Jimmy Terwilliger shares final thoughts on ESU football's PSAC Championship preparation
· Yahoo Sports
EAST STROUDSBURG – For the first time since 1983, East Stroudsburg University football is aiming to bring the PSAC Championship back to the Poconos.
The Warriors (9-1, 6-0 PSAC) are traveling out west for a rematch with Slippery Rock (10-0, 7-0). This was a destination ESU head coach Jimmy Terwilliger and the program always thought they could reach, forgoing any travel arrangements for Lock Haven, which would’ve been the regular season finale had they not reached the championship.
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As far as the mentality of his team, however, Terwilliger said that has not changed.
“We've prepared in the same way we prepared for every game up to this season,” Terwilliger said. “Our focus has been one play at a time, 4-6 seconds, winning every meeting, every practice, every drill, every wrap, every play. And that has not changed.”
It’s unchartered territory for the current iteration of the program; ESU has played in a national semifinal game, and several playoff games, more recently than it has a conference championship. That means for the players, the coaching staff, and Terwilliger himself, there are no memories to pull from, no experiences to teach lessons.
That was something Terwilliger hadn’t considered as he was preparing for Slippery Rock, but between the national semifinal run as a player, and the playoff experience as a coach, he isn’t new to big games.
“I've always thought going into big games, it is just like the next game,” Terwilliger said. “We're just gonna have some fun, enjoy playing the game of football with the guys. And at the end of the game, we're gonna let the dice fly high.”
Terwilliger mentioned that they’ve “added some wrinkles,” but not to expect any dramatic changes, using his favorite phrase: “You dance with the girl you brought here.”
What East Stroudsburg has experienced this year is facing Slippery Rock, which ended in a 59-35 defeat in Week 3. Since then, The Rock has continued to flex its offensive muscle, averaging 52.9 points per game this season.
Meanwhile, ESU used that game as a wake-up call, doubling down and turning into one of the best defenses in the PSAC. The Warriors have allowed 17.1 points per game this season (second-fewest behind Kutztown) and 295.5 yards allowed per game (third-fewest behind Kutztown and Bloomsburg).
Moreover, ESU’s offense has cranked up a couple notches since quarterback Matt Machalik took over, adding a dangerous vertical element to complement the ground game.
Similar to how the Warriors avenged the losing streak to Kutztown this season, they’re surely hoping to avenge the first loss to Slippery Rock. But Terwilliger doesn’t see that approach from his team.
“It really doesn't matter about the revenge payback as much as: let's be at our best let's play really good football, let's hunt what we're capable of doing,” Terwilliger said. “We will still play with great emotion, which we will need to in big games, but we won't be emotional.
“If we cut the peaks off with poise, we fill the gaps with grit, I feel like we can be successful over four quarters.”
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Jimmy Terwilliger shares final thoughts on ESU football's PSAC Championship preparation