Game Notes: Week 1 vs. Wofford
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After all of the long work days, camp sessions and meetings, everything the Tennessee Tech football team has worked for since day one in January with the hiring of head coach Marcus Satterfield has all come together.
And the Golden Eagles are ready to face someone other than themselves.
They'll get that chance on Thursday night as Wofford from the Southern Conference comes into Tucker Stadium for a 6 p.m. matchup.
And the Terriers, who defeated the Golden Eagles 34-14 last season in Spartanburg, S.C., is a pretty tough test to start the season.
"It will be tough," Satterfield said. "Coach (Mike) Ayers is entering his 30th season. I grew up from the time I was playing college football to now coaching and he's always been coaching Wofford. I went to East Tennessee and he was there for a while, so I know him pretty well. He always has a very disciplined, tough football team.
"It's scary because they went 5-6, 6-5, 5-6 and that's what they always seem to do, but when they load up, they make a run and I think this is one of those years that they could have a great run in the SoCon. Luckily we have them at home and we can use the energy and ride off our crowd and help us play a little above our heads to get the game into the fourth quarter."
Wofford brings in an experienced team compared to the Golden Eagles, who underwent a drastic overhaul after the retirement of previous head coach Watson Brown following the 2015 campaign. With the installation of a new offense and defense, as well as the addition of nearly 40 players –including several Football Bowl Subdivision transfers, the Tech team entering Tucker Stadium on Thursday night hardly resembles the one that finished 2015.
"I think they're hungry," Satterfield said. ""I know there's a lot of unknowns. I think we still have to learn how to win, but we haven't had a true game. We've tried to train them, but we haven't gone through the trials that lead us there. I think they're hungry to go out there and play disciplined. We can't ever play perfect, but we can play as close to perfect football as we can.
"But they're ready to get out there and see what they can do with the offense and defense together and see what it's going to look like. The anticipation has really been building up this week."
As a head coach, especially one entering his first game, this is probably one of the hardest challenges thus far.
"Especially since I've never done this," Satterfield said. "We've been making sure if they have their legs. Have we worked them too hard, have we worked hard enough, are they prepared, are they eating enough? I'm probably overdoing it from a checklist standpoint, but it seems like it's taken forever to get here."
Thursday's game kicks off at 6:02 p.m. at Tucker Stadium. The game will be carried live on 98.5 KISS FM with Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano providing coverage, as well as telecast on WCTE with Tim Scruggs and Sam Brooks with a simulcast on the OVC Digital Network.
Photo by Tony Marable
