A couple of weeks ago we saw
some pictures of Keith Marshall dressed for practice, but obviously at a gun show. He's added ten pounds to his weight this off season, all of which appear to have gone to his biceps. Well, yesterday Paschall helped explain the
motivation behind the added muscle.
Last season's Southeastern Conference football championship game had several intriguing angles, including the talented tailback tandems.
Alabama boasted junior Eddie Lacy and freshman T.J. Yeldon, while Georgia countered with the freshman pair of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. Three of the four wound up surpassing 100 rushing yards during that tantalizing showdown inside the Georgia Dome, but Marshall was nowhere close.
Marshall netted 3 yards on two carries, which provided instant motivation for his sophomore season.
"I was a little beat up by that point, and Todd was so good that game," Marshall said earlier this month. "We were trying to win, so I don't think it was any kind of knock against me, but my goal this season is to be as durable at the end of the year as I am right now."
And his position coach helps explain
"Everybody knows that if he has a crease, he's going to score," McClendon said, "but those plays are going to be few and far between, especially playing the good defenses that we'll be up against. He's got to make sure he does a good job on the 89 percent of the other runs that are not going to be blocked as well, and that's what we've been focusing on with him."
And Marshall agrees.
Said Marshall: "I think I was physical last year, but that's definitely an area I'm trying to improve. I could knock it in there, and I wasn't scared or anything, but I think I can break a few more tackles this year."
This guy had an explosive season last year; taken long runs to the house whenever there was a sliver of room. He also showed some
great playmaking ability on passing routes as well, especially in the bowl game. This one's going to be a lot like his new frame...bigger.
