Coming off of a lopsided conference loss to St. Thomas, the Red Foxes traveled to San Diego for another tough in-conference matchup.
The Toreros are led by the Pioneer Football League’s passing leader, senior quarterback Dom Nankil. To return to Poughkeepsie with a victory, Marist needed to limit his performance.
Even with one of the best offensive performances of the season, the Red Foxes still fell short, missing a potential game-winning field goal and ultimately losing the game, 41-40.
Marist’s play in this game contrasted their earlier success. Where they were once one of the scariest forces on the defensive side of the ball across the entire FCS, they had far more success on the offensive side with the defense consistently failing to step up.
This game showed a new side of head coach Mike Willis’ team that they can build into a PFL powerhouse. At this moment, however, fans can’t help but think about the defensive inconsistency and grow frustrated.
Play #1
Marist’s new-found efficiency on the ground over the past month and a half has been a game changer for the offense. Graduate student running back Isaiah Simmons (No. 2) taking over the backfield has made them far more effective.
A physically imposing offensive line can only be so impactful if it is not complimented by patience and strong vision from the running back. Simmons shows those traits off here.
On this inside run, Simmons sees junior defensive end Shaun Aletor (No. 93) beat senior tight end Marco Lainez III (No. 10) from the outside and cuts back to force Aletor out of position.
This jumpcut gives redshirt freshman offensive linemen Hudson Dalton (No. 56) and Sal LoGrasso (No. 75) more time to get to the second level. Simmons runs behind these two blocks after cutting back inside to avoid sophomore free safety Dylan Eads (No. 21).
Simmons’ ability to make defenders miss by forcing them out of position – paired with the persistent effort of the offensive line to hold their blocks for extended periods of time – created an explosive run for the Red Foxes.
This was one of many big plays for Simmons who averaged 8.7 yards per carry and 185 yards on the ground in this game.
Play #2
When graduate student quarterback Sonny Mannino was named PFL Preseason MVP, it was because he could make plays like this.
With his background as a receiver, it is no secret that he is far more athletic than your average quarterback, but plays like this show his skills go beyond raw mobility.
Mannino doesn’t just break three tackles, get tunnel vision and run for as much yardage as he can, he keeps his eyes up and finds redshirt freshman wide receiver Jayden Taylor (No. 14).
Even with eight defenders in coverage, Mannino’s athleticism is attention-grabbing enough to distract defenders from Taylor and his route.
Normally a quarterback rolling out to the right would be followed by a pass to a receiver or a scramble on the right side, but Mannino is not a normal quarterback. He subverts the defense’s expectations and Taylor shows off his blazing speed.
Add nice downfield blocking from junior wide receiver Zach Garmont on top of that, and the result is a 44-yard touchdown.
Play #3
Marist’s offense was firing on all cylinders, but the Toreros had no issues firing right back. Their success came down to the elite play of Nankil (No. 9) and, on this play specifically, great play design.
The Marist secondary is running matchquarters coverage, meaning the members of the secondary on each side will read the respective slot receivers and base their coverage on the receiver’s route. If the slot receiver runs straight upfield, the safety will play them man-on and the overhang defender will drop to the flat. The outside corner will stay man-on on the outermost receiver.
If the slot receiver breaks outside, the overhang defender will latch onto the slot receiver in man coverage and the safety will stay over the top.
If he breaks inside, the overhang defender will pass him off to the middle field linebacker and wall him off from going back outside, while the outside corner and safety focus on the outermost receiver.
In this case, graduate student wide receiver Cole Monach (No. 17) is the slot receiver to the field side and the route he runs is one of the best, yet simplest, matchquarters beaters. Monach runs a deep out, while the outside receiver, freshman Luke Morgan, (No. 82) runs a post.
This was challenging because the overhang defender, sophomore defensive back Chase Hatton (No. 21) passes it off to junior defensive back Tyrell Powell (No. 3) thinking it’s a vertical route. From here, Powell stayed man-on, but junior defensive back Chris Barnes (No. 18) did not know that, and he passed Morgan’s post route to Powell. Powell got cleared out because he was playing man-on against Monach’s out route, leaving Morgan wide open with a clear path to the endzone.
Play #4
Marist defensive coordinator Mike Horan specializes in drawing up unique simulated pressures. These plays are especially effective when a quarterback hesitates and lacks confidence from the pocket.
Nankil doesn’t fall into the trap.
The Red Foxes line up with seven players showing blitz pre-snap. This left just four players back in coverage position on the four receivers.
One of these four was a high safety, Hatton (No. 21), who they grabbed with a slot fade from Monach (No. 17). Monach’s vertical presence held Hatton, and Nankil had no issue finding junior wide receiver Christopher Hall (No. 81) on the slant route.
Some quarterbacks see a look up front like this and they hesitate because of all the defenders dropping back, but Nankil does not. By not doing so, he does not allow the defense to get in position to make a play.
If the quarterback has a quick enough trigger, the defense might as well actually send the fake blitzers from the simulated pressure. A quick trigger turns simulated rushers into misplaced defenders.
If the Red Foxes can channel this offensive efficiency and the defense starts to play at the level it was earlier in the season, there is not a team in the PFL that can beat them. Can they consistently play at that level though?
They face off against 2-7 Morehead State at the best time possible, looking to bounce back from a two-game losing streak. This is the perfect opportunity to regain their defensive identity while the offense is still hot.
Edited by Mike Schiavone
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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