The No.7 ranked University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fell 41-35 in overtime on the road to No.1 Jacksonville State in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Playoffs.
Despite the loss, a foundation that was laid by the 2015 senior class has set a new winning standard that will be carried into the years to come.
This class led UTC to three Southern Conference Championships (2013-15) , two playoff appearances (its first since 1984 in 2014), two playoff wins (2014-15), the program's first ever 10-win season (2014) and the school's highest ever national ranking at No. 3 (2015).
Overall, the 2015 senior class has tied the 1980 class for the most wins in program history at 33.
On the offensive side of the ball, senior quarterback
Jacob Huesman captained his team to a 9-4 overall (6-1 in SoCon) record, as well as winning a multitude of awards.
Huesman concludes his career as the first player in Southern Conference history to win three coaches Offensive Player of the Year honors. He is also one of four players in the FCS to have 40 rushing and passing touchdowns.
"We've got a bunch of competitors over there and it's those people that had us in that game," stated
Jacob Huesman. "I'm proud of this team and the way we battled back from being down at halftime. It was just keep doing your thing out there."
As one of the longest tenured Mocs on the defense, senior defensive back
Sema'je Kendall has personally seen his team grow and achieve success since his freshman season in 2012.
"I've seen everybody's attitude change into a winning attitude and I saw people not want to give up and that fight" said Kendall. "It's that championship mentality in our defense, our offense and our team as a whole."
"Just our diversity and chemistry is what made it fun. We all come from different backgrounds and we click. We're not all cut from a cookie cutter. We are all different and get along really well."
For senior linebacker
A.J. Hampton, the gradual change into a winning culture at UTC has not only given him a memorable career, but his class will set the bar high for the later seasons.
"I hope we've made a good impression on them, so that they (underclassmen) continue to be good leaders and lead us to a National Championship," said Hampton, who also experienced playing time as a freshman in 2012.
"When we came in, everything was a whole different story. It wasn't as organized and I think we came in and worked hard. Gradually, over the years we started winning, getting support from the city and I feel like we've slowly gotten better and better.
"We had the team to go far year in and year out and I've had a great time, because we grew up and got better. Starting off with all of us being roommates and not seeing the field to where we were all out there together is what I've enjoyed. We've had good chemistry and I've enjoyed being around my friends."
From the time the senior class first stepped on the field as freshmen, a new attitude turned out to be the biggest catalyst for the program's gradual growth and success over the years.
"I've seen everybody's attitude change into a winning attitude, and I saw people not want to give up," Kendall said. "It's that fight in everybody. It's that championship mentality in our defense, our offense and our team as a whole."
