Chattanooga Mocs 2010 Review

2010 Record: 6-5 (5-3), Tied 3rd Southern
2010 Postseason: None
2010 Schedule/Results: Appalachian State, L 42-41, @ Jacksonville State, L 21-17, Eastern Kentucky, W 42-24, @ Western Carolina, W 27-21, @ Citadel, W 28-10, Georgia Southern, W 35-27, @ Furman, W 36-28, Elon, L 49-35, @ Auburn, L 62-24, Samford, W
48-14, @ Wofford, L 45-14

REVIEW

     If we were to discuss the surprises of the 2010 FCS season, we would be remiss if we did not add the Mocs to the discussion. This program was sliding into oblivion the last few years, and then they come back with a 6 win season that included a 5 game win streak. The magic wore off in November, as the Mocs dropped 3 of 4 to miss out on an unprobable playoff birth.
     BJ Coleman was a driving force of positive change at QB for UTC, as he passed for 2996 yards and 26 TDs on the season, the best season of any Mocs QB in recent memory. He did toss 13 picks in 11 games, but the junior had the offense riding on his shoulders. If he can raise his completion rate by 10 points and maybe toss 4 or 5 fewer picks, he could have an amazing season in 2011.
     Something that could benefit Coleman would be a more forceful run game in 2011. Erroll Wynn led the Mocs in 2010 with 633 yards, but that was only good for 63.3 yards per game, and the Mocs need more than that to compete. Keon Williams was a nice compliment, but he only rushed for 478 yards and 4 TDs. Coleman is a standard pocket/pro set QB, so he offers nothing in the run game.
     The Mocs boasted one of the premier wideouts in the FCS in 2010 with Joel Bradford, who was a huge beneficiery of Coleman's upped game. Bradford rolled up a line of 81-1284-8 on the season, which was incredible considering that he is a converted DB. He would be a superstar in the Arena League. He will team up with Coleman for one more go in 2010.Brian Sutherland was solid as well, as he put together a line of 50-729-5, and Garrett Hughes added 5 more TDs on the season.
     Where the Mocs had some issues was on defense. UTC gave up 207.5 yards per game passing, and gave up 162.8 yards rushing each week on average. The Mocs have some more work to do, and if they can even improve in one area alone, they may see a playoff payday in 2011. The Mocs also only held 2 teams under 21 points in 2010, just as an indicator as to what needs to be done.
      Ryan Consiglio was tremendous at LB for the Mocs, as he finished 5th in the SoCon in tackles with 110, averaging an even 10 per game. He was one of only 5 players in the SoCon to bust oout 100 tackles on the year. Only one other Moc, DJ Key, a DB, joined Consiglio in the top 30, however, and so UTC needs to find some players willing to step up and make plays in 2011. Consiglio will be back.
     Junior DL Chris Donald was solid in 2010, as he rolled up 16 TFLs up front. Consiglio joined him in double figures with 11. They were also joined by Josh Williams with 10, and Nick Davison just missed with 9. There is potential to make this defense better in 2011 with this entire group returning for more. Donald also led the team in sacks in 2010, with 9. More pressure on opposing QBs would be a good thing next fall.
     Buster Skrine had a very nice senior season, as he led the team with 8 passes defended, which was good for 3rd in the SoCon. Kadeem Wise also added 6 passes knocked away. Wise was the clear leader when it came to picks, as he totalled 6 INTs, which wass good for a tie for 2nd in the league. Wise was only a freshman last fall, and will no doubt be a very good leader for the next 3 seasons.
      The kicking game was a mess. Jeff Veres only connected on 3 of his 9 kicks in 2010. He will likely get pushed in the fall by another candidate, as UTC will need a better option here.

FINAL NOTES

Russ Huesman has done one fantastic job to bring this team back from oblivion. UTC was basically one win short of making the playoffs in 2010. Five more points in the Jacksonville State game would have probably made the difference, but none of the other games  were close enough to point to one game. UTC is making a huge comeback, and with the talent on hand coming back next season, UTC could make another push and possibly even crack the playoffs next season.