Luke Marshall arrived at the University of Saskatchewan on Aug. 15 ready to be bred as a Huskie.
He moved into a temporary dorm populated with other football rookies and got his football equipment that evening. He went through baseline concussion and physical testing the next day and spent the next week cramming his brain with plays in the classroom and practising them on the field twice a day.
It was all in preparation for the first big game – a non-conference match against the Guelph Gryphons Aug. 24.
“I'm just trying to take it all in,” said the 6-foot 3-inch defensive player from Innisfail, having just returned from studying the habits of the Gryphons in the U of S clubhouse. “I'm nervous, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.”
Last year, because there was no team for Marshall to play for in Innisfail, he played for the Sylvan Lake Lakers instead. After being eyed by scouts over the season and performing well at U of S tryouts, he was invited to show up for training camp.
"At first it was pretty nerve-racking,” he said, “coming from small-town Innisfail and even Sylvan Lake.”
Marshall chose to attend U of S because of its reputation as a good agricultural school. Luckily for him it also performs in the top 10 for many sports, including football. The scale of play is so much higher it doesn't even compare.
“It's pretty cool,” he said. “There's fireworks and you run out of a tunnel and they have different themes for every game and thousands of spectators out.”
Marshall made waves in Innisfail in 2010, nabbing the MVP trophy, then while playing at Sylvan Lake High School he was named Defensive Player of the Year the following season.
Kent Ridley, owner and head scout for Ridley Scouting, said any time a kid from a small town can rise to the university level they're beating the odds.
“When a rural player gets a fair look it's a great achievement,” he said, adding, “There's a lot of work ahead.”
The main challenge for rookies is to even get a chance to play, since only 40 or so teammates will be accepted onto the travelling squad.
“You've gotta find a way to get onto the field,” he said. “Then you've gotta find a way to be so valuable on that field the coach won't want to take you off.”
The Huskies were bested by the Gryphons 26-21 but the low-pressure nature of the exhibition game allowed the team to play 76 players.
“We got a long look at some of the kids,” said Brian Towriss, who's been coaching the Huskies for 29 years, calling the game a “dress rehearsal” for the rest of the season.
One of the players he took a long look at was Marshall.
“I think it was a big learning experience for him,” he said. “He got banged around a bit.”
Though Marshall likely won't dress for any games this year – like 30 or so others on the team – Towriss said that fact has less to do with athleticism and more to do with size and strength.
“He's got some potential,” he said. “He's got a great work ethic and good attitude.”
As Marshall begins his career with U of S, he knows the clock has started ticking to his CFL draft eligibility.
“They sent four or five players to the CFL this year from last year's team,” he said, "I'm kinda the low man on the totem pole.”
It may be a long ways away, but the dream of professional football is more alive than ever for the modest player.
“You always think about it, I guess,” he said. "I'm just trying to get through every practice and learn more.”
