East Tennessee State returned to the football field Tuesday and the Bucs had one goal in mind — to put last season’s debacle in the past.
Second-year head coach George Quarles and his staff put the team through its first spring practice at Greene Stadium. The Bucs went 3-8 in Quarles’ first season and that’s weighed on his mind.
“It’s good to kind of reset, recharge,” Quarles said. “We’ve had plenty of time off. I think everybody’s ready to get a bad taste out of their mouth. We’ve talked a lot about it. We’ve owned it. We want to be that team that we’re trying to prove a point, play with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder.”
When Quarles was hired to replace Randy Sanders, the Bucs were coming off their first outright Southern Conference championship and an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals. They were picked among the top teams in the SoCon heading into last year but finished ahead of only VMI.
“We listened a year ago to how good we were and we’ll probably listen for a while now how bad we are,” Quarles said. “The truth is somewhere in the middle, I’d say. But we’re excited to get back out here. Like I said, new team, new year … can’t wait to get going.”
Several players from the 3-8 team have left but a couple who entered the transfer portal are back and that is reason for optimism. Quarterback Tyler Riddell and his favorite receiver Will Huzzie have been welcomed back.
“Unfinished business,” Riddell said. “I definitely can’t end on a season like last year. There’s so much more to do and we still have a bunch of great players here.”
One of the first moves Quarles made when he was hired was the hiring of offensive coordinator Adam Neugebauer, who has since moved on. Quarles, who called plays as offensive coordinator at Furman, says he will probably take over those duties during the coming season.
“I’m definitely leaning in that direction right now,” Quarles said. “And if not, I’m definitely going to have more say in each play. I just think that’s something I want to do. And I’d say if I’m going to get criticized for a lot of stuff, I want to get criticized for stuff I’m doing. I’m going to do what’s best for us. If something’s working, I want to keep doing that.”
The team will have 14 practices and then end spring ball with the annual Blue-Gold game on April 1.
Joe Avento is the Sports Editor for the Johnson City Press and Kingsport Times News and has covered East Tennessee State University athletics and local golf since 1987.
