By DEVYN LANSDEN, Senior Reporter
The Northwestern Ranger football team played its spring game Saturday.
Head coach Matt Walter said he is most looking forward to getting back on the field this upcoming season.
Walter said football is different from other sports because players only have 11 games in the season, so the coaches and players look forward to the games and competing because they practice more than they play.
“Spring ball is awesome, but you start playing each other so much, it gets old,” he said. “You want to play against someone else.”
In the spring game, the offense had a fast start, and Walter said he was happy with how the defense finished the game. What Walter learned from the spring game was that the Rangers will be a more physical team in the fall season than they were last season.
Walter said they are evaluating younger players and the players who did not see action during the 2021 season. He is seeing if the players can compete in a game-type setting or a high-pressure situation, as well as what they bring to the table as players.
The coaching staff are also evaluating the team as a whole and seeing what the team will be good at: In terms of play, will the team be good at passing or running the ball, or will the team be good at covering or tackling?
Ethan Everson, a junior health and sports science major who plays quarterback, said it was good to have spring ball back.
He said the team usually has enough players to have two different teams, but this year, it was offense vs. defense with a different scoring system than a usual game.
Everson said this season is a redemption season, as the Rangers want to have a better record than they did in 2021.
He said the team is more disciplined than it was last year, and the players are more committed as well.
Everson also said the team is going to be more prepared during the upcoming season.