Coach Russ Martin knew there were a lot of things to improve on this spring. His team finished with a 4-7 record, losing three of its last four, including a 19-0 shutout to Adams State University.

“I felt that we were one of the weakest college football teams I’d ever coached,” Martin said. “That was one of the things I shared with the team a year ago. But, right now, they feel stronger and they’re more explosive. We’ve been very pleased with their physical testing.”

The team occasionally looked confused on the field when games went a different direction than was expected. Martin believes that this was largely because of the transition that the team went through when he came in as head coach. There were no players that had been in the system previously who could help the coaching staff teach the younger athletes.

“I think, mentally, they are much more focused and locked in to what we’re doing,” Martin said. “A year ago, in the spring and even in the fall, it was the coaches that were the ones doing all of the teaching. Now we’ve got upperclassmen that understand what’s going on and they’re able to help us coach the younger guys as well. There’s a lot more communication going on.”

Going into his second year at CMU, Martin has a lot of confidence in the team that he and his staff have built this spring. While he isn’t really one to make predictions, Martin has assurance that his players have their sights set high.

“What I will say is we have a much higher expectation for this football team,” Martin said. “We made a lot of progress this spring and I think our players wholly expect us to compete for an RMAC championship.”

jdredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu