2018 College Football Team Previews: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Location: Cookeville, TN
Coach: Dewayne Alexander (0-0)
Stadium: Tucker Stadium (Capacity: 16,500)
CSJ Projections:
9th: OVC
10th: Tennessee
89th: FCS
219th: Division I
2017 In A Sentence: The Marcus Satterfield experiment ended badly for the Golden Eagles, leading to a dismal 1-10 season and the sacking of the head coach at the conclusion of the season.
Biggest Shoes to Fill: WR Dontez Byrd finished his illustrious Golden Eagle career with a 1,000 yard season. His production – 78 receptions and 1,073 yards receiving, and setting four-year school records in both categories in the process – will be a huge priority for new head coach Dewayne Alexander to replace.
Key Player: With the offense needing a complete retool under the new head coach, Alexander will undoubtedly want to have the defense lead the Golden Eagles in the early going, with LB Aderick Moore (95 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks) being a key part of that leadership. The more Moore establishes himself as a leader, the better Tech’s defense should be and the more competitive the Golden Eagles will be.
Fearless Prediction: at Chattanooga. home vs. Kennesaw State, at Utah State, at Jacksonville State. If the Golden Eagles can survive this early-season gauntlet at .500 or better, they could be surprising OVC title contenders. They won’t, but they’ll probably improve as the season goes along, doing better than last season’s 1-10 aberration.
Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
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