Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / UTC tight ends coach Jacob Huesman is quite familiar with the Jacksonville State football program. The former Mocs quarterback faced the Gamecocks twice in his senior season, with UTC losing both games.Jacob Huesman doesn't dwell on it, but being the competitor he is, Jacksonville State University's Burgess-Snow Field never will be one of his favorite places.
Huesman, the former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga record-setting quarterback who now coaches tight ends for the Mocs, ended his collegiate career on Burgess-Snow in painful fashion.
On Dec. 5, 2015, in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, the Mocs rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime - only to lose after a Huesman pass was intercepted in the end zone and the top-ranked Gamecocks scored on their ensuing possession in a 41-35 final.
It was a tough ending to another highlight-reel game for Huesman, who accounted for 258 total yards and five touchdowns. He threw for a pair of scores, ran for a pair and even caught one from backup quarterback Alejandro Bennifield.
The memories - even if he doesn't want them to - are flooding back this week as UTC prepares to face its top nonconference rival Saturday in Jacksonville, Alabama. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. EDT as the Mocs try to follow a season-opening win against Eastern Illinois by taking down another Ohio Valley Conference team.
The Gamecocks (0-1) are ranked 17th by FCS coaches and 18th in the STATS poll.
The Mocs (1-0) own a 26-15 edge in the series but are just 2-10 since 2004. None of the losses was as painful Huesman's finale.
"I think about it on occasion, especially on a week like this where we are going down there to play," Huesman said after practice Tuesday. "It's going to bring back some bad memories for sure. It's over and done with; that's just how it shook out. It was a tough way to end, but that's the fun thing about the FCS, it's win or go home.
"It was an exciting game. We gave everything we had to give, so that helped ease the pain a bit."
At the time, many believed the winner of that meeting had a clear path to the championship game, and that's just what happened. The Gamecocks steamrolled Charleston Southern by 20 points and routed Sam Houston State 62-10 in the semifinals before being upset by North Dakota State with the title on the line.
"That was a tough one to have in the second round," Huesman said. "That was a team we should have played later. Just a tough draw."
It was the second meeting of the year between the teams, with the Gamecocks' defense dominating in a season-opening 23-20 win for the visitors at Finley Stadium. Those games are part of a recent series trend that's frustrating for the Mocs: Jacksonville State has won six of the past seven meetings, a stretch in which UTC has been outscored by a combined 12 points.
Huesman, putting on his coaches' pants, has a few words of wisdom he has passed on to current UTC players. Many will be making their first trip to what is widely recognized as one of the toughest places to play in the FCS.
"It's going to be one of the best FCS atmospheres you can play in," Huesman said. "It's the home opener for them too, so it's going to be nuts. Their fans are passionate about it, and they play, really, really good football at home. That makes it fun. We have some guys who can feed off it the right way."
One of those is senior linebacker Marshall Cooper, the reigning Southern Conference defensive player of the week after registering 10 tackles and two pass breakups against Eastern Illinois. Cooper understands what awaits the Mocs, especially after Jacksonville State - ranked sixth in both polls at the time - was upset 35-14 at Southeastern Louisiana last week.
"If we don't play better, it won't matter," Cooper said after the Eastern Illinois win. "We're about to go way up (in competition), and I know those fans are crazy. This is a team that can get it done, though. It's all up to us."
Huesman is both excited and anxious to see how the Mocs, with more than 30 new players in 2019, respond to the atmosphere. It's the start of a brutal three-game stretch with a trip to Football Bowl Subdivision big brother Tennessee and a home date against FCS power James Madison.
"We'll see what we're made of," he said. "To play a team this physical and in your face, it will tell us a lot about this football team. It's a tough way to start off the season.
"This is a great rivalry. It seems like we play these guys two out of every three years, and I can't remember it not being a nail-biter."
Including one he would rather not dwell on.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.