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CHATTANOOGA---The 18th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs continue fall camp in preparation for the 2021 campaign. GoMocs.com moves to round two in its 8-point season preview series taking a look at the stout defensive front for this year's edition.
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Starters Returning (3):
Devonnsha Maxwell,
Christian Smith,
John Prince
Starters Lost (0): N/A
Returnees with career starts (5):
Tavi McLean,
Giovanni Reviere,
Eli Shepherd,
Marlon Taylor,
Quay Wiggles
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There's a lot of depth across the front three for the Mocs. Last year's starters, All-American
Devonnsha Maxwell,
Christian Smith and
John Prince are back along with five more –
Tavi McLean,
Giovanni Reviere,
Eli Shepherd,
Marlon Taylor &
Quay Wiggles – who started at least once for the Blue & Gold. Prince and Wiggles earned Southern Conference All-Freshman honors.
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It elicits memories of the great defensive lines of 2010s. Maxwell's performance alone brings back images of Keionta Davis, Derrick Lott, Isaiah Mack and the like. More on him below. This group certainly will chase the ghosts of a 2014 group that included Tull, Davis, Lott, Josh Freeman, Danny Ring, Zach Rayl and Vantrel McMillian.
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"I knew we had some experienced guys coming back," Coach
Nick Davison stated. "We were extremely excited about it. Last year, we were afforded the chance to get experience for younger guys.
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"The way those guys matured and came along has really been helpful for us along with the older guys who were experienced and game ready."
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There are eight Mocs with at least one start on the defensive front for the Mocs. Add
Montez Wilson who played 36 games at Rhode Island before a grad transfer to the Scenic City last year along with seasoned vet
Ben Brewton who was involved in the game-winning takeaway at Furman last year.
Austin Collier and
Cameron West have solid experience in the system with freshmen
Deovion Davis,
Lane Phillips and
Kelvin Morris pushing for time as well.
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WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"We've got a chance to be really good overall. We just have to continuing to build depth there because there never seems to be enough bodies in that room. That group between DMax and Christian and
Jay Person and
Ben Brewton,
John Prince, Giovanni,
Quay Wiggles, Marlon,
C.J. Winston…we've got some guys who can do some things. They all have different qualities or attributes that help them be a factor." –
Coach Rusty Wright
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"Those dudes are freaks, every single one of them should be all-conference, All-American. Those are the best guys we go against. There are no plays off with them, not that there should be, but there are no 1s, 2s or 3s there, they are all dawgs and phenomenal football players. They make practice harder than the game." –
OT Harrison Moon
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"If you are good up front, you can do so many other things on that side of the ball. You don't have to do a lot when you're good up front. You just have to line up and play when they can just go get after it stopping the run and playing the pass. We've got guys who can do that." –
Wright on the line being the foundation of the defense
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NOTES
- The Mocs program always feels like a family, but it's on a new level on the defensive line as the younger brother of Houston Texans LB Tae Davis is now in the Scenic City. Deovion Davis is a true freshman defensive lineman after a stellar career at Oxford High School in Oxford, Ala. Davis is a 2017 graduate of Chattanooga before embarking on an NFL career that's taken him to New York (Giants), Cleveland and Houston.
- Maxwell led the SoCon in sacks per game (1.25), forced fumbles (2) and tackles for loss per game (1.8) in the 5-game 2020-21 ledger. He shared the TFL lead with Mocs OLB Jay Person. "DMax" is fourth all-time at Chattanooga in sacks (17.5) with two seasons of eligibility. The record holder is Davis Tull (2011-14) with 37.0 which is also the league mark.
- The defense recorded 39 tackles for loss with 10 sacks over the five games a season ago. The defensive line accounted for 14.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks.
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GoMocs.com continues its annual position-by-position preview Monday with the quarterbacks. The preview series starts with an article on the home of all things Mocs, GoMocs.com, followed throughout the day on various social media channels @GoMocsFB.
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The schedule:
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Date |
Position Group |
8/11 |
Offensive Line |
8/13 |
Defensive Line |
8/16 |
Quarterback |
8/18 |
Linebackers |
8/20 |
Wide Receivers |
8/23 |
Secondary |
8/25 |
Specialists |
8/27 |
Running Backs |
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Season tickets are available by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627) or
online here at GoMocs.com. Fans also can go
through the GoMocs app available on Android and Apple IOS devices in their respective app stores. Home games await hosting the Governors, Western Carolina, ETSU, Furman and The Citadel.
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