Prep Preview: Whitwell ready to challenge Pirates in 3-1A
The Times Free Press is taking a daily positional look at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team leading up to its first preseason practice Wednesday. Today we look at the running backs:
Who’s back?
Trot — and not a lot (more). The Mocs’ leading returning rusher is senior Alex Trotter, who in three seasons has 289 yards on the ground. He had 113 of those yards in 2017, with more than half generated during a 14-carry, 58-yard performance against Samford on Oct. 28. Trotter’s 17-yard carry on a fourth-and-1 play on the Mocs’ final drive led to what turned out to be the game-winning field goal. He has battled upper-body injuries throughout his career, but offensive coordinator Justin Rascati called Trotter “elite” during the spring and said “a lot of people will know about him this fall.” Torrez Finney has recovered from a knee injury incurred during wrestling season and will have opportunities to play at fullback, while Andrew Hill — a converted linebacker — practiced there during the spring.
Who’s new?
Is the Price right? Second-year UTC head coach Tom Arth likes bigger backs who can absorb punishment in the Southern Conference, and he has two new players coming in who fit that mold — junior-college transfer Tyrell Price and incoming freshman Isaiah Cobb, with each listed at 6-0 and more than 200 pounds. Price comes in with high expectations because the former East Mississippi Community College standout was named to the preseason All-SoCon second team. As a sophomore, he rushed for 989 yards and 25 total touchdowns — his 24 rushing scores led the nation’s junior college players — and he had eight multi-touchdown games. Cobb rushed for 1,109 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Maryville High School. Coaches also brought in 6-foot, 230pound Austin Collier, who once had a scholarship offer from Western Kentucky before spending the past two years at Bethel, and Jonathan Stovall — a cousin of former UTC wide receiver James Stovall — who started his career at Carson-Newman but hasn’t been in college since 2015.
Strengths
Price and Trotter will have the ability to form a solid 1-2 tandem in the backfield, and with what looks to be an improved offensive line, there ought to be opportunities to churn out yards in the running game and improve on last season’s statistics. In 2017, UTC ranked eighth in the SoCon and 115th among Football Championship Subdivision teams by averaging 78.1 rushing yards per game. Price is already a big back, while Trotter runs bigger than his 5-9, 185pound frame, so if the two stay healthy, they’ll be a solid duo.
Weaknesses
There’s not a lot behind the potentially solid duo. Stovall looked promising during the spring, but he has yet to play in a game. Collier, who rushed for 47 yards as a freshman at Bethel, is young and raw. Cobb has a solid foundation from his time at Maryville but obviously lacks college experience. He would appear to be the most likely to step in and contribute if injuries occur, but there’s nothing there as of yet.