Fans are welcome for football Mocs’ Spring Showcase today
Today is the next step in the process for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team.
The Mocs will hold a Spring Showcase today at Finley Stadium, with the on-field action starting at 1 p.m. Prior to that — which essentially will be an open practice — there will be a wings cookout and a kids clinic at the First Tennessee Pavilion. The clinic will start at 11 a.m.
With upgrades currently going on with the chairback seating on the home side, fans will be seated on the visitors’ side.
Coach Tom Arth said a “fairly decent group” of players will sit out the Showcase. Quarterback Chris James and running back Alex Trotter will be out with minor injuries, as well as defensive backs Jordan Jones and Jabril Malone. Chris Miller took a big hit in Wednesday’s practice and is questionable but could go.
“I think this weekend, what’s big for me is I want this to be as clean as possible,” Arth said. “On offense, on defense and on special teams, I want a clean practice. I don’t want confusion; I don’t want there to be a lot of mental mistakes. However it works out — whether the offense wins or the defense wins, I don’t know — hopefully it’s pretty balanced, but I’m just looking for it to be clean and competitive.”
The Mocs will go through a number of competitive drills just as they would any other practice, but there will be some more live action later in the practice, which will finish with a scrimmage around 2:30. There will be officials there for the game to help with the control.
Arth said a good day today would be one “without mistakes or a lot of penalties.”
“One in which we execute will be a very good day,” he said.
“Coming out of this thing with a clean practice, where we move around, we’re fast, we know what we’re doing, know our assignment, go out and execute that responsibility.”
The team will have two practices next week to finish the spring season.