HELENA — Ahead of Carroll College’s season-opening football game Saturday evening against Frontier Conference rival Montana Tech, MTN Sports' Jonny Walker sat down with Fighting Saints head coach Troy Purcell.
A full transcript from the video interview is available below:
MTN Sports: It's football season. We're coming up on it, and I can see right through you. It's not just football. You're excited for that new turf.
Troy Purcell: Yeah, definitely. You know the season gets here and you know, fall camp finally gets done and you get to have an opportunity to go out and play against an opponent. And the turf and lights, man. And it's been a whole different experience for our guys.
MTN Sports: Montana Tech is a familiar opponent. It's the team you played in your last game last season. From a coach's standpoint, I know the message is, “That was last season. This is a different team. We need to move on.” But there's a lot of returners from last year on this team. From a player's perspective, can you really mentally move past that?
Troy Purcell: You know, it's hard for those guys, the seniors, they had a bad taste in the mouth. The guys that were on the team have a bad taste, and it should help motivate you and should be extra incentive to be at your best when your best is needed. And it's going to take that on Saturday.
MTN Sports: One thing we've been talking about with your opponent, they got to play a game already. Is that a good thing for them? Is that a bad thing for them?
Troy Purcell: Them having a new defensive coordinator coming in, it was vital for us to have them have a game before us. So, we have an opportunity at least to see one game with the new defensive coordinator and understand what they're going to do.
MTN Sports: You don't have to name any names, coach, but when you're preparing for a matchup, are there guys that you're focusing on? You're in meetings and you're circling like, hey, this, this is a guy we have to watch out for?
Troy Purcell: Yeah, definitely. On the offense and defensive side. Landers Smith is a baller. He had 36 carries. I was at his house when I recruited him. So they've got a whole bunch of talented tools there.
But we've got to be able to get our body on Landers. (He) won them the game last week. And I anticipate 36 touches with him this week also. And so we've just got to make sure we're getting some bodies on him and don't let him fall forward.
