Making progress
Mocs offensive linemen a new mixture
The new guys on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offensive line are having to learn and jell pretty quickly. Josh Cardiello was an All-Southern Conference pick last year but has moved to center. Malcolm White was an all-freshman pick last season. After that, the Mocs linemen are new. Talented, but new. And although they, as with most of the positions on the UTC football team, aren’t a finished product, coaches feel they’re on the right path. “I think as a group, we’re communicating and playing together a lot better than we did in the spring,” coach Tom Arth said recently. “A lot starts with Josh Cardiello. He has to be the voice of the group, and he’s doing so much better of a job of communication than in the spring, and that’s really helped their play together as a unit.
“Football is such an incredible team game, but the offensive line is even more unique and they play together five as one, and I’ve really been pleased by how they’ve come along.”
The Mocs initially expected to lose one 2016 starter, current Tennessee Titan Corey Levin. But then center Jacob Revis and fellow three-year starter Hunter Townson — who had a combined
76 starts — chose not to come back for their final year, which meant there was going to be a lot of change up front.
Taylor Helton, Branden Parker and Louisville transfer Luke Schultheiss — all underclassmen — are fighting for roles. So are sophomore Brian Marshall, redshirt freshmen Tyler Martin and Cole Strange and true freshman McClendon Curtis.
Nothing has been set yet by offensive line coach Nick Hennessey, but he’s pleased by the process.
“You have guys that haven’t played game reps yet,” he said. “Down the line they’re getting better, day by day, some days better than others, but it’s not a completely linear progression of improvement, but they are getting better. Today was better than day one; there have been a lot of ups and down from that point to now, but the overall trajectory is up, which is what we want.”
Whoever wins the right tackle position — be it Helton, Curtis or another player — will have the task of defending the back side of senior quarterback Alejandro Bennifield, who is left-handed. In most offenses, the quarterback is right-handed, which makes left tackle the chief protector. It’s the right tackle for UTC.
If Helton is the player who gets his name called, he said he’ll be prepared and ready.
“I’ve got to do my job to protect the quarterback,” he said. “Every play I’m constantly trying to get better — (also) in meeting rooms and learning anything you can to put you on that edge to do better than the defender you’re going against.”
He feels the linemen have grown together because of the trials they endured through the spring.
“Just from hanging out, you know that guy next to you is going through the same thing you’re going through,” Helton said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to have his back.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress. com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.