Surprise no option for Mocs this week
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga might have a better chance of sneaking up on South Carolina this Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia had Will Muschamp not grown up as Will Muschamp.
South Carolina’s third-year head football coach was born in Rome, Georgia, and graduated from Darlington School, leaving him just a reasonable drive up Highway 27 from our Scenic City.
“I’m from Rome, and my mom lives in Mentone, Alabama, which is about 45 minutes from Chattanooga,” Muschamp said Wednesday afternoon on the SEC coaches teleconference, “so I know the program very well. Bill Oliver is a guy I used to work for, and he used to coach there, so I know this program very well.
“It’s a program that has a great history and tradition, and I have a lot of respect for them.”
Oliver, who guided UTC to four straight winning seasons (1980-83), was Auburn’s defensive coordinator in 1996 when Muschamp was just getting going in the coaching world as a graduate assistant.
Muschamp said he “absolutely” factors the winning ways of certain programs when preparing for them, regardless of their classification. UTC is 6-4 a year after struggling through a 3-8 season in its first year under coach Tom Arth, and the Mocs are not far removed from three consecutive Southern Conference championships or co-championships from 2013 to ’15.
This year’s Mocs have allowed an average of just 18.2 points per game, which ranks ninth among Football Championship Subdivision programs. They’ve yielded an average of just 16.8 points in their four losses and are on pace to have their lowest average in points allowed since 1987.
Senior defensive end Isaiah Mack, the former Northwest Whitfield standout, has Muschamp’s attention after amassing 8.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the past four games alone.
“Mack is a very difficult guy to block,” Muschamp said, “and they’ve got three guys inside who get vertical penetration and are very disruptive in what they do. They do a good job of pressuring the quarterback and are a top-20 defense, which says something about what they’ve accomplished this year.
“The guys inside are what jumps out at you on tape. It’s really impressive.”
Pasquali’s Pix
The Citadel at Alabama: The Crimson Tide could — make that will — become the first team in NCAA history to win 11 straight games in the same season by 20 or more points. Crimson Tide 49, Bulldogs 0.
Virginia at Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets already are assured of being .500 or better in Atlantic Coast Conference games for the 23rd time in 24 years. Yellow Jackets 28, Cavaliers 27.
Missouri at Tennessee:
The Tigers are 17-5 in November since 2013, while first-year Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt is better this November than Butch Jones and Brady Hoke were last November. Tigers 27, Vols 24.
UMass at Georgia: Through 10 games this season, Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift have combined for 1,575 rushing yards and an average of 6.7 yards per carry. Through 10 games last season, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel had combined for 1,625 and 6.5. Bulldogs 44, UMass 7.
Liberty at Auburn: The Flames upset Baylor last season for their first triumph over a Power Five conference foe and are playing a Southeastern Conference program for the first time. Tigers 33, Flames 16.
MTSU at Kentucky: SEC East champs? Nope. A win in Knoxville? Nope. Reaching nine regular-season victories for the first time since 1977? Still a possibility for the Wildcats. Wildcats 20, Blue Raiders 13.
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt:
Ke’Shawn Vaughn has rushed for 354 yards the past two weeks, the best back-to-back showings for a Commodores running back in 40 years.
Commodores 30, Rebels 27.
UTC at South Carolina:
It’s the Joe Morrison Bowl, with the late Morrison having been named Southern Conference coach of the year with the Mocs in 1977 and ’78 and having guided the Gamecocks to a memorable 10-2 season in 1984. Gamecocks 45, Mocs 10.
Last week: Winners ……………… .22 Twitter spats……..…..3
Pasquali is now 214-61 overall (77.8 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.