College football: Marist football set for season opener with new coach, philosophies

Before Mike Willis leads the Marist College football team onto its home field Saturday, into what likely will be a charged setting, there probably won’t be the kind of rah-rah speech typical of a coach before a big game.

“There’s no such thing as rising to the occasion or being clutch,” said Willis, who was hired as a first-time head coach in December. “I’ve tried to center myself and the program around focusing on the process. Performing well means falling back on good training.”

Their training, the philosophies being implemented by the new coaching staff and the early results of that process will be on public display for the first time as the Red Foxes host Georgetown on Saturday, noon at Tenney Stadium.

The Marist College football team, on offense, prepares for a snap during summer practice in preparation for its season opener on Sept. 7, 2024.

A season opener, particularly at home, creates for any new coach the opportunity to make a good first impression before the fans and set a tone. For Marist here, there also is a chance to immediately turn some heads against an opponent that has dominated its recent matchups.

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But that won’t be the emphasis, Willis insisted, and his team will focus only on “winning the day” and “putting our best foot forward.”

Still, the coach said gleefully: “If you’re reading this, come to our game!”

Marist will have an “analytically driven approach,” Willis said, adding that games are won not on the excitement and emotion of Saturdays, but in the meticulous study and preparation days before.

“The commitment to Sabermetrics and analysis…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-marist-football-set-140524453.html

Author : Poughkeepsie Journal

Publish date : 2024-09-05 14:05:24

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