INTERVIEW WITH HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

STEPHANIE & Rebecca

The two of us got the chance to meet up with the head coach of Millersville football. He shared a lot of great information with us.

What penalties do you see the most?

Holding penalty- Illegally holding the opposing player.

Pass interference- When the defender throws the ball you cannot make contact with the player trying to catch the ball. You cannot grab them. You can block the ball but cannot grab the player.

How do you prevent your players from getting penalties?

By teaching proper technique. Teach them how to block properly and keep their hands inside and arms tight. Certain penalties aren’t physical- for example being offsides. We also study other teams to learn how to beat them.  

What is the purpose of the hash marks?

Hash marks depend on the level of football that is played. The ball will get moved to the center of the field where the hashmark is, but is the line where the player gets tackled, but it is just moved to the center of the field. 

What is one thing about football people don’t usually understand?

Football is a very complicated sport. A lot of strategy and thinking goes into the sports. People sometimes think that football plays can’t think or be smart. That’s a common misconception. There is a lot of information that can just go into a single play.

How do you prepare your players for game day?

We have meetings, weight lifting sessions to keep their body in shape and hae treatment hours for injuries. We spend 20 hours a week normally prepping. Players also get study hours to keep their grades up.  

How do you coach during a game?

Manage the game and both the offensive and defensive staff. Overseeing the big picture of the game. A difference between football and other sports is the time meeting outside of practice such as film review or game plan strategy. 

What does a game look like for a player?

In college level play one position- either offense or defense. Do your position as well as your possibly can. The players will try to guess what the other team plans on doing. 

Do games often go into overtime?

Not really, it is considered rare.

Average amount of touchdowns you see per game?

Depends how good your team is! When I worked at Shippensburg, we averaged about 6 touchdowns per game. We have a lot of freshmen on Millersville’s team. I wouldn’t trade coming to Millersville for the world.

To have a successful football program you have to have a strong group working hard together on a regular basis to win.