2009 Opponent Preview: UT – Chattanooga
July 24, 2009
11/21/09
Alabama vs UT – Chattanooga
After a brutal 2008 season that saw the University of Chattanooga get beaten from pillar to post by nearly every opponent it faced, Athletic Director Rick Hart decided it was time for a change. Hart needed to find a head coach that could encourage his team, rebuild the program and ignite the Mocs’ fan base.
Enter UTC alum Russ Huesman. Huesman left his defensive coordinator job at the University of Richmond, where he helped coach the Spiders to the FCS National title last season, to take over the reigns as the Mocs’ new head coach.
The 48-year-old Huesman has wasted no time making changes to a porous UTC defense that surrendered in excess of 30 points in nine games last season. Starting safety Tony Swafford (61 tackles) has been moved to linebacker and is number one on the depth chart in the rover position. Additionally, two offensive players have been moved to defense, wideouts Sophomore Joel Bradford and Senior Lee Hilt have been moved to defensive back positions. It appears Huesman has made it pretty clear to his team that every position is up for grabs.
On offensive, Huesman has even bigger challenges. UTC totaled only 919 yards on the ground last season. It was the fewest yards gained on the ground by a Mocs squad since the 1973. Some relief may come in the form of all-conference senior running back Bryan Fitzgerald, who sat out the 2008 season with a knee injury.
At receiver, the team has two returning starters including fifth year senior Clint Woods, who led the team with 512 yards on 49 catches in 2008. Woods played quarterback at Shades Valley High in Birmingham and was moved to wide receiver during his freshman season at Chattanooga.
Four of the six offensive linemen are returning including junior center Justin Gaylon (6’4”, 270) and guards Bryce Garcia (Jr, 6’4”, 320) and T.J. Hurless (Jr, 6’4”, 310). and will be tested to improve on a conference-leading mark of 47 sacks last season.
Perhaps the most interesting story in Chattanooga is the arrival of the highly touted B.J. Coleman, who transferred from Tennessee after realizing that the Vols had no real plans for him in Knoxville. Coleman saw action in three games as a freshman in 2008, then redshirted the 2007 season. Coleman will be eligible immediately and have three years to play at Chattanooga. This will likely create some drama in the UTC backfield, where returning senior starter, Jare Gault will be fighting to stay atop the depth chart. Gault passed for only 961 yards and 7 touchdowns in 12 games last season.
Coach Huesman will have the entire season to prepare for Bama. The trip to Tuscaloosa on November 21 is the final game on the UTC schedule and by that time, we’ll all have a much better idea of just how effective the changes have been.
While the outlook in Chattanooga in 2009 is not exceptionally bright, it’s not as likely to be as dismal as last season either. For starters, UTC’s recruiting class was ranked by Rivals as 9th in the FCS and no fewer than 16 players are expected to contribute in 2009. So it seems as if the new coaching staff is making the necessary moves to elevate the UTC football program. Then again, if you look at the Mocs’ stats from 2008 (and it’s a frightening read,) there’s really no place to go but up.
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