True freshman Nicco Marchiol saw his first significant amount of playing time of his college career.
The Chandler, Arizona, native played the majority of the second half, as well as playing a drive in thefts half.
“Just being a young guy, coming into college football, things are moving 1,000 times faster than high school football. I think the more the season went on and the more weeks I could just process the game from the sidelines and kind of see how the speed of the game goes and situations — third downs, second downs, just seeing how the quarterbacks ahead of me handled those,” Marchiol said of his time on the bench prior to today.
“I think it was beneficial for me to sit back and kind of spectate for a little bit. But I was just happy I could get my chance.”
Marchiol would not have the best of numbers as the rainy conditions limited his passing capabilities. Marchiol completed two of his nine passing attempts for 29 yards, but also ran for 32 yards on six attempts.
“The designed quarterback runs I’m getting pretty comfortable with,” Marchiol said. “I’m definitely a fan of the designed quarterback runs.”
One of Marchiol’s two passes was a 15-yard pass to Bryce Ford-Wheaton. Marchiol said he thinks his downfield passing ability is one of the strongest parts of his game and said he likes the scheme offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has in place.
“Anytime I’m able to be in the pocket and deliver the ball downfield is also some of my strong suits,” Marchiol said. “I’m just really a fan of this offense.”
Marchiol said his parents were able to come see him play and getting to play in a Big 12 environment was something he enjoyed.
“The atmosphere here was just so fun,” Marchiol said. “Very, very fun atmosphere for my first game.”
Heading into the offseason and beyond, Marchiol said he wants to be a quarterback who players believe in.
“It doesn’t really matter what the conditions are, who you’re playing, as long as you get the job done,” Marchiol said. “You be a great teammate, and you be a great leader, and you have guys rally around you, good things will work out. I knew my guys were believing in me.”
Photo by Dale Sparks, All Pro Photography
