Over the next nine days, the Times Free Press will take a daily positional look at the 2018 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team, leading up to its first practice on Aug. 1. Today we start off with special teams:
YOUNG TALENT AND EXPERIENCE
Of the four UTC players who made Southern Conference all-freshmen teams in 2017, two did so due to special-teams contributions.
Place-kicker Victor Ulmo went from the team's biggest question mark at the beginning of the season to a viable part of the offense. The 5-foot-8, 200-pounder gained confidence through the season, making 9 of his 12 field-goal attempts and all but one of his 23 extra-point tries. His 39-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining provided the final points in a 23-21 upset of eighth-ranked Samford.
Brandon Dowdell didn't become the team's full-time returner until midway through the season but finished sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 12.6 yards per return average.
Junior punter Colin Brewer has been consistent through his career, hovering around 40 yards per punt both seasons.
NEW CANDIDATES
The coaching staff brought in players to compete at both kicking positions. Former Bledsoe County standout Gabe Boring - the Tennessee Mr. Football Kicker of the Year winner - was a two-time all-state selection who averaged 46.8 yards per punt last season, which ranked second in the nation according to MaxPreps. Place-kicker Thomas Burks was a semifinalist for the Mr. Football award, earning all-state honors at Blackman after making all 59 of his extra-point tries in 2017.
STRENGTHS
All three of the projected starters at the special-teams positions - Ulmo, Brewer and Dowdell - have shown they can perform at the college level. Dowdell had a pair of 50-yard kickoff returns against The Citadel in a loss on Oct. 21, and his elusiveness in the return game proved to be a weapon for the Mocs as the season went along. Ulmo proved to be a consistent threat in the kicking game, while Brewer has put 25 percent of his punts inside the 20 during his career, with only three touchbacks.
WEAKNESSES
There isn't much depth in the return game, but that's a problem that could be easily fixed. Besides Dowdell, only senior Joseph Parker has returned a kick in a college game, and he could be considered one of the likely backups. This time last season, Dowdell was unknown in this department, but by the end of the season his returns had become an important piece of the team. But since he also is one of the players competing for time in the Mocs' defensive backfield, the possibility of injury exists, and other players will have to step up during the preseason just in case.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.