Photo by PhotoWorks The 2023 Marshall Tigers football team includes (left to right) front row: Ian Meulebroeck, Dylan Haney, Ashton Blomberg, Jackson Baynard, Jacob Panoo, Tate Condezo, Drew Parsons, Coby Brownlee, Christian Vlaminck, Noah Karlstad, Andrew Cowden, Dawson Chappuis, Austin Martinez, Jon Eben, Luke Novotny, Ethan Hess, Jamileth Hernandez. Second row: Robert Quasius, Mason Eickhoff, Hunter Gilbertson, Kieler Rhea, Jacob Scherr, Jake Allex, Braylon Podratz, Derek Hisken, Gavin Schaefer, Josh Kraft, Owen Wilts, Sam Wing, Jack Meier, Carter Link, Mason O’Donnell, Roberto Garcia. Third row: Kannon DePyper, Malachi Carrasco-Storm, Ethan Kennedy, Noah Kesteloot, Jared Stevenson, Carson Kopitski, Logan Eickhoff, JR Vierstraete, Levi Maeyaert, Elijah Okebiro, Henry Horvath, Tyson Louwagie, Aiden Bly, Clay Jones, Angel Chavarria, Braylon Timmerman, Javi Valdovinos, Eli Weedman. Fourth row: Sierra Bahr, Hailey Bahr, Magally Cardenas, Katie Andries, Eden Carrasco-Storm, Carter Manthei, Andrew Stelter, Shep Jensen, Aidan Erickson, Max Parks, Ethan May, Kyra Kere, Lilly VanMeveren, Cora Maxwell, Molly Thomas. Fifth row: Scott Midtaune, Abe Jensen, Mitch Maxwell, Hayden McKittrick, Jackson Vierstraete, Head Coach Terry Bahlmann, Brian Frana, Brad Bahlmann, Johnny Benson, Chace Pollock.

MARSHALL — Last season, the Marshall football team’s defense led them to become a juggernaut in the section. The Tigers didn’t allow a team to score 15 or more points all season before the section championship loss to Hutchinson and shut out four of their 10 opponents. With plenty of returners on the defensive line, the Tigers will try to replicate that success this year.

“That team’s gone. It was fun, we had a blast last year, but each team is different so we’ve got to set the tone and play hard every play and see what happens,” Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann said.

“They [this year’s team] know what we’ve done in the past and they want to be a part of that tradition and they want to get out and play hard and take their turn. They’ve waited, of them, behind seniors and now’s their chance to shine.”

JR Vierstraete, Gavin Schaefer and Dawson Chappuis made up three of the team’s four sack leaders from last season. Viertstraete had five, Schaefer had 4.5 and Chappuis had 3.5. Viestraete also had 17 tackles for loss as a freshman, 6.5 more than the next closest Tiger.

“Our front seven’s going to lead us. We played well on defense last year and we hope to keep the same tone this year,” Bahlmann said.

While they lose Chidi Nwkama’s four sacks, the future is bright for the Marshall trenches, both this year and beyond. Chappuis is the only player of the three set to graduate this year, with Vierstraete entering his sophomore year and Schaefer entering his junior year, so the Marshall defensive ends could give opposing tackles fits for years to come.

On the offensive side of the ball, the biggest question mark for Marshall remains the passing game. The Tigers were efficient with their passes last year, with Tyler Maeyaert throwing for 1,037 yards on 150 attempts with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Yet, they were very much a ground-and-pound team, rushing the ball more than twice as often as they threw it. With Maeyaert gone, Bahlmann said the Tigers will open the season with both Josh Kraft and Drew Parsons getting reps under center. Kraft hadn’t gotten any reps last season and Parsons had just seven attempts, but Bahlmann said they’ve both performed well through the preseason.

“I think both of them deserve to play. They’ve done everything right in the summer and it’s an opportunity to see them both play and see how they go and start playing at full speed,” Bahlmann said.

On the other side of those passes, the Tigers will also be seeing some new faces. Omar Abdi and Salman Osman both made some spectacular plays at wide receiver last season. Abdi will be playing football in Marshall this season, but he’ll be playing on Saturdays in brown and gold for Southwest Minnesota State rather than in black and orange on Friday nights for Marshall. Osman has also graduated, as did Nwakama, Jett Wing and Andrew Wallen, the Tigers’ next three leading receivers in terms of yardage.

It’s now going to be Jackson Baynard and Ashton Blomberg’s time to step up. The two seniors give Marshall some size at the position; Blomberg is 6 feet, 4 inches and Baynard is 6 foot, 3 inches, making them the two tallest players on the team (senior guard Noah Karlstad is also listed at 6-foot-3). As a result, Marshall’s new quarterbacks will have some large catch radiuses to throw to in terms of end zone targets.

“Offensively, we’re going to continue off what we’ve done. We have a strong tradition they’re continuing,” Bahlmann said. “These guys waited their turn for when it’s their chance to play and now they’re up so we expect them to step right in where we left off last.”

Still, the heart and sol of Marshall’s offense remains its run game. Chidi Nwakama ran for 676 yards and nine touchdowns on 7.1 yards per attempt last season. While part of that can be attributed to a strong offensive line, his ability to make defenders miss and break through tackles will be missed. Still, the Tigers aren’t short on backfield talent.

Mason Eickhoff and Coby Brownlee will head the backfield this year. Eickhoff punched in six touchdowns and took 45 carries for 223 yards as a fullback while Brownlee rushed for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 56 carries last year. Eickhoff’s ability to run with power complements Brownlee’s speed and should give the Tigers another nice rushing attack. Gavin Schaefer had limited touches last season but is also going to start at fullback.

The main concern for the Tigers on offense needs to be to continue to win the turnover battle. Marshall had a plus-16 advantage in the turnover battle last season, both because of their tenacious defense and because they only turned the ball over a total of three times. Maeyaert, Wing, Jonah Vierstraete and Jacob Buysse combined for 11 of those turnovers on interceptions alone and all have since graduated, meaning Marshall will need to be even more careful to maintain possession of the ball.

While many teams struggle to find consistency in special teams players, Bahlmann expressed excitement regarding his kicker and punter. He described Ethan Hess as “one of the best kickers in the state,” and added that Baynard is also a great punter.

The Tigers open their season at home against Jordan and are more than ready to get out and compete.

“Just [looking forward to] hitting somebody else. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to play against another opponent and we’re looking forward to that,” Bahlmann said.