Chattanooga Mocs
Overall Rank: #15
#4 Southern
2010 Record: (6-5 5-3)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Russ Huesman (12-10 at Chattanooga, 12-10 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: J.J. Jackson, RB, 223 yards
Passing: B.J. Coleman, QB, 2,996 yards
Receiving: Joel Bradford, WR, 1,284 yards
Tackles: Ryan Consiglio, LB, 110
Sacks: Joshua Williams, DE, 5.0
Interceptions: Kadeem Wise, CB, 6
Chattanooga was so close to becoming the surprise team of the Southern Conference. They opened up the 2010 campaign by falling to third ranked Appalachian State by one point. They followed up that effort with another close loss on the road to then sixth ranked Jacksonville State. Coach Russ Huesman obviously has this team moving in the right direction and they really are getting pretty close to living up to their mantra, “Restore the Glory.”
Strengths:
It was the offense that carried the team last year, ranking 11th in the nation with 430 yards per game. Quarterback B.J. Coleman had a superb junior season throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. The 6-5 signal caller, with a haircut you can set your watch to, spent his freshman campaign at Tennessee before heading to the Mocs. He has been a starter ever since and has improved during his two seasons under center in Chattanooga. This year should be even better. However, some of his favorite targets are gone, most notably Brian Sutherland. Yet, Sutherland and the rest are replaceable. The receiver who is not replaceable is coming back. Joel Bradford caught 81 passes for 1,284 yards and eight touchdowns last year and few corners in the Southern Conference have had any success stopping him. The offensive line does lose three starters, but returns quite a few experienced players. They also get Kevin Revis, a transfer from Tennessee, who should immediately step into a starting role. Despite the losses on the line, the unit should be just as strong as they were a year ago. That is good news for the ground game. The Mocs do not need to run a lot, but they do need a threat or two out of the backfield. J.J. Jackson and Chris Awuah are enough of a threat to at least keep the offense relatively balanced.
Weaknesses:
The defense returns eight starters, but the players they lose could be big. Defensive end Chris Donald got everything started for the line and got consistent pressure in the backfield. Joshua Williams, who tallied 5.0 sacks last season, will have to fill that role now. The front line also lost Nick Craig, who played a big role in the Mocs decent rush defense. Nick Davison is back to clog the middle, but Coach Huesman will have to find a couple new productive players to get things moving in the front four. Linebacker Ryan Consiglio is the star of the team after totaling 110 tackles last year. With Shane Heatherly and Gunner Miller by his side, the linebackers should be extremely productive. The secondary has some growing up to do, but corner Kadeem Wise is developing into a fine player and safeties Chris Lewis-Harris, D.J. Key and Jordan Tippit are an experienced group.
The Bottom Line:
Assuming the offense can be just as productive as they were a year ago, there should be high hopes for Chattanooga. The defense has a couple key roles to fill, but they should be better overall. The schedule is pretty brutal with road trips to Nebraska, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. There is not much of a margin for error with this schedule, but if Chattanooga can pull off an upset somewhere along the way, they have enough talent to make the playoffs.
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 152.82 (52nd in nation, 6th in conference)
Passing Offense: 277.18 (8, 2)
Total Offense: 430.00 (11, 3)
Scoring Offense: 31.55 (17, 3)
Rushing Defense: 162.55 (75, 3)
Pass Defense: 207.45 (64, 8)
Total Defense: 370.00 (80, 6)
Scoring Defense: 31.18 (95, 8)
Turnover Margin: .00 (55, 7)
Sacks: 1.82 (57, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 1.36 (28, 4)
Madness 2011 Recruit Rankings:
#143 Ron Moore Jr.
