Back in action
Warren returns to UTC lineup today
The first six games of this season, Dale Warren was a spectator for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football games.
Due to an NCAA-mandated suspension, the 6-foot, 225-pound senior linebacker could only watch from the sideline as the Mocs stumbled to a 1-5 start, including 1-2 in the Southern Conference. And though he was a preseason All-American — he made the STATS Football Championship Subdivision third team — his primary participation during active periods of practice was as a member of the scout team’s defense, helping the offense install its game plan for the week.
But all of that is over, and Warren is ready to play.
He returns today as the Mocs take on Mercer (3-3, 2-2) at 3:30 p.m. at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga. The game will be televised on MyNetwork Chattanooga, with 96.1 FM handling the Mocs’ radio broadcast.
“Dale’s ready. That boy’s ready,” junior defensive tackle Derek Mahaffey said this week. “He’s been yearning for this. It’s going to feel good to see him out there. Mercer’s going to get a heavy dose of him. He hadn’t played in six games, so this game right here is going to be very big for him. He’s well-rested. I tell him, ‘You’re more well-rested than anybody; there shouldn’t be no excuses for you being tired. No excuses.’
“That boy is going to be ready to play. It’s very good to have Dale back — very, very good.”
UTC coaches have noticed a change in Warren’s focus, and his eagerness was evident as he bounced around campus during the week, with his first game inching that much closer. Firstyear Mocs coach Tom Arth said during a walk-through early in the week, Warren nearly tore up one of the trash cans being used to represent the Mercer offense.
“He brings a presence,” UTC defensive coordinator Tom Kaufman said. “Everything about him has been different in the way he’s prepared, but he’s the second-most excited person that he’s playing — I’m the first.
“It’s great to have him back. He’s a fantastic football player.”
Last season, Warren made 91 tackles, including a SoCon-best 19 for loss, and six sacks. His return would be welcomed by the Mocs anyway, but it’s especially important because they could be shorthanded at his position. Both Tae Davis and Tavon Lawson missed time this week with injuries,
and their status for this afternoon is unknown.
“I’m excited,” Warren said. “I’m just ready to get out there and help my team and get joined back with my brothers.”
He called sitting out the start of the season “hard.”
“It was, but every time I have trouble, I let God handle it,” he said. “I just stop thinking about it.
“It was hard, but I didn’t stress over it too much.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@ timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.