STATESBORO — The taste, Marcelo Estrada thought, was gone forever. Now, its back.
No matter how often Estrada brushes his teeth, now matter how much mouthwash he gargles it doesn’t go away. It’s the taste of losing.
“I thought I was through with losing when I came here,” said Georgia Southern’s starting right guard. “I got enough of it in high school, and then we had last year.”
In four years as a starter at Liberty County High School the Eagle senior played in eight winning games, four of those coming his freshman season in 1999. He suffered through the ignominy of a winless season in 2001 when the Panthers were 0-10.
Overall in high school the son of Hinesville residents Marcelo and Evelyn Estrada played on teams whose combined records were 8-32. Still, that did not keep Georgia Southern from giving him a shot at pursuing his dream of playing college football. Estrada was redshirted his freshman year and the following year was a starter coming out of spring drills. His season ended before it began when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a non-contact drill the second day of pre-season practice.
Those two years Estrada spent on the sidelines the Eagles won a Southern Conference championship and went to the playoffs. His sophomore season he was healthy and a starter from day one, and again Southern advanced to the Division I-AA playoffs.
Losing the playoff game at Texas State led to the dismissal of coach Mike
Sewak, and the hiring of Brian Van Gorder. What followed was a 3-8 season, and Van Gorder then abruptly skipped out, taking a job with the Atlanta Falcons.Estrada and the Eagles begin their rebound season Saturday night when they host West Georgia at Paulsen Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
“We lost a lot of close games last year,” said Estrada who will help anchor a veteran offensive line. “It seemed we would have a breakdown at a crucial point in the second half. It was never the same thing...it was little things.”
Of the Eagles’ eight losses, six came by seven points or less. They took national champion Appalachian State-the team that shocked the college football world last weekend by winning at Michigan-to double overtime only to lose,27-20.This all came during a season which the Eagles abandoned the triple option offense for a multiple offense which called on the line to do a lot more pass blocking.
Estrada and his fellow linemen rose to the occasion. The Eagles averaged 28 passes per game, and the line up only six sacks all year to lead the nation.This year they adapt to yet another offense with Coach Chris Hatcher’s Hatch Attack which places an emphasis on power running and a West Coast offense style passing attack.
“We do a lot of power blocking,” said Estrada who carries 295 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame. “We’re still going to throw the ball, too, but for the linemen it’s going to be a lot simpler. We had to do a lot of thinking last year, even as the ball was being snapped you were going through what adjustments you were going to have to make.”
Offensive line coach Shawn Bostic is happy with the group he inherited, and especially with Estrada.
“His strength is that he’s got great feet which is important for a lineman in this offense,” said Bostic. “Marcelo is also a very, very powerful man.
“Whether it’s pass protection or run blocking once he gets his hands on you it’s hard to get away from him,” said Bostic. “A lot of guys may be powerful, but they don’t have the feet to follow up on that power.
“He’s one of the few I’ve coached that’s got both as far as coming off the ball and flipping his hips and following it with his feet. He does a great job of getting out on screens.”
Former LCHS standout Cornelius Barnham is one of several Eagle freshmen who will be red-shirted this season. Barnham came to GSU as an invited walk-on and had an excellent pre-season camp. Hatcher and defensive coordinator Ashley Anders both believe he has a bright future at Southern.
West Georgia will have a former Panther on its roster, too. Junior Casey Hale is a kicking specialist at UWG.
No matter how often Estrada brushes his teeth, now matter how much mouthwash he gargles it doesn’t go away. It’s the taste of losing.
“I thought I was through with losing when I came here,” said Georgia Southern’s starting right guard. “I got enough of it in high school, and then we had last year.”
In four years as a starter at Liberty County High School the Eagle senior played in eight winning games, four of those coming his freshman season in 1999. He suffered through the ignominy of a winless season in 2001 when the Panthers were 0-10.
Overall in high school the son of Hinesville residents Marcelo and Evelyn Estrada played on teams whose combined records were 8-32. Still, that did not keep Georgia Southern from giving him a shot at pursuing his dream of playing college football. Estrada was redshirted his freshman year and the following year was a starter coming out of spring drills. His season ended before it began when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a non-contact drill the second day of pre-season practice.
Those two years Estrada spent on the sidelines the Eagles won a Southern Conference championship and went to the playoffs. His sophomore season he was healthy and a starter from day one, and again Southern advanced to the Division I-AA playoffs.
Losing the playoff game at Texas State led to the dismissal of coach Mike
Sewak, and the hiring of Brian Van Gorder. What followed was a 3-8 season, and Van Gorder then abruptly skipped out, taking a job with the Atlanta Falcons.Estrada and the Eagles begin their rebound season Saturday night when they host West Georgia at Paulsen Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
“We lost a lot of close games last year,” said Estrada who will help anchor a veteran offensive line. “It seemed we would have a breakdown at a crucial point in the second half. It was never the same thing...it was little things.”
Of the Eagles’ eight losses, six came by seven points or less. They took national champion Appalachian State-the team that shocked the college football world last weekend by winning at Michigan-to double overtime only to lose,27-20.This all came during a season which the Eagles abandoned the triple option offense for a multiple offense which called on the line to do a lot more pass blocking.
Estrada and his fellow linemen rose to the occasion. The Eagles averaged 28 passes per game, and the line up only six sacks all year to lead the nation.This year they adapt to yet another offense with Coach Chris Hatcher’s Hatch Attack which places an emphasis on power running and a West Coast offense style passing attack.
“We do a lot of power blocking,” said Estrada who carries 295 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame. “We’re still going to throw the ball, too, but for the linemen it’s going to be a lot simpler. We had to do a lot of thinking last year, even as the ball was being snapped you were going through what adjustments you were going to have to make.”
Offensive line coach Shawn Bostic is happy with the group he inherited, and especially with Estrada.
“His strength is that he’s got great feet which is important for a lineman in this offense,” said Bostic. “Marcelo is also a very, very powerful man.
“Whether it’s pass protection or run blocking once he gets his hands on you it’s hard to get away from him,” said Bostic. “A lot of guys may be powerful, but they don’t have the feet to follow up on that power.
“He’s one of the few I’ve coached that’s got both as far as coming off the ball and flipping his hips and following it with his feet. He does a great job of getting out on screens.”
Former LCHS standout Cornelius Barnham is one of several Eagle freshmen who will be red-shirted this season. Barnham came to GSU as an invited walk-on and had an excellent pre-season camp. Hatcher and defensive coordinator Ashley Anders both believe he has a bright future at Southern.
West Georgia will have a former Panther on its roster, too. Junior Casey Hale is a kicking specialist at UWG.