The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga held its weekly Mocs Media Luncheon in McKenzie Arena today. Football head coach Russ Huesman, senior receiver Chris Pitchford and junior linebacker J.D. Dothard all took their turns on the podium during the lunch hour.

Coach Huesman started off the luncheon but closing the books on Saturday's 42-41 loss to No. 3 Appalachian State. Although the team began preparations for Jacksonville State on Sunday, there were still a ton of questions about the exciting showdown between the Mocs and the Mountaineers.

Chattanooga will have its hands full again this week when they travel to the fifth-ranked Gamecocks. All three guests today talked about JSU's win over SEC foe Ole Miss last weekend. Be sure to check out the videos for the entire question and answer session with each.

Head Coach Russ Huesman
Opening statement on the Appalachian State game:
"We played good. I thought that we played really well on offense. Defensively, we played good for three quarters, then got a little turned around where we did not play very well. I don't really know what the reasons were. Partly, App was executing a little better. We gave up some big plays and gave them some momentum and life."

"From a fan's perspective, it was a great game to watch. I am sure it was a great game on television. I appreciate all the fans for coming out and supporting us and doing a great job to help us. It was one of those games if you are on the winning end of it, you think about this for a long time. It was just a great game to be involved with, but when you are on the losing end, you really don't care too much about it."

"We had a lot of guys play really well. B.J. Coleman played great along with a couple of our receivers. Brian Sutherland played a great game. Up front, Chris Harr, T.J. Hurless and Garrett Hughes had a good game."

"Defensively, we had some guys make some plays, then we had some that weren't made in the fourth quarter. I am proud of our guys, they kept playing. Take the ball down there with two minutes left, score and have a chance to win the game against the No. 3 team in the country is... I think coach (Marcus) Satterfield and the offensive staff did a great job of game planning, putting a plan in place and executing that plan."

Opening statement on Jacksonville State:
"We have Jacksonville State this week. It doesn't get any easier. They beat Ole Miss and watching them on film, they are really good. They are pretty big upfront. I think they can run. They are playing two quarterbacks, one is a true-freshman. He is the guy that made the plays at the end. For anybody to make the plays that he made is one thing, but for a true-freshman to make those plays was unbelievable. They are good and deserve to be ranked No. 5 in the country and we have our work cut out for us."

Senior Wide Receiver Chris Pitchford
On the touchdown catch:
"At first, the read was supposed to be to the boundary, so I wasn't really expecting the ball. The way we run the route is supposed to be a tempo slant route and as soon as I came out of the break. I saw B.J. (Coleman) lead me a little bit and I knew that I had to put a move on the defender, so I could make the play. Fortunately it all played out, he went for the ball and didn't know that I was coming back inside of him. I just seized the opportunity and saw that nobody was back there and turned it on."

On the first big offensive play that rallied the crowd:
"To open the game up like that got the offense feeling really good. It let us know that we can take advantage of some of the things in their defense. It let us know that we could hit some big plays and be able to do the things that we need to be doing offensively to have a good day. Fortunately it turned out that way, we could throw the ball against their defense and could run when it was available. It led to a confidence boost that we really needed early in the season."

Junior Linebacker J.D. Dothard
On the fumble recovery during the second play from scrimmage:
"I remember the play. They were lined up in jet and we practiced it all week. Coach preached all week to run through the B-Gap. The running back had the ball and I think that Ryan Consiglio made the tackle. I was just running to the ball. Everyone was hyped. I was running full speed and the ball bounced perfectly in my hands. I was running, looked down and back up and the quarterback was already on me."

On some of the defensive players playing nearly every down:
"Actually, I did feel like I was getting a little worn down. D.J. Key and I were rotating in and out. I know that some players like Jordan Tippit and some other DB's were talking about the depth, having backups and people cramping up. Instead of rotating in and out, we rotated as a defense. I think it got us worn out as the longer the game went. I am sure that we are going to correct it during practice and everyone will be ready to go for Jacksonville State."