The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team kicks off the 2011 season at Nebraska this week.  The 21st-ranked Mocs travel to historic Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., for the season opener against the No. 10 Cornhuskers.  Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. (E.D.T.) - 2:30 p.m. local - and will broadcast on the Big 10 Network. 

Kevin Kugler will handle the play-by-play with Kelly Stouffer giving the color analysis and Ahman Green on the sidelines.  Fans in the Chattanooga area can get the game on Comcast (742), DirectTV (610), Dish Network (439), AT&T U-Verse (650) and EPB (630). 

Fans can also catch the game on the radio on the Mocs Sports Network.  The flagship station is ESPN Radio 105.1 FM in Chattanooga.  A live audio stream of the game is available on Chattanooga All Access on GoMocs.com.  Jim Reynolds is in his 32nd year as the play-by-play man for the Mocs.  Todd Agne will again have the color commentary and Will Poindexter is back as the sideline reporter.  

COACHES AT A GLANCE
Former Moc Russ Huesman (Chattanooga '83) is 12-10 in two years at his alma mater.  He has led the Mocs to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1990 and 1991.  UTC's 5-3 SoCon record in 2010 were the most league wins for the Mocs since 1985.  He was the 2009 SoCon Coach of the Year in his first year at Chattanooga. 

Bo Pelini (Ohio State, '90) owns a 30-12 record in his fourth season. Pelini has guided NU to nine or more wins in each of his first three seasons as head coach, joining Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne and Frank Solich in accomplishing that feat. Pelini has guided Nebraska to a conference championship game the past two seasons and to at least a share of Big 12 divisional crown his first three seasons as head coach.

NOTES TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOCS

• Senior WR Joel Bradford is a consensus preseason All-American after setting a school-record with 1,284 yards in 2010.
• Senior QB B.J. Coleman is on the Walter Payton Award Watch List for the FCS Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 2,996 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2010.
• The Mocs are coming off consecutive 6-5 seasons, the first back-to-back winning marks since 1990 and 1991. Chattanooga has not had three-straight winning marks since 1983-85.
• The Mocs are ranked in both preseason polls, No. 21 in the Sports Network/Fathead.com Top-25 and No. 23 in the FCS Coaches Top-25. It is the first time UTC has been ranked in the preseason since 1992.
• The Mocs are picked to finish fourth in the SoCon by both the league's coaches and media.
• The Mocs put seven on the preseason All-SoCon team.

NOTES TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEBRASKA GAME

• UTC's game at Nebraska will be the first against a Big 10 opponent in school history.
• Chattanooga is 59-43-1 (.578) in all-time season openers. This is just the 10th time the Mocs have opened the year at an FBS school since the Divisions (I & IAA) split in 1977. The last time was 2008 at Oklahoma.
• Nebraska has a nation's best 25-game winning streak in season openers.
• The Cornhuskers have sold out 311-straight games at Memorial Stadium.

SEASON NO. 104
The Chattanooga Mocs enter their 104th season of collegiate football in 2011.  The University of Chattanooga was founded in 1886 and football began play in 1904.  No teams were fielded in 1917 and 1918 due to World War I.  There was also a two-year hiatus from football action during World War II in 1943 and 1944.  The Mocs have an all-time record of 483-492-35 (.496) and have won 10 conference titles.  Chattanooga has been a member of the Southern Conference since 1977, winning the league championship four times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1984).

"RESTORE THE GLORY"
For the past two years, the slogan for the Mocs football program has been, "Restore the Glory."  Head Coach Russ Huesman was hired in December 2008 to bring back the championship tradition that he helped to build as a defensive from 1978-81.  During his time at UTC, the Mocs won two Southern Conference championships under legendary head coach Joe Morrison.  In fact, UTC won the SoCon in four of its first eight years in the league (1977, 1978, 1979 and 1984).  Just 22 games into his tenure, Coach Huesman has taken a team that went 1-11 in the year prior to his arrival and rebuilt them into a nationally recognized squad.  There is still a long way to go to "Restore the Glory," but Coach Huesman certainly has the Mocs moving in the right direction. 

IT'S ALL IN THE NAME
On first reference, it is acceptable to refer to us as the "University of Tennessee at Chattanooga".  After that, correct references are "Chattanooga" and/or "UTC".  Our nickname is "Mocs".

ROSTER, DEPTH CHART AND BREAKDOWNS
A complete roster is located on pages 10-11 of the .pdf at the top of the page.  There is a roster breakdown on page 12 and a list of the starters and letterwinners returning and lost on page 13.  A full depth chart can be found on pages 14-15. 

Starters/Lettermen Returning/LOST
The Mocs return a total of 39 lettermen from the 2010 campaign. There are 18 coming back on the offensive side of the ball, while 17 also return on defense.  Four specialists return for the 2011 season. There are 16 starters returning, including five on offense, eight on defense and three on special teams.  A full breakdown of who is back and who is not is available on page 13 of the .pdf of the game notes.  

FOUR ALL-SOCON SELECTIONS RETURN IN 2011
Of the school-record nine Mocs who made the All-SoCon team in 2010, four are back for 2011.  All-American receiver Joel Bradford heads the list that includes quarterback B.J. Coleman, linebacker Ryan Consiglio and defensive back Kadeem Wise. 

TEAM CAPTAINS CHOSEN FOR 2011
Following the 2011 Blue & Gold Spring Game, 2011 team captains were named.  Selected by the players and coaches, the position of team captain for the Chattanooga Mocs is one of honor and responsibility.  QB B.J. Coleman, DB Chris Lewis-Harris, LB Ryan Consiglio and DB Jordan Tippit, all seniors, are charged with the task of leading Mocs Football in the classroom, on the field and in the community for the next year. 

BRADFORD A CONSENSUS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Senior WR Joel Bradford has garnered countless preseason All-American honors heading into 2011.  He returns after breaking the Mocs' school record with 1,284 receiving yards in 2010.  He was named 3rd Team All-American by the Associated Press and is touted as one of the top receivers in the country.  He is the leader in receiving yards among all FCS returners from across the country and fifth most in Division I (FBS included).  He needs 386 yards to break into the top-10 for all-time receiving yards at UTC and will try to become the fifth Moc to surpass 2,000 yards for a career. 

COLEMAN ON THE WALTER PAYTON AWARD WATCH LIST
Senior QB B.J. Coleman became the first Moc since Alonzo Nix in 2004 to be named to the preseason Walter Payton Award Watch list.  Coleman is one of 11 QBs on the 20-player list for the Football Championship Subdivision's top offensive honor.  He has put up some big numbers in his career, and is looking to add to those in his final year.  He has 5,344 career passing yards, fifth all-time at UTC, and needs 1,886 yards to break Chris Sanders' (1999-00) school record.  He is just the sixth Moc to throw for 5,000 yards in a career.  He has 43 career TD passes, second all-time at UTC and needs seven more to break another one of Sanders' records.  His 16 200+ passing games are second on the Mocs' career list and he is one of two Mocs in school history with six+ 300-yard passing games.

SEVEN MOCS ON THE PRESEASON ALL-SOCON TEAM
UTC put seven players on the preseason All-Southern Conference team, led by senior All-American receiver Joel Bradford and senior linebacker Ryan Consiglio who were both selected to the first team. Bradford brings in preseason recognition after breaking UTC's school record with 1,284 receiving yards in 2010.  He is the Mocs' lone representative on the offensive first team. 

Consiglio led Chattanooga with 110 tackles last season and was picked by his teammates as one of four captains in 2011.  He was a second-team All-SoCon honoree last year and is looking to build on that strong performance. 

Fellow captain and senior quarterback B.J. Coleman is a second team preseason selection.  A 2011 Walter Payton Award Candidate, Coleman was No. 7 in the nation with 272.4 yards per game in 2010.  His 26 TD passes were No. 6 in the NCAA FCS, earning him a spot on the All-SoCon second team. 

Junior Adam Miller started seven games at right tackle last season and will be one of the most experienced returners in 2011.  He is a two-time Academic All-SoCon pick and has started 18 games in his career while joining Coleman on the preseason second team offense.

A pair of defensive backs, senior captain Chris Lewis-Harris and sophomore Kadeem Wise, were named to the second team defense.  Wise was the 2010 SoCon Freshman of the Year after breaking head coach Russ Huesman's UTC freshman record with six interceptions.  Lewis-Harris was third on the team with 55 tackles as a safety. 

Rounding out the Mocs' representation on the preseason squad is senior defensive lineman Nick Davison.  Davison transferred to UTC from UAB prior to the start of the 2010 season and finished second on the defensive line with 45 tackles while adding eight tackles-for-loss. 

MOCS RANKED IN THE PRESEASON TOP-25
UTC is No. 21 in the Sports Network/Fathead.com Top-25 and No. 23 in the FCS Coaches Top-25, the two polls recognized by the NCAA.  It is the first time the Mocs have been ranked in the preseason since 1992 when they were No. 17 in the Sporting News Top-25.  Chattanooga's highest-ever ranking was No. 9 in 1992.  The Mocs won the first two games of the year, including a 35-20 victory at Boise State.  Unfortunately, Chattanooga went on to lose the last nine games of the season.  UTC was ranked for two weeks last season, climbing as high as No. 20 before a loss to Elon on Oct. 30.

CHATTANOOGA TABBED FOURTH IN PRESEASON SOCON POLL
Chattanooga grabbed one first-place vote in the SoCon Coaches Preseason Poll, finishing in fourth with 45 points.  Appalachian State was tabbed as the preseason favorite for the sixth consecutive year.  The Mountaineers, who have won or shared six straight SoCon championships, received five of nine first-place votes in the balloting.  After posting a 10-5 mark in 2010 and advancing to the NCAA playoff semifinals, Georgia Southern was picked second in the coaches' preseason poll, just one point behind Appalachian State.  Wofford was the third Southern Conference team to advance to the FCS Playoffs in 2010 and the Terriers were selected third.  Elon (33) narrowly edged Furman (30) for fifth place as both programs will have new coaches on the sidelines in 2011.  Samford was tabbed seventh with 25 points and The Citadel was picked eighth, while Western Carolina was slotted ninth.

WISE LOOKING TO BUILD ON STRONG FRESHMAN YEAR
Last season, freshman Kadeem Wise became the third Moc to win Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors, joining Stan Nix (1987) and James Roberts (1989).  He led the team, and was in the top-10 in the nation with six interceptions.  That broke the UTC freshman record of four set by head coach Russ Huesman in 1978.  Wise is back at cornerback and looking to add to his impressive list of accomplishments that included a spot on the All-SoCon Second Team.  He also had 29 tackles in his first season of college football.  He is a preseason second-team All-SoCon selection for 2011. 

MOCS LOOKING FOR THIRD WINNING SEASON IN A ROW
The Mocs have posted 6-5 records in each of the last two years.  It is the first time Chattanooga has recorded back-to-back winning records since the 1990 (6-5) and 1991 (7-4) campaigns.  Another winning season would give the Mocs three-straight for the first time since 1983-85 when they went 7-4, 6-5 and 6-5.   

ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE ON TAP IN 2011
After playing the fifth-toughest schedule in the FCS in 2010, the Mocs have again put together another solid slate for the upcoming season.  After opening with a trip to Nebraska on Sept. 3, the Mocs return for the home-opener on Sept. 10 against No. 9 Jacksonville State.  The Gamecocks are one of four teams on Chattanooga's plate that are ranked in the top-10 in the preseason, including at No. 2 Appalachian State, at No. 3 Georgia Southern and against No. 8 Wofford.  UTC also travels to Eastern Kentucky and Elon who are both receiving votes. 

MOCS VS. THE HEISMAN CONTENDERS
The Mocs have faced off against the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, or runner-up, in each of the previous four seasons.  UTC faced Auburn's Cam Newton in 2010, Mark Ingram (Alabama) in 2009, Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) in 2008 and 2007 runner-up Darren McFadden (Arkansas). 

MOCS VS. THE FBS POWERS
Like most FCS teams, Chattanooga takes on at least one FBS squad each year.  However, the Mocs have faced some of the best in recent years.  Chattanooga continues this trend with a season-opening trip to Nebraska on Sept. 3.  Here is a rundown of their FBS opponents in the last three years and where each ranked when they faced UTC.
No. 2 Auburn won 62-24 on Nov. 6, 2010 - eventual BCS Champion
No. 2 Alabama won 45-0 on Nov. 21, 2009 - eventual BCS Champion
Florida State won 46-7 on Sept. 13, 2008
No. 4 Oklahoma won 57-2 on Aug. 30, 2008

FBS WINS
Chattanooga has two wins against FBS teams since the Divisions split between IA and IAA in 1977.  Both of those came against Louisiana-Lafayette, including a 38-14 win on Sept. 17, 1983, and a 9-7 season-opening victory on Sept. 1, 1984.  The Rajun Cajuns were an FBS independent both times the Mocs beat them. 

SEASON TICKET SALES NEARING RECORD FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW
Chattanooga has broken its season ticket sales record in each of head coach Russ Huesman's first two years.  In 2009, the Mocs sold 2,527 season tickets, topping that with 2,676 last year.  As of Monday, Aug. 29, Chattanooga had sold 2,504 season tickets for the 2011 home schedule. 

ATTENDANCE IN THE HUESMAN ERA
UTC has seen a dramatic growth in attendance at home football games since the hiring of Russ Huesman in December 2008.  Six of the Mocs top-10 crowds in school history have come in the 10 home games of the Huesman era.  Chattanooga is averaging 11,601 fans per game over the last two seasons.  Prior to Huesman's arrival, UTC averaged 5,767 fans per game in the 2008 season. 

BIG CROWD EXPECTED FOR THE HOME OPENER
The Mocs will host regional rival Jacksonville State for the home-opener on Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m. (EDT) at Finley Stadium.  UTC lost a 17-7 fourth-quarter lead to the fifth-ranked Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Ala., last season.  Expect fans to fill Finley for the much-anticipated rematch.  The last time JSU visited, a crowd of 8,240 came out to watch in the 2008 season.  That was the biggest draw of the year for a program that went 1-11 in the year prior to head coach Russ Huesman's arrival.

MOCS CONTINUE STRONG RECRUITING
Since being hired in December 2008, head coach Russ Huesman has hit the recruiting trail hard.  All three of the Mocs' classes under Huesman have been ranked in the top-10.  The 2009 and 2010 groups were both No. 9 in the FCS, while the 2011 crop came in at No. 10.  

MAJORITY OF THE MOCS ARE FROM TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA
Of the 84 members currently on the Mocs' roster, 68 list Tennessee (44) or Georgia (24) as their home state.  That means 81% of the roster is from Tennessee or Georgia, including 52% from Tennessee and 29% from Georgia.  Nine Mocs are from Florida, while there are five from Alabama and one each from North Carolina and Virginia. 

MOCS ROSTER INCLUDES A NUMBER FROM THE CHATTANOOGA AREA
UTC's football roster boasts 17 members from the Chattanooga area.  The McCallie School is currently the biggest feeder to the program with five former members on the Mocs' roster, including Joel Bradford, Blake Coddington, B.J. Coleman, Jarrod Coleman and Thomas Green.  Be sure to check out page 12 to see a full breakdown of the 2011 roster. 

MOCS PASSING ATTACK RANKED NO. 8 IN THE NATION
Chattanooga put up 277.2 yards of passing offense per game last season, ranking second in the Southern Conference and No. 8 in the nation.  Led by quarterback B.J. Coleman and All-American receiver Joel Bradford, the former high school teammates at Chattanooga's McCallie School carved up opposing secondaries throughout the year.  Bradford twice broke the school record for receiving yards in a game with 254 yards against Eastern Kentucky and 274 yards at Furman.  Those were the top two single-game totals in the nation in 2010. 

MOCS WIN WHEN THEY CAN RUN THE BALL
Even though UTC is known for its passing attack, the Mocs are tough to beat when they run the ball effectively.  In the two years under head coach Russ Huesman, UTC is 7-1 when outrushing its opponent, including a 4-1 mark in 2010.

MOCS ARE SUCCEEDING ON THE FIELD WHILE REFOCUSING IN THE CLASSROOM
Chattanooga set record grade-point-average and APR numbers last year.  The Mocs posted a 2.66 g.p.a. in the 2011 spring semester, a new program best.   UTC's most recent single-year APR score was also a program-high 988.  That was two-points shy of tops in the SoCon and pushed the four-year average to 925.  UTC is now operating without any APR scholarship or practice time restrictions for the first time. 

The Mocs had to overcome APR penalties that were brought on due to poor performances in the classroom prior to the arrival of head coach Russ Huesman in 2009.  The Mocs experienced success on the field the last two seasons, despite only being allowed 16 hours of countable activity (meetings & practice time) per week over five days.  This means the team did not take part in any practice or meetings on Monday's or Fridays, including the traditional walk-through on the day before a game.   Normally, the NCAA allows for 20 hours of activity over a six-day period in one week.  UTC also worked with just 55.18 scholarships, divided among 68 players.  The NCAA allows 63 scholarships among 85 players at the FCS level. 

The four hours per week that UTC saw docked from practice time was replaced with four hours of academic focus and the results in the classroom are tremendous.  In 2009, UTC put 10 players on the SoCon All-Academic team, shattering the previous high of four in one year.  This was followed by another nine student-athletes on the team in 2010.  A total of 23 Mocs made the Dean's List in each of the last two semesters.

HUESMAN, EHRENFELD ARE FORMER TEAMMATES OF THREE MOCS DADS
Head coach Russ Huesman and assistant coach Russ Ehrenfeld are both former Mocs football players.  Huesman played from 1978-81 while Ehrenfeld was a Moc from 1977-80.  Both of the Mocs coaches were teammates of Bryon Coleman (1977-80), Tim Dockery (1981-83) and Mike Nease (1980-83).  Coleman is the father of senior QB B.J. Coleman and freshman TE Jarrod Coleman (Chattanooga, Tenn.).  Dockery is the father of sophomore OL Hunter Dockery (Newport, Tenn.) and Nease is the father of sophomore OL Steven Nease (Greeneville, Tenn.).  Nick Davison's dad, Mark, was also a classmate of Huesman and Ehrenfeld at UTC, but he did not play football.  Huesman's son, Jacob, is now a freshman QB for the Mocs. 

COACHING STAFF STAYS INTACT
Coaching changes are always prevalent in college football, especially at the FCS level.  However, the Mocs will enjoy the luxury of having all 10 assistant coaches return for the 2011 season.  In fact, seven of the 10 assistants are starting their third season under head coach Russ Huesman. 

ASSISTANT COACHES WITH CHATTANOOGA TIES
Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman has an impressive group of assistant coaches for the 2011 season.  Not only are the assistants very experienced college football coaches, but many of them posses ties to UTC and Chattanooga.  A UTC letterman himself, Huesman has four other alumni on his staff, including Russ Ehrenfeld (1977-80), Tony Coode (1998-00), Geep Wade (1999-01) and Jimmy Lindsey (1996-99).  Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield was a graduate assistant at UTC from 1999-00 and the receivers coach in 2001.  Receivers coach Will Healy is a Chattanooga native and was an all-state quarterback at Boyd-Buchanan High School.

SLOAN ALLISON AND JACOB HUESMAN SHARE A UNIQUE CONNECTION
By the end of the 2011 season, senior WR Sloan Allison and freshman QB Jacob Huesman (Chattanooga, Tenn.) will both have had the same unique experience of playing college football for their fathers at UTC.  Allison's dad, Rodney, was the head coach of the Mocs from 2003-08 and coached Sloan in his final two years at UTC.  Huesman, the 2011 Tennessee Division II-AA Mr. Football at Chattanooga's Baylor School, spurned many other offers to stay in the Scenic City and play for his father, Russ, the current head coach of the Mocs. 

SKRINE & HARR STILL BATTLING FOR NFL ROSTER SPOTS
Two of last year's All-SoCon Mocs - Buster Skrine and Chris Harr - are still competing for spots on an NFL roster.  Skrine, a defensive back, was a fifth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns.  He has all but secured his spot on the team, thanks to a strong showing throughout the preseason.  Harr signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs and is still trying to make the team.  Other Mocs in the NFL include the Philadelphia Eagles' Eldra Buckley (2005-06) and free agent Terrell Owens (1992-95).