State game. Jacob Huesman started at quarterback in the 27-24 loss to JSU and in the easy win over Glenville State. Robinson was used at quarterback and wide receiver against the Pioneers, finishing with two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown and six carries for 24 yards, and he completed four of seven passes for 37 yards.
"After sitting out that Jacksonville State week, it seemed like I hadn't played in forever," Robinson said. "And when I wasn't out there with my teammates [at JSU], it showed me how much this game really means to me."
Of his evolving role on the team, the 2011 Southern Conference co-freshman of the year said he'll play wherever he's needed.
"I'm an athletic guy, too, and I can do a lot of stuff," he said. "Like I said, I'm just glad to be back and happy to help my team out any way I can."
UTC (1-2, 0-0) is looking for its offense to generate more big plays, of 20 yards or more, as it heads into league play Saturday against No. 18 Appalachian State (1-2, 0-1). The Mocs are second in the league in time of possession but last in scoring.
"We've got to score more points with the yards we're putting up, no question about that," coach Russ Huesman said during his weekly news conference.
The Mocs gained 477 yards against Glenville State. The week before, they gained 427 but lost at JSU.
UTC is averaging 24 points and 351.7 yards (eighth in the SoCon) per game and has converted 10 of 15 red-zone chances (ninth). The Mocs' average time of possession is 34:19, and they are averaging only 4.6 yards per play.
Drives of 10 or more plays are good most of the time, especially when leading in the fourth quarter, but Coach Huesman said UTC has to produce more big plays and three- and four-play drives that end in touchdowns.
"If you're just grinding it, eventually you're going to make a mistake and then you don't have points," he said.
Against Glenville State, UTC's first drive consisted of two plays, the second being a 44-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Huesman to Robinson. The first half also consisted of drives of 10 and 21 plays that yielded no points.
The Mocs track the "big-play battle" each week, a big play being one of 20 yards or more, and against Glenville State they had three to none by the Pioneers, who managed just 78 yards of offense in the game.
After three games, UTC has just eight plays of 20-plus yards. Five came on pass plays; the three runs were all by Jacob Huesman.
"I feel like we're going to get our drives going and big plays are going to come naturally," said tight end Faysal Shafaat, who is second on the team with 11 receptions for 114 yards. "When we get our big plays, we've got to convert and get in the end zone."