Marquette looking for fast start when season begins

There are many things on the minds of Marquette football players as they prepare for the 2024 season, but at the top of the list is starting fast, from the first snap of the opening game against Aurora Christian on Aug. 30 at Gould Stadium.

“We’ve talked about being ready to go right from the kickoff of the first game,” said Payton Gutierrez, a senior and three-year starting running back/free safety who rushed for 652 yards and six touchdowns last year. “I think last year as a team we weren’t exactly ready, and even though our first opponent was pretty good, we didn’t come out playing like we should have. It was a shock to all of us, but I guess the plus was we got things together that next week of practice and played better and kept getting better as the season went along.

“This year we want to come out full speed right from the start.”

Marquette finished 7-3 overall, (6-1, second place in the Chicagoland Prairie Conference) in 2023 and earned an 11th consecutive trip to the IHSA playoffs, losing in Class 1A’s first round to Forreston. The opening game of last season saw the Crusaders fall 42-0 to the host Eagles.

“We talked as teammates about going into this season, about knowing, really knowing, the playbook from beginning to end,” said senior center Jaxon Rix, who is also hoping to see time on the defensive line. “Coach [Tom] Jobst talks all the time about how in the [wing-T] offense we run everyone has to be in the right place and do their job on every single play for the offense to be effective.”

After recording just 95 yards of total offense in last season’s opener, Marquette went on to average 298.9 total yards, including 251.4 on the ground and 30 points per game. The Crusaders defense finished 2023 allowing 19 points per game.

“We had Anthony [Couch], a sophomore, at quarterback last year and a couple of other younger guys in the backfield and line, so it took us a while to get everything going in the right direction,” Rix said. “I feel like after the first couple of games, we found a rhythm.

“This year we’ve talked about having that rhythm right from the start of the first game.”

Couch – who finished the season 31 of 61 passing with five touchdowns – will again be calling the signals for the Crusaders and feels he’s in a better place mentally and physically heading into his junior season.

“I feel like I was so much smaller last year, much shorter and not as strong,” Couch said. “I also feel like, especially the first few games, everything was moving faster than I expected. I did feel like by the midseason I was less nervous and more confident in my role. I feel like I’ve improved, and I’m looking forward to and excited to see what this team can do this season.

“I think as a team everyone has done a great job of getting into the weight room and worked on getting stronger. We have high expectations for ourselves.”

Jobst said during summer camp that this year has brought more review and less teaching with a number of key players coming back. He also has liked how his players have come ready to go at every workout.

“The kids have also done an excellent job in the weight room since the start of the year,” said Jobst, who has compiled a 107-39 record in 15 seasons at Marquette. “We’ve had a really good offseason and a great summer. We have a lot of guys who are pretty strong. ... I feel like we are a pretty balanced team in that regard. Like in years past, we have really good leadership from our seniors.

“It has become the expectation here, and that’s not a bad thing at all,” Jobst said of reaching the postseason every fall. “Each offseason and season, the kids here work toward that goal, because it’s expected of them, and they expect it from themselves. It’s not easy to make the playoffs. It’s a long season.”