Darryl Bridges back home to face UTC
For one Saturday afternoon, Darrell Bridges will be home.
The Presbyterian College junior running back, who prepped at both Red Bank and Ridgeland, is the primary offensive threat for the Blue Hose (0-1), who will face the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (1-0) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium.
In 2015, Bridges became the first Presbyterian running back to rush for 1,000 yards in the team’s Division I history, totaling 1,065 yards and eight touchdowns. He had six 100-yard performances, with a career high of 186 yards against Coastal Carolina. He accounted for 44.5 percent of the team’s offensive yards and 34.8 percent of the team’s points.
“Darrell has been a very productive player for us — not only on the field, but he’s a leader in the locker room,” Presbyterian coach Harold Nichols said Tuesday. “He’s a quality kid, a complete back that does a lot of things with and without the football.
“It goes unsaid that he’s excited about getting back close to home, but he’s a mature kid and he’s played a lot of college football. He understands the kind of mindset he has to have to be in. Once the ball kicks off, it’s about playing football. There will be some excitement, but his football maturity will kick in a bit and he’ll channel it in the right direction. He understands we’re playing a quality opponent, and he’s going to get ready to play.”
Nichols said he was “disappointed” the Blue Hose couldn’t get the the 6-foot1, 200-pound Bridges going against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Central Michigan in last week’s season opener. He finished with 39 yards on 21 carries while catching four passes for 8 yards in the 49-3 loss.
The Blue Hose finished 2-9 last season, but they played their best in some of their biggest games, falling 10-7 to Charleston Southern and 24-17 to Coastal Carolina. Those teams represented the Big South Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, with Charleston Southern advancing to the quarterfinals.
“We have to finish,” Bridges said Tuesday. “We didn’t get a chance to finish last year in some of our ballgames, and last week we didn’t. The
defense played great as they always do, the offense continues to evolve, but we’re trying to put it all together. We’re always one mistake, one missed assignment away, but as the season goes on, we want to get better.”
UTC was one of the schools tracking Bridges when he was still a recruit, but the Mocs chose to go a different route that year — they signed Derrick Craine, now a senior running back who has had quite the career himself. Bridges said he wasn’t disappointed about the decision UTC made, and that he’s happy with his college choice, saying the Clinton, S.C., school “is where me and my family felt at home.”
Head coach Russ Huesman called Bridges “one of the better backs we’ll face all season.”
UTC’s defense is looking forward to playing against him.
“It’s really a test when you’re facing a great running back, a test showing our ability to perform,” defensive tackle Justin King said. “When we hear about great running backs, we’re excited — it’s football, so you have to get excited. Darrell Bridges is a great running back for PC. We’re excited for the challenge.”
Bridges said his emotions are “really high right now” about his first game in the Chattanooga area since Ridgeland played Marist in the 2012 Georgia Class AAAA state semifinals. He finished that game with 187 yards on 21 carries, completed three passes for 110 yards and accounted for all four Panthers touchdowns in a win that carried the program to its first state final.
“There aren’t many (from the Chattanooga area) that have had the chance to see me play (in college), so it’s a chance to be able to come back home, to people who supported me through high school and have continued their support,” he said. “I’m not really sure where my emotions are going to be at (Saturday). I thought I’d be nervous, hyped, calm and relaxed, but I won’t know until I pull up on the stadium, when I’ve had a chance to walk on the field.
“I’m planning on many emotions, but I have to be a leader for my team. But there will be many emotions.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.