Rain Dampens Spring Showcase Finale For Mocs Football Team

(gomocs.com) The UTC football team held its annual Spring Showcase at a soggy Finley Stadium tonight.  A few hundred fans braved the rain to see the newest edition of Mocs football go through drills and live action.

UTC opened with the first teams going against each other.  With senior quarterback Chase Artopoeus not participating, sophomore Luke Schomburg guided the ones tonight.

It was tough to get much going against a strong returning defensive unit.  The driving rain didn’t help much either, but Schomberg was able to connect with senior receiver Zaire Thornton early.  Junior running back Reggie Davis and Shorter University transfer Justus Durant also showed some flashes on the ground.

“I thought the kids handled the rain well,” said UTC head coach Rusty Wright. “I thought we got something out of it.  We had to treat it more like a practice and were able to get some situational stuff in.  We may have to play in the rain sometime next fall so you have to get it figured out.”

Both defensive units were tough, as expected.  Junior Josh battle ended first drive with a pick and senior Marlon Taylor led the pressure from the defensive line.

Freshman Matthew Clemmer and junior Tucker Pope both saw time under center with the second team. Neither could get much going in the tough conditions, but the action did pick up in the red zone drills.

With the ball on the opposing 25, Schomburg hit junior Sam Phillips down the sideline for a score.  On the next possession, Davis broke loose for a 23-yard run down to the two.  He punched it in on the ensuing play.

The evening ended on a high-note just over an hour into the exhibition.  Pope put one up for grabs in the corner of the endzone that Thornton hauled in for the touchdown on the final play.

Spring Break for the team started with the final whistle this evening.  The Mocs will be back in the weight room after a week-long break from action.

“It was a change-up for us,” added Coach Wright on the conclusion of spring practice.  “We got really physical compared to the last couple of springs.  This was the first time in a couple of years we didn’t have to worry about trying to find a quarterback, so we went back to some old-school things.  I think they responded well to it. I loved the way they worked.”

UTC opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Tennessee.