2008 Woodie Awards
Football team hoping to avoid letdown against The Citadel
Stefan Hunt
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Sports
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By Stefan Hunt
Sports Editor
Hoping to build on last weekend's thrilling victory over Georgia Southern, the UTC football team will travel to Charleston, S.C., this Saturday, looking for their third victory of the season.
The big question for UTC is who will start as quarterback. All signs point to senior Matt Lopez leading the offense after coming off the bench for an ineffective Antonio Miller.
While Lopez does not possess the speed Miller does, he does a better job of reading defenses and is the better pure passer.
The Bulldogs come into the game 0-3, but have played two Division 1-A schools in Texas A & M and Pittsburgh.
The Citadel will also be looking to avenge a 31-21 defeat at the hands of the Mocs last season.
The Bulldogs will be lead by dual-threat quarterback Duran Lawson. Lawson leads the Bulldogs in rushing and passing and will keep the Chattanooga defense honest with his playmaking ability.
Lawson is a very accurate quarterback, as evident by his 61 percent completion percentage against some top-notch talent.
The revamped Chattanooga secondary will have their hands full if they allow the junior quarterback to get into a rhythm.
Chattanooga will also have to be weary of running back Nuru Goodrum. Goodrum has started the season off slow but scored three touchdowns against the Mocs last season.
At 6-0 and 233 pounds, Goodrum is a load to handle once he hits the open field. Chattanooga's front seven will have to close the gaps, and keep Goodrum from breaking into the Chattanooga secondary.
Goodrum wasn't the only running back on display in last year's game.
Chattanooga's Eldra Buckley had a monster game against the Bulldogs, running for three scores and 187 yards in the victory. Look for more of the same this year against a defense that is surrendering over 41 points per game.
This is also a chance for the quarterback to shine, whether it be Lopez or Miller. The Bulldogs are giving up 293 yards through the air, and have been burned for 11 touchdowns already on the season.
One key for Chattanooga will be to score early to set the tempo of the game. The Bulldogs are being outscored 35-0 in the first quarter so far this season.
If Chattanooga can come out and play like they did against Georgia Southern in the fourth quarter last week, the Mocs can take control of the game.
Also if the Mocs can come out early and score, it will erase any doubts of a letdown after last week's big victory.
That will probably be the biggest key for Chattanooga: avoiding the letdown. This is a game the Mocs should win, and will be favored to win.
A loss this week would be devastating to the team after experiencing such a high last week.
Allison is too good of a coach for a loss to happen, and the Mocs' veteran players will be preaching all week about avoiding a trap game like this.
Look for the Mocs to come out on fire and build an early lead, and hand the game over to Buckley and watch him run wild.
Sports Editor
Hoping to build on last weekend's thrilling victory over Georgia Southern, the UTC football team will travel to Charleston, S.C., this Saturday, looking for their third victory of the season.
The big question for UTC is who will start as quarterback. All signs point to senior Matt Lopez leading the offense after coming off the bench for an ineffective Antonio Miller.
While Lopez does not possess the speed Miller does, he does a better job of reading defenses and is the better pure passer.
The Bulldogs come into the game 0-3, but have played two Division 1-A schools in Texas A & M and Pittsburgh.
The Citadel will also be looking to avenge a 31-21 defeat at the hands of the Mocs last season.
The Bulldogs will be lead by dual-threat quarterback Duran Lawson. Lawson leads the Bulldogs in rushing and passing and will keep the Chattanooga defense honest with his playmaking ability.
Lawson is a very accurate quarterback, as evident by his 61 percent completion percentage against some top-notch talent.
The revamped Chattanooga secondary will have their hands full if they allow the junior quarterback to get into a rhythm.
Chattanooga will also have to be weary of running back Nuru Goodrum. Goodrum has started the season off slow but scored three touchdowns against the Mocs last season.
At 6-0 and 233 pounds, Goodrum is a load to handle once he hits the open field. Chattanooga's front seven will have to close the gaps, and keep Goodrum from breaking into the Chattanooga secondary.
Goodrum wasn't the only running back on display in last year's game.
Chattanooga's Eldra Buckley had a monster game against the Bulldogs, running for three scores and 187 yards in the victory. Look for more of the same this year against a defense that is surrendering over 41 points per game.
This is also a chance for the quarterback to shine, whether it be Lopez or Miller. The Bulldogs are giving up 293 yards through the air, and have been burned for 11 touchdowns already on the season.
One key for Chattanooga will be to score early to set the tempo of the game. The Bulldogs are being outscored 35-0 in the first quarter so far this season.
If Chattanooga can come out and play like they did against Georgia Southern in the fourth quarter last week, the Mocs can take control of the game.
Also if the Mocs can come out early and score, it will erase any doubts of a letdown after last week's big victory.
That will probably be the biggest key for Chattanooga: avoiding the letdown. This is a game the Mocs should win, and will be favored to win.
A loss this week would be devastating to the team after experiencing such a high last week.
Allison is too good of a coach for a loss to happen, and the Mocs' veteran players will be preaching all week about avoiding a trap game like this.
Look for the Mocs to come out on fire and build an early lead, and hand the game over to Buckley and watch him run wild.
