Each of the past three years, Drake has been the PFL champion. Marist has only beaten them twice in the two schools’ 13 prior matchups. With the Red Foxes off to a fast start in PFL play, this road matchup was a chance to add a third victory to the conference rivalry.
In the end, the Red Foxes took advantage of the opportunity to reach 3-0 in conference play for the third time in school history.
The game was defined by strong performances from graduate student running back Isaiah Simmons, junior wide receiver Zach Garmont and sophomore defensive back Jace Williamson, but the game was ultimately decided by more than just the three of them.
In football, a team can only win when stars are set up to succeed by their teammates and coaches. This game was a display of how the Red Foxes can do that.
Play 1
This was the first of many big stops by Marist defensive coordinator Mike Horan’s defense, and, as is par for the course with this strong unit, it started with a well-drawn-up pressure package.
Junior defensive lineman Todd Woodring (No. 53) lines up on the right edge before looping inside on a T-E stunt. Woodring is free to put caution to the wind on this inside rush because the defensive tackle (No. 89) knifes outside and plays contain.
This along with a strong outside rush from sophomore defensive lineman Naheem Ridore (No. 5) on the left side create a third-down sack, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for a field goal on their first offensive drive of the game.
Play 2
This fourth-and-four is especially interesting because of how it broke the tendencies the defense showed throughout the game.
The Red Foxes lined up in a three-down-lineman front for a large portion of this game, and they did the same on this play. The huge difference is what happens post snap. Despite just showing a three-man pressure, they end up rushing five.
The two blitzers off the ball, senior linebackers Kade Werner (No. 29) and Nate Furrow (No. 54), come from the left side on an overload blitz. The Bulldogs can’t pick that up so graduate student quarterback Riley Warzynski (No. 1) has to get the ball out of his hands quickly.
Williamson (No. 32) knows that so he plays tighter to the receiver, sophomore Willis Nofsinger (No. 85) when he begins to break outside. Williamson knows that his responsibility over the top is less important because the quarterback won’t have enough time in the pocket to allow a vertical route to develop.
Williamson takes a calculated risk on this fourth down and he is rewarded with a big stop.
This was one of Williamson’s two pass deflections. He also had a game-leading ten total tackles.
Play 3
On the offensive end, this was the breakout game for one of the Red Foxes’ new receivers from the offseason. Garmont finished this game with seven receptions for 156 yards.
The Bulldogs send a six man pressure against Marist’s empty set. This means every defensive back is left on an island.
The second the ball is snapped, graduate student quarterback Sonny Mannino (No. 12) knows where to look. The depth of the safety puts Garmont (No. 5) in great position to win on the dig route. From there, Garmont simply outruns his man and gets to the endzone.
Zero blitzes like the one Drake’s defense runs here are especially risky because there is no one left over top to prevent a 20-yard grab from becoming a touchdown.
This 57-yard catch and run touchdown was the Red Foxes’ longest play from scrimmage so far this season.
Play 4
A key part of winning football games is holding leads. In order to do that, teams have to run the ball effectively.
Over the past few weeks Marist has found its groove on the ground. Since offensive coordinator TJ Weyl started treating Simmons (No. 2) as the lead back against Presbyterian, Simmons has averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 59 carries.
One way that the Red Foxes maximized Simmons throughout this game was weak side tosses like this. Because Simmons’ rush is towards the boundary, there are less defenders he has to avoid, as most of them are to the field side.
The main threat to this toss play is playside linebacker, juniorTrenton Radloff (No. 46), but senior utility man Marco Lainez III (No. 10) seals him away from the play with a crack block. From there, Simmons just beats freshman defensive back Dax Wiskur (No. 9) with speed.
Simmons finished the game with 108 yards on 15 carries.
The Red Foxes are now 3-0 and in first place in the PFL. Drake has been a team that has consistently gotten the better of Marist for the past few years, but with great performances from Williamson, Garmont, and Simmons to complement the usual stars, the Red Foxes took the narrow victory on the road.
Marist will look to remain undefeated at home against St. Thomas on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Michael O’Neil
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