The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which has moved into the top 10 of both Football Championship Subdivision polls, will play a home game for the first time in a month when it faces Mercer in a Southern Conference matchup Saturday at Finley Stadium.
The game is set to kick off at noon and will be streamed on ESPN Plus. Up to 5,000 fans will be permitted in the Mocs' first home game with the general public allowed to attend since 2019.
The Mocs' 20-18 win last Saturday at Furman dropped the Paladins from 13th to 20th in the country and improved UTC's position from 11th to ninth in the Stats Perform Top 25. The Mocs (3-1, 3-0) are currently 10th in the coaches' poll.
Mercer (2-5, 2-2) is coming off its second win in its past three games, a 45-28 victory against Western Carolina in Macon, Georgia. Like the Mocs, the Bears saw some action in the fall, with Mercer playing three games - losses against Jacksonville State, Army and Abilene Christian.
Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / The general public will be allowed at a UTC football game for the first time since 2019 when the Mocs take on Mercer at noon Saturday at Finley Stadium, where up to 5,000 fans will be permitted.Here are three keys for the Mocs this week.
Control the line of scrimmage: The Bears appear to have turned the keys to the offense over to freshman quarterback Carter Peavy, which means they've shown a desire to lean heavily on the ground game. They've averaged 176.3 rushing yards per game this spring, which is why stopping them on the ground is so important. As for UTC's offense, the Mocs finally got their ground game working against the Paladins, rushing for 172 yards despite facing a defense ranked first in the SoCon versus the run going into the game. Mercer's defense against the run is one of the worst in the league, as it has allowed 223.5 yards in the four conference games, along with 14 touchdowns. On offense, handling the line of scrimmage will make things easier on the Mocs' top two quarterbacks, who have a combined 10 collegiate starts; on defense, doing so will create opportunities to pressure Peavy.
Force third-and-long: Tying in with the first key, controlling the line of scrimmage on defense will give coordinator Lorenzo Ward opportunities for his "green" call, which basically gives the Mocs a chance to get after the quarterback. Peavy has shown he can make some plays - he threw for 218 yards in a win over The Citadel - but none of the defenses he has faced have been as good statistically as the Mocs, who rank first in total defense and second in pass efficiency defense in the SoCon.
Trust the process: Coach Rusty Wright has spoke a ton on his desire to use younger Mocs the rest of the way during the SoCon spring schedule, pointing to a number of key players he expects to limit this week. Some of those expected to not see much - if any - action, such as left tackle Harrison Moon and left guard Cole Strange, are vital to the offense, but those two veterans will step aside so the team can develop freshmen Brock Bethea and Cam Perry. There will be some lineup overhaul on defense, too, and it's going to be important to stay the course if an untested player gives up one big play. Development is part of what Wright is using the spring schedule for, and with another season still on the horizon in 2021, the Mocs can't sell out completely to win now and not be ready for the fall. This team is still good enough to win the remaining games on its schedule, and there's no better way to get players ready for the fall than actual games. The coaching staff is just going to have to trust the players will make some mistakes and quickly learn from the experience.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.