Mocs’ rushing more anemic than attacking so far this season,
Mocs still struggling to get their ground game going
The woes of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga rushing attack have been on full display all season. Saturday was no exception. But as bad as the Mocs’ 7-yard performance was in a 41-17 homecoming loss to Furman, it wasn’t their worst showing on the ground this year. They totaled just 6 rushing yards in a 21-7 loss to UT-Martin on Sept. 16, also at Finley Stadium.
UTC has averaged 59 rushing yard per game this season, which ranks 119th in the Football Championship Subdivision. It’s on pace for the worst average in program history, dating back to 1951.
“We just have to keep working on it,” UTC coach Tom Arth said Saturday. “We’re doing some different things, trying some different things, but it’s unfortunate that we haven’t been able to be productive in that aspect of the game.”
There’s no single obvious reason for the lack of productivity on the ground, although the rushing offense wasn’t necessarily expected to be a strong suit for UTC this year. The Mocs started the season with three new starters on the offensive line, and constant shifting in that group has made developing consistency a challenge.
However, the line’s performance was far more competitive
Saturday, when it created a good pocket for true freshman Cole Copeland — the third Moc to start at quarterback and fourth to take a snap this season — to have a chance to throw. Copeland passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns against the Paladins, though he was sacked three times.
“We’ll get there,” Copeland said. “There’s no need to stress
about it. Obviously it’s a big problem, but we’ve just got to do better, and we’ll figure ways to do it.”
Coaches had hoped to establish some semblance of a rushing attack against Furman, in part to take pressure off Copeland, a former Bradley Central High School star. But the longest runs from scrimmage covered 6 yards, with Copeland and Darrell
Bridges each going that far.
The Mocs tried to run in early down situations, but eight firstdown carries netted negative-3 yards and Copeland was sacked twice on first down. There were also two penalties on first down — one for a false start, one for unsportsmanlike conduct — which put the Mocs in either first-andlong or second-and-long, essentially taking them out of opportunities to create boxes favorable for rushing.
“We found ourselves in second-and-long a lot, and it’s tough to get out of,” Arth said. “We struggled to run the ball, and it makes it really tough. We found ourselves behind the chains, but it comes back to us doing a good job on first and second down. We have to run the ball and be balanced, but we haven’t been anywhere near that.”
Of Copeland’s 42 passes, 16 of them came on first down. He completed nine of those first-down throws — including both of his touchdown passes — for 160 yards.
It doesn’t appear the road will get any easier for the Mocs (1-5, 0-3 Southern Conference) where their next two opponents are concerned. Mercer ranks fourth in the league against the run, while The Citadel leads the SoCon in that category.
However, the Mocs remain steadfastly confident they’ll figure it out.
“We just have to continue to work hard,” senior receiver Alphonso Stewart said. “We’ll try to dissect film and do everything we’re capable of doing — blocking on the perimeter; blocking on the line; execution in the backfield. When it’s going, I know it’s going to get going.
“We’re going to have a breakout game soon. I don’t doubt it one bit.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghen ley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.