CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB)---The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in the Scenic City to celebrate the end of Spring Practice Saturday. The White team beat the Blue 6-0 in a laid back affair at Finley Stadium.
The afternoon began with dozens of youth coming out for the annual Kids Clinic. It ended with hundreds of fans on the field getting autographs from the student-athletes after the game.
In between, there was a 110-play scrimmage that was dominated mostly by the defense. The offense kept it simple, while the defense played well, in the low-scoring session.
Henrique Ribeiro was 2-3 on field goals, connection from 23 and 35 yards for the only scoring on the day. Dale Warren's six tackles tied for game-high and earned him the Defensive MVP. Alejandro Bennifield spent time on both teams, but it was his 4-4 passing for 30 yards for the White team that earned him Offensive MVP honors.
“I thought the offense was very vanilla today, which benefitted the defense,” stated head coach Russ Huesman. “I thought defensively, we rushed the passer really well today. We are not evaluating whether the offense scored 50 or if the defense shut them out. We are evaluating individuals. Dale Warren looked good today. I thought Keionta Davis was good in his limited snaps.”
Tim Whatley also had six tackles for White. He picked a tipped pass out of the air for the games only turnover. Davis finished with three hurries for the Blue team.
The White team consisted mainly of the first offense and second defense, while the Blue had the top defense squad. Some individuals, including Warren, Bennifield and D.J. Prather, switched back and forth on both teams.
Shaqualm McCoy led all rushers with eight carries for 33 yards for the Blue team. DeJuan McQuarters had a game-high five catches for 25 yards for Blue.
Monday is the last day of classes for the spring semester as the Mocs turn their focus to the 2015 season. Kickoff is Sept. 5 at home against Jacksonville State in what should be a matchup of two top-10 teams. Season tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
