By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
ALCOA, Tenn. – Saturday's satellite scrimmage in Alcoa wasn't about the numbers. The two-hour session in front of a few hundred fans and dozens of interested area high school coaches was about putting Tennessee Tech's brand of football on display.
It was about intensity and competition.
"Competition is what controls everything for us," said first-year coach Marcus Satterfield. "We wanted to get the kids out in front of fans, and see how they compete in this environment. We had some guys who really fought and dominated the competition, and some who didn't.
"We wanted to show the people in our state that we are a different Tennessee Tech. We are a different culture. We are trying to be the best football program in the country. When we take a step like this to showcase our team and show the people our brand, it shows our kids that when we talk about being the best football team in the country, it can happen, and people do care about them in other places in the state and not just in Cookeville. We are able to show people we're different. We're committed to winning championships. We're committed to being the best football team in the country. "
There were numbers, to be sure, but not in the typical sense of a scrimmage. Satterfield's coaching staff scripted every down and distance, and put the team into numerous situations designed to continue developing the brand – and heighten the competition within the ranks.
A 21-yard pass completion on first-and-10 brought about a second-and-three. A two-yard run on second-and-three brought up a third-and-seven. The results didn't add up.
But the numbers eventually did add up.
The Golden Eagle offense ran 56 plays from scrimmage, most near midfield, including the final 18 in a red-zone situation. There were 26 passing plays, with three quarterbacks combining to go 16-for-26 for 175 yards, and 30 rushing plays accounting for 134 yards on the ground.
The kicking game was also on display with Nick Madonia going for 7-for-9 on his field goal tries. He hit from 20, 25, 32, 40, 45, 27 and 29 yards, the final two capping red zone drives. His misses in the gusting winds came from 53 and 47 yards, each going wide.
After the typical stretching and running, the day's action began with a two-minute drill. Junior quarterback Brock McCoin hit Josh Cunningham with a 14-yard completion to set up a first-and-goal at the eight. The Golden Eagle defense held, forcing a fourth-and-goal, where McCoin scrambled and broke free for a touchdown.
Next came a seven-on-seven passing drill, and the three quarterbacks were a combined 7-for-8 for 65 yards. McCoin was 4-for-5 for 42 yards, Colby Brown completed his only attempt for four yards, and Lucas Ward was 2-for-2 for 19 yards.
With all of those drills completed, the team went into it's game-like scrimmage situations with 38 scripted plays. That was followed by 18 red zone plays. It was through those two sessions that the numbers added up.
McCoin was 6-for-12 passing for 104 yards, hitting Krys Cates for a 31-yard touchdown. Brown was on target, going 10-for-12 for 71 yards, while Ward was 0-for-2.
Cates was the top receiver with two catches for 51 yards, while Austin Hicks caught three passes for 42 yards.
On the ground, Trey Burks proved the leader with 48 yards on 13 carries. He also caught two passes for 21 yards to account for 69 all-purpose yards.
"He had some nice runs, some nice cuts," Satterfield said. "We have a limited run game in right now. It's more to just see who can block, who can run. We challenged him earlier in the week and he did have some good runs."
McCoin showed that his elusive running abilities haven't diminished, scrambling for 41 yards on five carries, including one sack for nine yards. Devin Sullivan added 21 yards and eight carries.
So does Satterfield feel his players, especially the quarterbacks, have a solid understanding of the system?
"At times they do," he said. "With all of the combinations of people we put out there, it's hard to get continuity. Our quarterbacks do seem to have a pretty good grasp of what we're doing. We're never 100 percent satisfied, but one of the things our kids have shown is that they will watch this tape and they're totally committed to getting better."
The defense did rise up on several occasions, allowing just one explosive play – a pass from McCoin on which Cates made a tough catch between two defenders, then stepped away and took it to paydirt for a 31-yard touchdown. Other than that, the defense was intense, coming up with five stops on third-and-short.
"We're making a huge emphasis on down-and-distance," Satterfield said. They did a really nice job on second down, as well. When we had a second-and–seven, we want to make sure they're held to third-and seven or third-and–eight, and not let them get it back to third-and-three. The coaches had an emphasis on it, and the players on the sidelines they were into it."
Tech's Spring Drills resume with practice on Tuesday, all leading up to the fan-oriented Spring Game on Thursday, April 14 in Tucker Stadium.
