What has been a tough start to preseason practice for the 2019 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team took a positive turn Monday with the reopening of the Murphy-Haugerud Practice Facility at Scrappy Moore Field.
Because of late-winter flooding, Rusty Wright's Mocs spent the entire spring practice and the first five days of training camp away from the practice facility the program has used since the 1950s. The renovated Scrappy Moore Field features a 120-yard Shaw Industries turf field with goal posts on each end and a sideline area, nearly double the size of the previous main field.
The UTC players did not know they were practicing at Scrappy until early Monday afternoon.
"Kids were excited for a little bit," Wright said. "It's a fast track and it was fun out there today. This is the first time in 21 practices as a head coach we've been able to practice there.
"The workers busted their butts trying to get it done, and the administration were able to push it through. It's an unbelievable surface. When it's all finished, it's going to be really special."
The practice was spirited, according to Wright, though still not as productive as he would prefer. With a roster including more than 30 freshmen and first-year transfer players who did not go through spring drills, the learning curve is steep.
"We have our moments, but we're not consistent enough," Wright said. "We've got to learn how to fight through it. We're talking the most basic of things, like how to run on and off the field. We take the field like it's a stroll in the park, not like a team that is about to hit you in the mouth."
Wright singled out Kanore McKinnon, a junior college transfer receiver, and sophomore linebacker transfer Kam Jones as having stood out at different times. The first-year head coach realizes the challenge the new players are facing.
"We're throwing a whole lot at them right now," he said. "Half of them weren't even here two weeks ago. It's not awful; it's not great. We're just an average group right now, and I don't know if average will get us much."
* The Mocs grabbed 38 votes in the STATS FCS preseason Top 25 released Monday. The poll is one of two weekly rankings recognized by the NCAA.
"I guess it's good that somebody is thinking of us," Wright said of the votes, which would have ranked the Mocs 39th, "but it doesn't mean a whole lot right now."
Two-time defending national champion North Dakota State was selected as a decisive No. 1 in the poll. Three of UTC's opponents are listed in the top 10: No. 2 James Madison, No. 6 Jacksonville State and No. 9 Wofford. The Mocs visit JSU's Gamecocks on Sept. 7 and host JMU's Dukes on Sept. 21. UTC plays at Wofford on Oct. 26.
Furman gives the Mocs four opponents with national rankings. The Paladins check in at No. 19 and visit UTC on Nov. 2. ETSU is just outside the Top 25 with 323 votes. The Citadel (7), Mercer (7) and Samford (2) are the other SoCon schools that received votes in the poll.
The 2019 season opener is set for Thursday, Aug. 29, against Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m. at Finley Stadium. Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.