UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman (14) is congratulated by his father, head coach Russ Huesman, after the junior comes out of the game.

It was on the Finley Stadium turf, of all places, that Russ Huesman ceased being a football coach and allowed himself a moment's indulgence as a proud father.

Amid the wild celebration after the victory over Wofford that secured the Southern Conference championship and automatic playoff berth for his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga team, the head coach found the starting quarterback, his son Jacob, and bear-hugged him.

It was there, if only briefly, that coach became dad. Before letting go, Russ said into Jacob's ear, "I'm proud of you! Thank you for coming here."

Quarterback Jacob Huesman stretches during practice while his father and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman watches. For the Huesmans, football is a family affair. The father-son duo is geared up to host Indiana State on Saturday, the team's first playoff game in 30 years.

In a season filled with record-breaking performances and new standards of expectations, that exchange was one that both coach and player, father and son will cherish.

"It's been great to share this with him," Coach Huesman said. "I was glad I got the chance to hug him. He's part of us. He struggled with us. Jacob makes his share of mistakes, but, man, he's a tough kid, and every coach who plays us, the first thing they say is, 'What a ballplayer your son is. You've got a great quarterback.'

"I want to win a (national) championship for Chattanooga, and I know Jacob wants to win one for Chattanooga. Hopefully we're both here when that happens."

In the 11 years before Russ Huesman took over the program at his alma mater, UTC had just one winning season. His six seasons have included just one losing record, and this year has brought the program's first unbeaten conference record, nine straight wins over FCS competition and the Mocs' first playoff bid in 30 years -- and a first-round bye. They will host Indiana State next Saturday.

Jacob has been a part of more than half his dad's UTC tenure, helping complete the program's turnaround from league laughingstock to the conference's elite in his three years at quarterback. And their coach-player, father-son balancing act has been among the most intriguing, and sometimes controversial, storylines within the program.

There was the early competition between Jacob and Terrell Robinson for the starting quarterback job, a battle that turned so contentious it could have divided the team, and there are the times when Coach Huesman may chew out a player during practice, leaving Jacob to have to turn a deaf ear if that player vents in the locker room afterward.

The unusual set of circumstances also includes amusing moments when Jacob isn't quite sure whether to say "Hey, Dad" or "Hey, Coach" as he bumps into Russ around the football offices or practice field.

Jacob Huesman knew from a young age that he wanted to play football. He spent his early years watching his father, Russ, coach at William & Mary and fashioned homemade shoulder pads out of dish towels.

"That's really the weirdest part for me, still," Jacob said. "The rule I made for myself is it depends on who I'm around when I see him. If I'm with the guys from the team, I call him 'Coach.' If it's just me, I'll say 'Dad.'

"It hasn't always been easy. There have been some awkward times and tough moments, but it's been a great experience and I wouldn't trade it. The best feeling is getting to help him turn things around. I've seen him coach a lot of football. That's my dad's job, so I would like to help him succeed. To help him turn his alma mater around and get to this point is pretty special."

The making of a prospect

It would have been easy to assume that Jacob would automatically play for his dad. After all, he spent so much time pitter-pattering along the track that circled the William & Mary practice field when his dad was an assistant there that his white Stride Rite baby shoes were stained red from the track surface.

And by the time he was old enough to tuck a football under his arm, stuffing his mom's kitchen towels into his shirt to make homemade shoulder pads, Jacob would announce that he was going to play for his dad when he grew up.

"I want to set the record straight right now that I'm the one who taught him to tuck the ball away," Jacob's mom, Amy, with a laugh. "Russ just let him run around the living room playing, but I taught him how to tuck it."

It wasn't until Jacob's junior season at Baylor School that Russ was able to sit in the stands and evaluate just how far his son had progressed.

A young Jacob Huesman dresses up like his coach father, Russ, in this undated family photo. Jacob, a business management and finance major, says he doesn't plan to follow in his dad's footsteps as a coach.

"Jacob is definitely his father's son. He lives and breathes football. Being a good player, and a leader, is important to him, and he worked really hard at it," Amy said. "I had been bragging about how good Jacob was. But that first game we watched together, when I asked Russ what he thought, all he said was, 'Eh, he can play.'

"It's been great to watch Russ and Jacob's relationship. He's very proud of Jacob, but never really showed that. I can tell that they've both had to negotiate that father-son balance. They've had to worry about it coming across as partiality."

By the next year, though, Coach Huesman's cool demeanor had changed. As he entered the room for a Southern Conference coaches meeting, he made it clear to his league peers that Jacob was off limits.

Jacob would become one of the highest profile players the Mocs have ever signed, choosing UTC over offers from Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and William & Mary among others. San Jose State offered a scholarship without having seen him in person, strictly off the recommendation of Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who considered Jacob one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country at that time.

"I wanted to see the highest level of football that I could play at," Jacob said. "UTC recruited me just like they would anybody else. Coach (Will) Healy handled a lot of my recruiting, and it was pretty normal."

Ultimately it was while watching from the stands, as UTC players fought back in a come-from-behind road win over Furman, that Jacob decided he wanted to join his dad's team. Immediately after that game ended, after texting his mom of his intention, Jacob made his way to the Mocs locker room and committed.

"There had been a lot of ups and downs and close games that season," Jacob said. "Every time they lost my heart felt like it got ripped out. It was an emotional roller coaster watching them, and I felt fully invested into the program. Seeing that team battle back from that, I wanted to be a part of it."

Weathering the tough times

After redshirting his first year at UTC, Jacob became the first freshman to lead the team in rushing and led all freshmen in the league in rushing and total offense with 2,616 yards. He finished third in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award given to the nation's top FCS freshman.

But going into his sophomore season, he and Robinson, who had also been a freshman phenom, were locked in a head-to-head competition for the starter's job. After a season-opening loss at South Florida, in which Jacob got most of the second-half snaps at quarterback, Robinson quit the team. But he asked and was given permission to return 48 hours later.

After six seasons as coach, Russ Huesman has led UTC to its first unbeaten conference record.

It's uncertain how much effect it had on a team that went on to lose two conference games in overtime and another by three points to miss out on the playoffs. The debate carried over into the offseason as Mocs fans, who had been united, began choosing sides. Had Coach Huesman not given Robinson a fair shot in favor of his son, or was Robinson merely pouting?

Internet chat rooms, calls to local sports radio shows and emails to the newspaper all showed a divided fan base with some using the incendiary "daddy's boy" term or venting that the only reason Jacob was playing was because he was the coach's son.

There was even a smattering of boos from a small group of home fans when Jacob entered the game. For both him and Coach Huesman, it was impossible not to hear the insults.

"That was hard. I'll admit that," Jacob said. "It's hard to get booed by the home crowd. I had the support of my teammates, which helped a lot, and the support of the coaching staff. I never doubted that I was a good enough player to be in the role I was in. But I'll admit it was difficult at times to hear some of the things that were said.

"It made what I've done more satisfying. It was kind of a proving point for me. Just to let everybody know that I'm not just playing because I'm the coach's son. I belong here in this role. This is where I deserve to be."

Without acknowledging his critics, Jacob simply went about the business of proving them wrong with the way he continued to play on the field and how he carried himself off it.

He followed his impressive freshman debut by totaling more than 2,500 yards to earn SoCon offensive player of the year honors and help the Mocs claim a share of the conference title.

"I found myself rooting for him," Coach Huesman admitted. "That was tough because I wanted him to do well for the team, but also to prove people wrong. I wanted people to see that he's playing because he gives us the best chance to win the game. I know a lot of people out there didn't believe that. And I mean a lot of people. He's proved them all wrong.

"That was hard because of all the people saying he was daddy's boy and only playing because he was the coach's son. I think people really know he's a pretty doggone good player. It's extremely satisfying as a dad and a coach to see him shut a bunch of people up."

Shortly after the 2013 season ended, Robinson was one of three players dismissed from the team. Robinson later admitted his dismissal was the result of multiple failed drug tests. He later transferred to Faulkner University, where he ranked among the top offensive players in the nation at the NAIA level.

"It's a shame how that whole situation worked out," Jacob said. "I hated to see Terrell go. He's an outstanding athlete and one of my friends as a teammate."

Taking on the role of leader

Knowing the offensive load rested squarely on his shoulders this season, Jacob again answered by elevating his play -- leading the league in total offense per game and earning a second consecutive conference offensive player of the year award. He has thrown just two interceptions against FCS opponents this season and is well on his way to owning every rushing, passing and total offense record in school history.

"There are lots of dual-threat quarterbacks, but he's one of the best as far as being really good at both," said Furman coach Bruce Fowler. "He also has the intangibles to be a good quarterback -- the smarts and instincts to play the game. Being Coach Huesman's son, he's been around the game a lot, and he impresses you when you watch him because he has a great knack for the game and making plays when they really need him to.

"They have a lot of weapons around him, but he's the guy you have to prepare for if you're going to have a shot at slowing them down."

With the playoffs still remaining and a whole senior season next year, he's already the first UTC player with more than 2,500 rushing and 5,000 passing yards and is the school-record holder for total offense, his 8,065 yards also ranking fifth in SoCon history. His 26 career rushing touchdowns are just three behind teammate Keon Williams, who set the record last week.

"There's a calm to him," said senior offensive lineman Chris Mayes. "Jacob doesn't let things affect him either way. He's very even-keel. You get the same Jacob every day. Some people just have that leadership capability, and he has that. He prepares and takes pride in what he does every day, and he's the leader of this offense."

A father-coach's reason to brag

During his time as an assistant at William & Mary, when Russ would come home from a tough loss, young Jacob would console him by promising, "That's OK, Daddy. When I get bigger I'm going to help you win games."

Asked about his plans beyond his senior season at UTC, Jacob claimed he doesn't intend to follow in his father's footsteps and become a coach. A business management and finance major, he believes he can step away from the game he grew up playing and loving.

But after pausing to stare into the distance a few seconds, he admitted, "There's a lot of similarities between me and my dad. Winning is everything to both of us. Football is everything. Who knows what I'll do? I don't really want to think about not having football in my life right now."

The Mocs' unparalleled success this season has resulted in a long list of awards and individual honors even before the postseason begins. Russ Huesman already has been named the SoCon coach of the year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for national coach of the year in the FCS.

Similar to the way Jacob humbly brushed aside his own individual accomplishments, Coach Huesman didn't say much beyond feeling honored, then turned the attention toward his players and staff.

But when asked about the accomplishments of his quarterback, his son, the coach let down his guard and praised Jacob for both his football and off-field achievements.

"I probably go to extremes both ways, to be honest," Coach Huesman said. "In some ways I'm way too critical, and other ways I probably show favoritism. It was a hard process for me, to balance it, even though I'm really proud and want to tell people how well he's doing and to brag on him.

"As a parent, it makes me real proud when I hear from people in the community or on campus compliment how Jacob handles himself. As a coach, I feel more comfortable now bragging about him like I would any great player in our program. It's neat to see him practice every day, and sharing it with him has made what we've done this year pretty cool.

"The bottom line is I'm proud of him as a human being and as a son. How he's grown up. The type of person that he is. He does the right things in the classroom and socially. And he's a heck of a ballplayer."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.