Chattanooga Football Game Notes
Shorter Hawks (0-0, 0-0 GSC) at No. 6 Chattanooga Mocs (0-0, 0-0 SoCon)
Finley Stadium (20,668) – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 – 7:00 p.m. (E.D.T.)
Radio:  Mocs Sports Network (96.1 The Legend – Flagship) - Jim Reynolds (pxp), Todd Agne (color), Will Poindexter (sideline)
Online: Live Audio, MocsVision Broadcast and Live Stats on GoMocs.com
 
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is set to begin its 109th football season on Thursday, Sept. 1.  The Mocs host Shorter University at Finley Stadium at 7:00 p.m. (E.D.T.). 
 
Chattanooga is coming off another outstanding campaign.  The Mocs posted a 9-4 overall record, won their third consecutive Southern Conference title and finished with a school-record-tying No. 8 national ranking. 
 
UTC is 19-3 in Southern Conference play over the last three years and has a 27-12 overall record during that time.  It is the most successful three-year run in school history and just the second time in the previous 108 years of Chattanooga football that the Mocs have won three-straight league titles.
 
Head Coach Russ Huesman is entering his eighth season at UTC.  He has a 50-33 career record and is a two-time SoCon Coach of the Year. 
 
The Hawks are members of NCAA Division II's Gulf South Conference and are in their 11th year as a program.  Head coach Aaron Kelton is in his first season at Shorter. 
 
MOCS SPORTS NETWORK
The Mocs Sports Network broadcasts the game on 96.1 The Legend in Chattanooga.  Jim Reynolds has the play-by-play with Todd Agne giving the color commentary and Will Poindexter on the sideline.  A link for a free audio broadcast is available on the football schedule page on GoMocs.com.  Fans can also listen to the game on the iHeart Radio app by searching for US 101 The Legend at 96.1 on their mobile device.

TICKETS
Tickets are available now at the UTC Ticket Office by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627) or online on GoMocs.com.  In addition to the regular business hours of the UTC Ticket Office (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) at McKenzie Arena, the First Tennessee Pavilion ticket window at Finley Stadium opens on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 2:00 p.m.  All other ticket windows open at 4:00 p.m. on gameday.
 
DYLAN SCOTT TO PLAY PREGAME
Up-and-coming country artist Dylan Scott is playing the pregame Mocs Block tailgate on Chestnut Street, beginning at 5:00 p.m.  This is a FREE concert open to all fans.  The traditional tailgate in the First Tennessee Pavilion is also taking place all day, leading up to kickoff.   

ALL-TIME OPENERS
The Chattanooga Mocs are 72-33-3 (.681) in home openers all-time. UTC has posted a 10-8 (.556) mark in the 18 at Finley Stadium. Chattanooga was 62-21-3 (.738) in the 86 seasons played on Chamberlain Field.  The Mocs are 3-4 in the seven home openers during the Russ Huesman era.

Chattanooga is 59-48-1 (.551) in all-time season openers.  The Mocs have lost six straight openers, but three of those were to FBS teams.

SCOUTING SHORTER
• Shorter University is located in Rome, Ga., with an enrollment of 2,200.
• The Hawks are a member of the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference.  Shorter was picked to finish ninth in the GSC Preseason Coaches Poll. 
• Head coach Aaron Kelton is in his first season at Shorter.  He is just the second head coach in the 11-year history of the program.  He was previously the head coach at NCAA Division III Williams College in Massachusetts.  He has also coached at MIT, Clarion, Concord, Virginia State and Columbia.  Kelton takes over for Phil Jones who retired at the end of the 2015 season.
• Senior RB B.J. McCoy is a preseason all-conference pick.  The 2015 All-American led the Hawks and the GSC with 1,489 rushing yards.  He also scored 10 TD on 207 carries.  He finished the year with 100+ yards in nine of the Hawks 10 games – including the final eight of the season – and surpassed the 200-yard mark twice.
• Four were recognized as the Hawks' top newcomers; Kareem Taylor (LB, Fr., Rincon, Ga.), Dwayne Tiller (DL, Fr., Canton, Ga.), Jared White (TE, So., Knoxville, Tenn.), and Matt Williams (QB, So., Murfreesboro, Tenn.).
• Shorter went 2-8 last season, but one of its two victories was a 26-21 win at FCS-member Southeast Missouri State (26-21) on Sept. 26, 2015.   The Hawks also defeated FCS-member Campbell (30-21) in 2012.
• The Hawks play their home games in the 6,500-seat Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga.

LETTERMEN/STARTERS RETURNING/LOST
UTC returns a total of 46 lettermen from the 2015 campaign. It is the most returning lettermen from one season to the next in Russ Huesman's tenure.  There are 23 on the offensive side of the ball and 19 on defense and three specialists. There are 16 starters back, including eight on offense, six on defense and two on special teams.

QUICK NOTES TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOCS
General
• UTC head coach Russ Huesman is entering his eighth season at his alma mater.  He is 50-33 (.568) overall and 36-18 (.667) in Southern Conference action.
• The Mocs led the SoCon in home attendance in the regular season for the second year in a row, averaging 11,204 in 2015 ... second-highest average on record (12,699 - 2010) ... Chattanooga averaged 10,000 fans per game only five  times in school history ... four of those in the Huesman era (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015). 
• The 2015 senior class graduated with 33 victories in their career, tying the school record set by the 1980 class.  The 2016 class enters its senior year with 27. 
• UTC has won 12 SoCon home games in a row … last league loss at home was against No. 2 Georgia Southern (38-31 OT) on Oct. 27, 2012.
• The Mocs went undefeated in the month of October for the third season in a row … 11 consecutive wins in October … last loss was the Georgia Southern game listed above.
• The Western Carolina game was the 100th at Finley Stadium … UTC is now 51-51 all time at Finley.

Offense
• The Mocs are replacing three starters on offense in quarterback Jacob Huesman, right guard Synjen Herren and tight end Steve Pickren. 
• Jacob Huesman was the first in Southern Conference history to win three coaches Offensive Player of the Year honors.  He also finished 11th in the voting for the STATS Offensive Player of the Year Watch honors, was a second team All-America pick and the SoCon Male Athlete of the Year.   
• Senior offensive lineman Corey Levin is a two-time winner of the Jacobs Blocking Award as the top offensive lineman in the SoCon ... he was also a consensus first team All-American.
• UTC was third in the SoCon behind triple-option teams The Citadel and Wofford, and No. 11 in the nation, in rushing yards (241.9) ... highest per game average since 266.0 in 1979.
• RB Derrick Craine (96.2) and QB Jacob Huesman (95.7) were two of the top three in the league in rushing ... both led the SoCon and were No. 17 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with 13 rushing TDs ... Craine (1,251) and Huesman (1,244) had the top two single-season rushing yards totals in school history … both passed Eldra Buckley's previous mark of 1,233 set in 2005.
• The Mocs were third in the FCS on third down (92/181 - 51.1%).
• Chattanooga was No. 11 in the FCS in Time of Possession (33:11).

Defense
• UTC is replacing five on defense in linemen Josh Freeman and Toyvian Brand, linebacker A.J. Hampton, dime Sema'je Kendall and DB Dee Virgin.
• Chattanooga sacked Samford's Michael Eubank six times for -38 yards … most sacks in a game for the Mocs since recording six against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 18, 2010 ... UTC also had five sacks at VMI and against Fordham ... the Mocs led the SoCon with 34 sacks.
• UTC led the SoCon and was No. 16 in the FCS in passing yards allowed (177.8).
• The Mocs posted a pick-6 in four games ... five defensive scores overall in 2015 were the most since 2011 ... 17 in the Huesman era and 14 in the last four years.    
• Senior DL Keionta Davis led the SoCon with a school record 13.5 sacks and 17.0 TFLs ... he was No. 6 in the FCS in sacks.
• The Mocs led the SoCon in total defense (351.9 ypg).
 
Special Teams
• Senior Henrique Ribeiro was first team All-SoCon pick and on the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List ... he was a six-time SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Ribeiro averaged 43.3 yards per punt ... third in the SoCon.
• Ribeiro was 17-21 (81.0%) on FGs this season ... No. 13 in the FCS in FGM and No. 15 in %.
• Senior C.J. Board had a career-long 48-yard punt return against Jacksonville State ... he was a second team All-SoCon returner. 

SEASON NO. 109
The Chattanooga Mocs enter their 109th season of football in the fall of 2016.  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 521-515-35 (.503) and have won 13 conference titles.

ROSTER, DEPTH CHART AND BREAKDOWNS
An updated roster can be found on pages 10-11 of the .pdf of the Game Notes.  The depth chart is found on pages 14-15.

PRESEASON ALL AMERICANS
UTC has six on the roster who are garnering preseason All-American recognition. Senior offensive lineman Corey Levin and senior defensive end Keionta Davis are consensus first team honorees.  Senior running back Derrick Craine, senior linebacker Nakevion Leslie, senior kicker Henrique Ribeiro and junior defensive back Lucas Webb have also earned preseason All-American recognition from various publications. 

SCHOOL-RECORD PRESEASON NATIONAL RANKING
Chattanooga enters the 2016 campaign with the highest preseason national ranking in school history.  UTC checks in at No. 6 in the STATS FCS Poll and No. 7 in the FCS Coaches Poll.  These are the two rankings officially recognized by the NCAA.

CRAINE AND DAVIS NAMED TO PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LISTS
Seniors Derrick Craine and Keionta Davis are on the STATS FCS Offensive and Defensive National Player of the Year Watch Lists, respectively.  There are 22 players on both lists from across the nation in consideration for the top offensive and defensive awards at the FCS level.  This is the second time in three years the Mocs have had an individual on both watch lists.  

RIBEIRO NAMED TO THE FRED MITCHELL AWARD WATCH LIST
Senior Henrique Ribeiro had a great year kicking and punting in 2015.  The Fred Mitchell Award candidate was 46-46 on PATs and has a current streak of 89 in a row which is a school record and the fifth longest streak in SoCon history.  He was 17-21 (81.0%) on field goals, after tying a school record with four at VMI.  He won three SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week awards, and was also third in the SoCon in punting at 43.3 yards per kick.  The Fred Mitchell Award is given to the top kicker at the FCS level and below. 

10 MOCS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SOCON...UTC PICKED TO WIN
UTC put a league-high 10 student-athletes on the preseason All-Southern Conference Football Team, picked by the league coaches.  The Mocs were also the top choice by the coaches and media to win the SoCon title in 2016.
Senior defensive end Keionta Davis is the coaches' selection for SoCon Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.  He is one of seven Mocs on the first team, including senior linebacker Nakevion Leslie and junior defensive back Lucas Webb on defense, senior running back Derrick Craine, senior offensive lineman Corey Levin and junior offensive lineman Jacob Revis on offense and senior kicker Henrique Ribeiro on special teams.
This is the second year in a row the Mocs have placed at least 10 on the preseason All-SoCon team.  UTC had a school-record 12 on last year's squad and nine in both 2014 and 2013.  In comparison, current NY Jet defensive back Buster Skrine was the lone Moc on the preseason All-SoCon team in head coach Russ Huesman's first season in 2009.

DAVIS AMONG MOST FEARED IN THE FCS
Senior defensive end Keionta Davis was named one of the most feared defensive players in the 13 FCS conferences by Athlon Sports.  Davis (6-4, 270) is coming off an All-American season in 2015, when he broke the Mocs' single-season sack record with 13.5.  A native of Chattanooga, he is a two-time All-SoCon pick and has 20.5 sacks in his career.  He finished 17th in the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and led the Southern Conference with 17.0 TFLs.

CRAINE RANKED IN THE TOP 10 FOR FCS RBS
Derrick Craine is among the top-10 ball carriers in the FCS, according to Athlon Sports.  A senior from McDonough, Ga., he is No. 9 on Athlon's preseason list of running backs.  He is coming off a school-record 1,251 yards in 2015. A first team All-Southern Conference pick, he was 13th in the FCS in rushing yards with 13 touchdowns a year ago.

CRAINE NOMINATED FOR ALLSTATE GOOD WORKS TEAM
Senior Derrick Craine was recently named one of the nominees for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.  Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) sponsor the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the award, which was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.

SIX MOCS IN THE SOUTHERNPIGSKIN.COM SOCON TOP-25
SouthernPigskin.com, a website that covers college football in the South, released its top 25 players in the Southern Conference.  As expected, the Mocs dominated the listings with six of the top 11 players in the league.  The Citadel was next with five of the top 25, followed by Samford with four and Wofford and Mercer with three each. 
UTC players on the list include:
1. Corey Levin
3. Keionta Davis
5. Lucas Webb
6. Derrick Craine
8. Nakevion Leslie
11. Cedric Nettles

MOCS EARN MOST IMPORVED APR SCORE IN THE SOCON
The UTC football team received the Academic Progress Rate (APR) Award, sponsored by Forward Progress. The APR Award recognizes one institution at each of the 13 FCS conferences that has improved the most from the previous year.  The Mocs had a 992 single-year score for the 2014-15 cohort, its highest on record.  UTC's four-year APR average increased 12 points to a 973.  The NCAA minimum required score is a 930.

RECRUITING CLASS PICKED TOPS IN THE SOCON, NO. 7 IN THE FCS
UTC's 15-member recruiting class was picked tops in the SoCon and top 10 in the nation by various online publications.  SouthernPigskin.com had the Mocs' 2016 haul as the best in the league.  HeroSports.com agreed with that assessment and put Chattanooga at No. 7 overall in the FCS.  It is the third year in a row UTC has had the top class in the league.  It is also the seventh top 10 class in the FCS in the Russ Huesman era (since 2009). 

STAFF CHANGES
The Mocs had some changes in the football staff in the offseason.  Carey Bailey joined UTC as the defensive line coach, while Rob Spence is the new receivers coach.  Corners and dimes coach Rod West added the title of Recruiting Coordinator, while Adam Ross took over the offensive line.  John Srofe joined the program as Video Coordinator and Defensive Quality Control.  Former Moc Kadeem Wise (2010-13) took over as the Director of Operations. 

MOCS MOURN THE LOSS OF LONG-TIME SCOREKEEPER LYNN TRENT
Visitors to the Finley Stadium pressbox will miss one of the icons of the inner-workings of UTC football.  For 50 years, Lynn Trent served as official scorekeeper for UTC football and basketball.  He was also the in-house PA announcer at Finley Stadium and led the Mocs' stat crew.  Sadly, he passed away on June 19 at the age of 68.