Four straight wins, including last Saturday's 35-27 homecoming victory over Georgia Southern, have earned the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team a rare distinction.
When the Sports Network Top 25 poll was released Monday afternoon, the Mocs were ranked No. 24. It is UTC's first appearance in any of the major polls since being No. 23 in the Nov. 3, 1997, Sports Network poll.
"I think it's pretty neat, and I think it's good for our guys to feel like they're being recognized," coach Russ Huesman said.
The Mocs (4-2, 3-1 Southern Conference) came up a few votes short of being ranked in the FCS coaches' poll. Their 34 points would put them in a tie for 27th with Elon. This week's opponent, Furman (4-2, 2-1), is ranked No. 25 in both polls.
When informed following the Georgia Southern win that the Mocs hadn't won four straight games or been ranked since 1997, freshman running back Keon Williams looked surprised.
"I was like 6, so it's been a while," Williams said.
Being ranked is a big step for the program, especially considering UTC went 1-11 in 2008, but the Mocs have to protect against this being the high point of their season, Huesman said.
"I don't know how they can be overconfident or have a letdown. We haven't done anything yet," he said. "Chattanooga football hasn't done anything, I guess, since 1984 when we won a [SoCon] championship and went to the playoffs. So until that happens, or we put ourselves in that position, I can't imagine our football team having any kind of letdown.
"I don't feel a sense of complacency, and I hope they don't. I hope, if anything, they feel a sense of urgency now."
Just minutes after Saturday's game, well before Monday's poll was released, defensive end Chris Donald stressed that it was important for UTC to not dwell on the GSU win or any other forthcoming pats on the back.
"Everybody's smiling and everybody's happy, but now we've got to go back to work and start getting ready for Furman."
Huesman appeared to be a little embarrassed that breaking into the Top 25 was a newsworthy event. The Mocs won two SoCon titles and at least seven games a season during his UTC playing days (1978-81). Championships and reaching the playoffs are of far greater importance to him than mid-October rankings.
"Let me emphasize, we have done nothing yet," he said. "Nothing. Zero."
The Mocs were off Monday, but most of the players spent part of their day at Holiday Bowl, volunteering at the Special Olympics Tennessee bowling tournament.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
Before Monday, the UTC football team hadn't been ranked since the 1997 season. What else happened that year?
* Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning for the Heisman Trophy
* Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris
* Major league baseball began interleague play and the Florida Marlins won their first World Series
* Tiger Woods won the Masters by 12 strokes
* Mike Tyson took a bite out of Evander Holyfield's ear