UTC Wary of Winless VMI

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Mocs are in the thick of the SoCon race, currently tied for second in the league standings.
You would think Chattanooga catches a break this weekend hosting VMI, who is in last place in the SoCon.
But UTC has nothing but respect for the Keydets.
Mocs barely beat’em last year 24-23.

Before the COVID year of 2020, the VMI football program had not enjoyed a winning season since 1981. In other words, it has been a struggle.
However, it can be a struggle for the Mocs to beat the Keydets.
Said head coach Rusty Wright:”The group we went up and played last year and probably should have lost the football game up there. Scored 14 points in the first quarter, and then proceeded to quit playing.”
Said running back Reggie Davis:”We went in at halftime thinking that they were going to fold. Ended up in a dogfight at the end of the game.”
Wright:”I think they ran it for 220 yards and the running back had 210 of them. We could not tackle that guy. It was unbelievable. He’s back. Good player. All conference player.”
VMI won’t get a winning season this year either.
They’re 0-7 heading to Chattanooga.
Reporter:”Do you tell your team not to look at their record?”
Said Wright:”No. They’ll see it. Y’all can throw records and looking at scores from week-to-week out the window. Those days are over. Everybody we play has people on scholarship, and if you’re not ready to play, then you’ll get beat. Plain and simple.”
Reporter:”Do you make that clear during the week to your team?”
Said Wright:”I make it clear every week.”
Said Davis:”Got to have that mindset to show up every single Saturday no matter who we are playing. No matter what their record is. We’ve got to go out there and compete to win because anybody can win the game in the SoCon. The SoCon is the SoCon.”
The SoCon is the SoCon indeed.
Said Wright:”You’ll see a group that is maybe more talented than somebody else. When they get into the game, they’re not mentally into it. All of a sudden it’s a football game. It’s too late then. It’s too late to flip the switch and turn it back on and get it back under control. That’s a hard lesson for people to understand.”

It’s homecoming at Finley Stadium Saturday with kickoff set for 4pm.