Veres shows promise as Mocs kicker

As the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team prepares this week for Saturday’s game at sixth-ranked Jacksonville State, it’s backup wide receiver Jeff Veres’ turn to fill kicker Nick Pollard’s shoes. Literally.

Veres, who originally walked on as a kicker in 2008, wore the injured Pollard’s size 11 soccer cleats during Tuesday’s practice at Scrappy Moore Field. It was his first time kicking field goals in a couple of years, but he made more than he missed and demonstrated a strong leg.

“I hadn’t tried or even thought about it since [fall 2008],” Veres said.

Near the end of practice he made four straight extra points and two 30-yarders in a row from the left hash. His teammates started chanting his name when he moved to the right hash, but there he missed four straight, clanking one off offensive lineman T.J. Hurless.

“The issue is going to be, right now, I think he can do it, but seeing people in his vision is the hard part,” Mocs coach Russ Huesman said. “We’ve just got to continue to work on him blocking all that out.”

Punter Mike Hammons started out handled the place-kicking duties in the Mocs’ 42-41 season-opening loss to No. 3 Appalachian State last week. He made a 29-yard field goal but missed two extra-point attempts. Pollard also missed one.

The thin D-line

The Mocs are hoping to have their top three defensive tackles available against the Gamecocks, but they don’t have all of them this week.

Nick Davison is the only one of the three who got through the opener unscathed. Nick Craig practiced Tuesday but has a bad right knee, while La’Nard Carr likely will not practice at all this week after sustaining a concussion.

Also out is UTC’s fourth option, De’Markus Lee, who will miss a few weeks with a leg injury.

“You just try to get the guys ready that can go,” defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey said, “and constantly coach them the best you can to get all you can out of them.”

Extra points

Wideouts Joel Bradford (concussion) and Brian Sutherland (shoulder) wore no-contact jerseys Tuesday but are expected to play Saturday. ... Cornerback Buster Skrine (dislocated elbow) said he hopes to be back for the Mocs’ Sept. 25 game at Western Carolina.