Coach's Show Week 2

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After a dramatic 32-27 upset victory over the fifth-ranked Marion Knights, senior wide receiver Mark Strubiak joins the program to talk his experience as a leader of Spain and Xavier football. Later, Mike Feminist provides insight on the exciting win from the coach's perspective. And now, here is Mike Rankian and Christine Manneka. Welcome back to The Coach's Show here live at Regina Hall.

We are joined by Mark Strubiak, the senior wide receiver for the St. Xavier Cougars. Mike Rankian, Christine Manneka here with you on WXAV. First of all, Mark, congratulations on the victory.

That's got to be some kind of feeling going into this week. With all that preparation, you knew you were going up against the fifth-ranked Marion Knights. You knew they were a tough team. You guys came out with a comfort behind victory.

What was that like on the field for you? It was a great feeling, especially after they kind of tackled us there for two years straight in a row. We kind of, we need to prove ourselves once again. We've kind of owned the series against them, but as of late, they've kind of had our number.

And we kind of came out, and we've had something to prove this year. We had a great camp, and we came out and played as we expected we were. So the game with Marion, you haven't had the best luck with them the past couple of seasons. What surprised you most about the game on Thursday?

Well, you know, we really had a good team camp. We really meshed well. It wasn't too much surprising. We kind of knew what we had coming into this game.

We got a lot of young players that played last year, so they kind of had some experience last year. And going forward with that, I think you could see how much they've grown since a year ago. And we kind of gelled, and we knew they lost one of their best players who was actually on the, I think he just got signed by the Indianapolis Colts practice squad, Kershawn Hogan. And that was a big blow for them.

So, you know, we came back expecting to play exactly how we played on Saturday. Thursday, excuse me. Oh, yeah, right? Because it was opening night on Thursday, and you have this break now.

You just play on Saturdays. You have a set schedule in your practice routine. I mean, what's it like with all these extra days off going into week two? Right, yeah, it's definitely a little bit of an adjustment, but it's nice having a few days off here.

I mean, we came in, we've been here since August 4th, I want to say. We practiced for three weeks straight, limited breaks. I think we've had a day off here, maybe one or two days off in that three-week stretch. So it was nice, you know, coming in and practicing up to the Marion game.

We kind of had two days off over the weekend, Friday and Saturday. Friday we watched film, you know, got a lift in. Saturday and Sunday we definitely had totally off. And then we were actually practicing here on Monday, Labor Day, you know, just a light walk through, just get our feet moving.

So, you know, it's been nice, but it's kind of a nice mental break as well as, you know, physical break. So what is it for you? How long does it take your body to just kind of readjust for maybe not being so sore? Again, when is it that your body's ready to go again for the next ballgame?

Right, it definitely does take a few days to get over your bumps and bruises and whatnot. It definitely helps. Those two days help, and I come back feeling fresher than ever I probably have after playing a game with that long break. So it's definitely been a benefit to us, I want to say.

But we were a little rusty in practice yesterday, which is expected after, you know, a game and having a couple days off. But I think we're going to get back after today and have a good one. So with the game on Thursday with Mary, what did you personally work on for that game, and what did you do mentally to prepare yourself? So this year has been a little bit different for me.

I've stepped into a leadership role and took over as the captain of this team. And I've really worked on leading by example and not getting as down on myself. I had a crucial fumble in the game, actually. Any other year I would have been a little bit down on myself, but I had to keep my head up and know that everything was going to be okay and kind of not beat myself up for making one bad play.

Everyone makes mistakes, everyone fumbles. We had a lot of freshmen starting. I told them before the game, hey, you're going to make a mistake. But that's going to be okay, and it's not going to determine the game.

And just keeping your head up high. And that's really what I worked on from last year to this year is being a leader for this team. And it looks like it kind of worked well, and we bounced back after the fumble. We came back with a vengeance and scored in that final drive.

Yeah, you mentioned the fumble. And it was a part of the ball game where kind of momentum swung, but your guys picked you up. It was a big job collectively, specifically in the wide receiver core. I mean, I'm looking down this list.

I mean, Simmons had to obviously play the game with the win, but Drake Davarelli and Harold Davis making play Suzuki coming down as a deep threat. And plus he had a huge block on that big hard-up Davis play. That must have been fun watching that on the tape. But what's it like working with the score of receivers?

How is it in their work ethic? Yeah, it's a blast, honestly. We have no individuals on that wide receiver group. And I really enjoy that because, you know, the last couple of years we got in a bad habit of funneling it to one in particular wide receiver, as you probably noticed, as Steven Sims.

And it kind of hurt us in the long run. We really weren't, as a diverse group, we really relied on Steven. Steven was a good part of our team on our offense. So this year I think we'll be more diverse and help us in the long run, as you can see in that first game.

I mean, we have guys, five guys, maybe with four catches, you know. That's huge going forward, and it just shows you our depth at the wide receiver group. You mentioned about you taking on a leadership role this season. Before the game on Thursday, this could sound like a cliche question to ask, but were you nervous at all?

No, not really. I've kind of been there and done that before. I played at a big Division I school my first year of college. I ended up going to the Orange Bowl.

I was part of that 2012 Northern Illinois football team. And running out of the tunnel with 75,000 people looking down on you is kind of a big deal there. So I've kind of seen it all. I've been around the block.

I played quarterback in high school, as well as many other positions. So I've kind of been in a leadership role before, so I knew what to expect. And that's definitely helped me. Yeah, that experience for you in the Division I program, that's got to be awesome.

I wanted to be a part of it. And then you come to a smaller school in this setting and just kind of apply that to the younger guys. You know, for a small school, for St. David, we're joined by an Archie Trubiax senior wide receiver for the Cougars.

For a small school like SXU, it's kind of got a big program feel to it, right? Because this program's got a lot of rich history, and it's usually filled with success. Right. Football's definitely a big deal here on campus.

It's got a good game day atmosphere and whatnot. For a small school, you know, it's a little different adjustment from a Division I college, but it's definitely rich in tradition. We've won a national championship. And a national championship on any level, that's a big deal.

Absolutely. It's a tough road to that national title game, and we're looking to get back there again this year, and I think our odds are looking good. But we've got to take it one game at a time and go 1-0 each week. How about Hunterford?

How about the performance from your starting quarterback? He's a transfer guy. He's competing all camp with Alex Martinez. The guy who's already here before, and he steps in.

Coach Fenton let him loose. He had five receivers sets all night long, and he was making the right plays. He had four total touchdowns, too, with his legs. The big, obviously, game winner with his arm.

What was it like for him coming into that game and then playing for him, too, as a receiver? If anyone was nervous, I would have to say he might have been a little bit. I believe it. Because he had someone breathing down his neck the whole camp, and Alex Martinez.

And I'm not so sure we will get to see Alex at some point this year, I'm sure, because they were just neck and neck, and I think Alex will get a shot this year. But Justin Hunterford, what a way to step up in your first game as a Cougar. Kudos to him on that one. And I think the team kind of fed off him, making plays with his legs, extending plays, rolling out of the pocket, scrambling.

Yeah, he was a big part of that win. And credit to him and credit to the few freshmen that are on the offensive line for giving them time and whatnot. That's a big, big, yeah. You actually just led into my next point.

You have three interior offensive linemen who are starting brand new to the program, and they have to go up against a tough Marion bunch on the line. And really, that was kind of the matchup we were looking at going into this ballgame, was both lines of each team. Defensively, for St. David, you guys run 8-9 deep defensively.

They had a huge game. But it got to the point where in the second half, offensively, you guys were moving the ball downfield, just not exactly coming away with points. And then on the other side of the ball, Marion was taking advantage of their opportunity, really running it down their throat. How much are you involved in the defensive conversation?

You're a wide receiver on the offensive side of the ball. So do you kind of have the feel of the defensive group here? But how would you say that they perform? I think the defensive world played great.

They never got down on themselves. And that's been a key point in the past. They've kind of gotten down after lighting up points and lighting up big plays. I think they had a stop on the inside of the 10.

That was just ginormous in the game. That was a key point. And moving forward, I think they're going to grow, as well as our offensive line. And we're just going to keep getting better as the season goes on.

So last week, I talked to Coach Fenn, and I asked him why he was on this team for so long for almost 20 seasons. So now I'm kind of going to ask you the same question about it a little bit in a reverse setting. So you went from a Division I school to now NAIA. What made you come to St.

Xavier, as opposed to staying with a Division I program? There was multiple things that went into that equation. We got a new coach that came in after the Orange Bowl season. I didn't really get along with him.

I just thought I didn't like the way he was running the program. So I thought it was my best decision to maybe step away. And I actually took a year off and thought about if I want to continue playing football. After the Orange Bowl, it was just like, all right, what more can you accomplish in your college career?

Even though I was redshirting that year, I came from high school. I played three different sports. And my body has taken a toll. Even here, I've had two knee surgeries.

I'm playing with the Thorin Labrum. My body's been beat up quite a bit. So I was actually thinking about stepping away from the game and pursuing a different route. But something called me back.

And there was actually a quarterback here from my whole high school I got in contact with. And I thought I would want to come to St. Xavier. It's close to my home.

I'm from northwest Indiana. So I got in contact with Coach Femme. And we kind of hit it off. And I actually came in as a quarterback.

I played some as a quarterback here. I was actually battling. Yeah, I was actually. It was the exact same thing during camp.

Me and him were battling it out until I threw my meniscus. And that kind of made the decision easy for Coach Femme and the offensive staff. And then I came back. And as Johnny was doing well that year, 2014 it was.

Went on to the semifinals. And Johnny did a terrific job leading us there. I came back. And I had a role as a wide receiver.

Looking forward to next week. Missouri Baptist. Last one for you, Mark. And we appreciate you coming out and taking the time here.

Regina Hall. Long trip, right? Missouri. It's going to be an overnighter.

And it's a long week and a half pretty much to prepare. Do you have any sort of specific rituals that you go through throughout the week or maybe on game day that will get you in the right mindset? Yeah, definitely. I have to get my Pedialyte.

Gotcha. I got to stay hydrated before the game. So I drink half the night before, half the day of the game. Just to make sure I don't cramp on game day.

And that's about it. On Friday I usually kick back and watch some football in the room with my roommate, Dre Devereaux. And we kind of just relax and get in tune for the game day. Go over the script.

Make sure I know all my plays. Make sure he knows all his plays. Not very superstitious at all. It's just another game.

And we kind of go forth from there. Gotcha. Awesome. Well, Mark, thank you so much for taking the time.

We appreciate it. We're going to be watching you all season long. We wish you nothing but the best. Thank you.

I appreciate you guys for being there. Thank you for your time. We are live on Regina Hall here in week two of the Coaches Show getting set for Missouri Baptist on the road for this Saturday. When we come back, we're going to be joined by head coach Mike Feminist here on WXAV 883 FM Chicago.

Say hi to us here, Regina. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the Coaches Show live here on WXAV 883 FM Chicago. Broadcasting from Regina Hall.

If you're listening, come on and say hi. We're going to say hi now to head coach of the St. Zeke football team, Mike Feminist here on the Coaches Show. First of all, thanks for taking the time once again this week.

Thanks for having me. Absolutely. Now, we've got to talk about last week's contest. What a game.

We were on the call from Christine and I, and we were going back and forth, man. That was some kind of fun that we were having. And as a result, you had three of the MSFA's players of the week, right? Hunterford Abdul-Mati and Dimitri Joe on the defensive line.

Can you just talk to me about what happened with them specifically and their roles in the win? Obviously, Hunterford stands out, of course. But that was a big play by Dimitri Joe late in the game. Well, yeah, Dimitri's a exact football player.

He was one of our kids that he actually had a Division I offer from high school. And then, like what happens to several kids throughout the country, they made an offer to him in the summer going into his senior year. And then in October, this is the University of Nevada. They found somebody on the West Coast that they liked a little better.

And unfortunately, that level is very cutthroat. And they don't really care about feelings or anything like that. And they pulled the scholarship. And what they don't care about is that a kid like Dimitri, he would have offers from other schools, at least the FCS level, the state schools in Illinois.

But he had already pulled all of them that he had committed to University of Nevada. So we were very fortunate to get him when things kind of fell through for him. But size-wise, he's a Division I player. And in his first two years, he's certainly shown signs that he can be an All-American on our level.

But that last series was big. And I think the three straight plays are sacks between him and Jesse Gonzalez and Hoselton and Cesario and those guys. They got after it all night. And for the people that were there, I think they were entertained.

They really saw the best of the NAI level, which is it was two really, really good football teams that both played outstanding games. Unfortunately, somebody had to come out and lose again. But for our first game, I thought it was a very well-played game. I thought it was a very clean game.

There weren't a lot of turnovers. I thought both teams played well, and then we just happened to make the last play. The energy on that field was electric all throughout the whole stadium, I would say. What was your feeling after that big victory, after that Thursday night game?

Well, it was probably more relief than anything because even though we beat them eight of the first nine times we played them, they got us pretty good the last two years. And that certainly got our attention. And they're a really good team. They've got great talent.

They're well-coached. So I know for me, I always put pressure on myself. But I don't know if we've been beaten that decidedly two years in a row by the same opponent. Very rarely do we beat anybody two years in a row.

But they got it two years in a row for the session. And happy for our guys and our coaches that we played as well as we did. I can't say I'm surprised because we really had a great camp. I really thought we were going to play very well.

But, again, we talked about this last week. In game one, you don't know until you're out there or anything else. But the first half went about as perfect as it could be. I knew they were going to make a push in the second half.

But to be honest with you, as the game was going, I just felt very, very confident. Even when they took the lead, there were three minutes. I fully expect our offense to go down and at least get the field of the range to give us an opportunity to win the game. And, you know, along the way, we get a touchdown instead.

So it was a great night for everybody. It was a great night, I think, for the university, for the students, for everybody. They saw a great football game by two of the best at this level. So I couldn't be happier.

Did anything surprise you at all during the game, whether it be a player or how a play played out? Anything with that? You know, I can't say I was really surprised or anything. I think, you know, people who hadn't seen Justin Hunter play may have been surprised.

But then again, if they're from Chicago, they should know all about him anyways. He was a player here in the state of Illinois a few years ago. You know, Justin's a terrific player. And the good part is we have two number one quarterbacks.

You know, Alex Martinez is awfully good, too. But Justin, you know, for the first game and for the opponent that we're playing, he was lights out, you know, both with his arm and his legs. You know, he did a great job. I was really happy to see a lot of our younger skilled receivers that maybe didn't get a lot of playing time last year.

They did really well. They stepped up and made a ton of plays. And same on the defensive side. You know, we had a lot of young guys that either were two freshmen or sophomores that, you know, maybe didn't play a ton last year or a part-time player.

being big players on Saturday. And then even on our offensive line, when we were sitting right there, we had two freshmen, Bruce Nason and Anthony Sorrow, who more than held their ground against probably the best defensive line we'll face all year. So I really have no complaints from Saturday's game. I mean, it was just a great, great game by two really football teams.

Yeah, that was outstanding to be a part of. We're joined by Coach McFeminist here on the Coach's Show. Week two, getting set from Missouri Baptist University. I want to stick to Justin Hunterford because obviously he had to use a story, right?

Coming into camp, there was a battle between Alice Martinez and himself, and you even mentioned that you had two number one quarterbacks. Hunterford was thrown right into the offense. It was five wide all night long. You had a no-huddle set, and he handled it like a true pro.

And he made some big plays. It looked like he was under control, especially in that last drive. He had a guy in his face coming at him. He threw a bullet right in the arms.

Chris Simmons, for that 54-yard walk-off touchdown win. I mean, was that the idea? Did you feel confident enough to allow Hunterford to jump right into this offense? And is that your offense?

Oh yeah, that's our offense. And again, depending on the opponent, you may not see us in empty as much. But Marion, we had this play all summer. The one thing is, it is very difficult to run the football upon them in conventional sets because they're really good up front.

They're very big, they're very physical, they're strong. So we knew running the football against them consistently was probably going to be a tough deal. And yet on the flip side, just from watching the films for the last couple of years against them, we thought that we could take advantage of some holes in the pass game. If we spread them out with five receivers and we're fortunate enough, as everybody saw, we got some really good skilled guys.

And they can all play. I think they all had between four and six or seven catches. And those guys can all go at any time. So our game plan going in was to spread them out and make them defend the entire field.

So we had no hesitation at all. The great thing about Justin and Alex is they see the field real well. They both have quick releases and they both have the ability to make quick decisions, which everybody saw that in the last play because that kid was right in his face when he threw the ball to Simmons. I want to focus, because you brought up a lot of great points about the wide receiving court.

We had Mark Sturbiak on the senior leader. Captain, you had a big fumble in the play, kind of switched momentum around. You know, 26 to seven, going in the halftime, Aaron scores 20 unanswered points. And it's not like the offense wasn't moving the ball down the field consistently in the second half.

It was just, they weren't coming away with points consistently. But this wide receiver group, consistent all night long. You had all these guys stepping up to Zuziski going down the field. You had a big block on that Harold Davis explosive play.

When you were watching the film, what kind of stood out to you in that group? What stood out to me is that if I'm a defensive coordinator for the next nine teams we play, you can't concentrate on one guy, two guys, or three guys because everybody contributed. I mean, you know, Mark had some big catches. The touchdown that he had in the core game zone was a huge play.

Harry's a big time player. Chris and Harry were two our top recruits a year ago. So we really have weapons all over the place. And, you know, that's kind of the beauty of things.

You don't have to rely on one guy at any particular time. We also feel like we've got some good running backs. Mike Ivelo and Watson are really good running backs. You know, it's a situation for this particular game.

You know, we had a plan in place that we put in and it came to fruition. But we feel like we've got some good running backs too. You're mentioning a lot of great players, especially Justin. But besides Justin, what other players stood out to you in that game on Thursday?

I think I did a lot. I think I did a lot. I think I did a lot. Again, on offense, particularly playing the team that we played that's got a really, really good defensive line.

I'm really impressed what played our two freshman offensive linemen, Anthony Sarland and Bruce Mason. I mean, they went toe-to-toe with these guys and more than held their own. I'll start against that opponent and do as well as they did was really impressive. Defensively, I was ecstatic about how we were flying around with the field.

It was just great to watch. I do think we got one down a little bit in the fourth quarter, but that's also the flip side of our offense. You know, we're going to play fast and try to score fast and everything else. And when that happens, you're really putting the defense in a tough situation.

But that's the way we play. Our defensive coaches understand it. Our defensive players understand it. And that's why it's important for us to be deep defensively.

And we went eight or nine deep on the defensive line on Saturday. We also played four cornerbacks and three or four safeties in the game, you know, rotating guys. So there really wasn't necessarily one person that stood out, but I was really happy with the whole, you know, if I were going to pick one guy that he was redshirted a year ago and I thought played really well on defense, Danny Sirocco, you know, got his first start at the middle linebacker. So, you know, he's not a true freshman.

It was his first college experience and I thought he did really well too. You kind of led me to my next question. With that win, there's always room for improvement. So going into this weekend's game, what have you been working on to make yourself better and maybe run up the score a little bit more?

Well, I think it's about there's room for improvement everywhere. You know, I think at times you saw, you know, defensively you saw some of the tackles and again, the opponent has something to do with that. Right. Marion had some really good running backs and a couple guys that were just, they're monsters.

So again, that's part of the opponent you're playing. But two, just everything. We want to be crisp in everything we do and for me, it's not so much about our opponent as it is us. You know, we need to not so much focus on who we're playing as much as focus on us.

I think we have the talent. I really do. I think we have the talent to go very, very deep this year. I feel really good about this group.

They've got a great chemistry about them. They get along real well. You know, the most important position on the field is if you've got to battle for the job and hang out together, which is a really new thing to see. So all the pieces are in place.

It's my job and the coach's job to make sure on a weekly basis these guys stay focused and work on improving their game, both individually and collectively as units, you know, offensive defense and special teams. You know, you guys mentioned Abdul. I mean, the guy made a 53 yard and he threw it by 10 yards, which was, that was big too. But with the exception of one kickoff where they had a long return, I thought our special play was very solid as well.

Last one for you, Coach Fem, and we'll let you go. What's the game plan going into this weekend at Missouri Baptist? It's an overnight trip. You know, this is sort of a fresh program, not a lot of success attached to the name, but you even mentioned it.

You're worried about just getting better at what you can control. So is there any kind of change going in, or obviously it's different for each opponent, but what's the game plan going into this weekend? My biggest concern is making sure that the guys stay focused because when you have a big win like that against a big rival and one in strength as high as Marion and then, as you mentioned, Missouri Baptist, they're still a young program. They're still trying to find their way.

It's human nature to have a letdown and that's my job to make sure that it doesn't happen. So I'm probably yelling more this week in practice than I did last week getting ready for Marion to stay on top of guys because when you're dealing with 18 to 22-year-olds, they think they know everything, they got the answer for everything and as soon as you think you're better than you are, that's when you get surprised and you get knocked off. So it's my job to stay on top of them and make sure. I think we had a pretty good practice yesterday but we're going to pick it up for more information on your escape from Ordinary Radio.