Tony Conty:  What led you to the University of Maryland after playing in North Carolina?

Dennis Marsh:  A guy I had looked up to ended up going to Maryland at Guard.  It kind of opened up my eyed that I wanted to get away from home, so I ended up going to Maryland.  There was a building program and some big fans so I just decided to get away from home and decided to attend Maryland.


Tony Conty:  What circumstances brought you to Norfolk State?

Dennis Marsh:  I just decided that it really wasn’t a place for me as far as playing time.  It didn’t feel like I was getting enough playing time.  I felt like Norfolk State was another up-and-coming program and they really wanted me to come.  I was going to go to A+T, but, last-minute decision, I ended up deciding to go ahead and attend Norfolk State.


Tony Conty:  Isn’t A+T your opponent this weekend?

Dennis Marsh:  Yes, sir, almost ended up at A+T.  I came to Norfolk State, saw the campus and fell in love with it.  Ever since then, I have been a Spartan.  Even though A+T is my hometown,  I felt like it was too close…too close to home.


Tony Conty:  What’s your current major?

Dennis Marsh:  My major is interdisciplinary studies


Tony Conty:  Any specific plan with it?

Dennis Marsh:  I want to get into coaching and I also want to teach.  With my major, I can do a lot.  I can teach Sociology, African-American Studies, or Psychology at the high school level.  That’s why I like my major, because it’s so versatile with what I can do with it.


Tony Conty:  Talk about the emotions of a player going from a dominating victory over Virginia State to open the season and then a 35 point loss against a Division I opponent the following week.

Dennis Marsh:  You know, Virginia State is a big rivalry game and we always come out and play hard.  We knew since the beginning of the game that we would have to play hard and play and dominate, no matter what the outcome was, but they broke a few big runs.  I think that’s what really changed the game.  The offense was doing good, but we weren’t really scoring, so we had to keep fighting and playing hard no matter what the score was.


Tony Conty:  Do you prepare any differently for Division I opponents?

Dennis Marsh:  Actually, I don’t.  I always try to prepare the same no matter who my opponent is.  I just try to be fast, no matter if it’s Division I or I-AA.  I just try to play consistently, play fast, and make plays.


Tony Conty:  What should we expect out of the Spartans for the remainder of the season after coming off the team’s best season in 2 decades?

Dennis Marsh:  Definitely, MEAC Champions.  We are just going to take it one week at a time.  It’s our first MEAC opponent this weekend, and we just want to come out and compete, one week at a time.  Hopefully, at the end, we’ll finish off Delaware State and have a rematch of last year, only this time we take the title.


Tony Conty:  Talk about the type of football played in the MEAC for those who may not know.

Dennis Marsh:  The MEAC has a lot of good players and transfers from Division I.  The competition is really high from the week to week.  The team that you beat by 35 one week is knocking off an undefeated team a week later.  Quarterbacks like to run around a lot in the MEAC.  There are a lot of big D-Lineman and the Offensive Linemen are pretty athletic.  Running Backs, Linebackers, Cornerbacks…they are all athletic.  A Linebacker on my team just transferred from Akron, Ohio.  He’s fitting into the defense really well.  If I had to describe it, I would just say that it is really competitive.


Tony Conty:  A lot of pre-season polls had you slightly ahead of Hampton in your conference.  There has to be a lot of competition for recruits and familiarity between those teams.  Do you sense that?

Dennis Marsh:  Yeah, Virginia State is a rivalry, but Hampton is a little bit bigger.  They are 15 minutes down the street.  We don’t like each other and we look forward to playing each other and winning.  That’s one of biggest rivalries in the country, I would say.  There is a lot of competition for local recruits, too.


Tony Conty:  Do you put much stock in pre-season individual rankings that have you at least second team in your conference?

Dennis Marsh:  To be honest, I really don’t look at the Preseason.  It’s all about where you are at the end.  I want to be the highest-rated D-Lineman in the MEAC at the end of the season so that’s what I am going out and trying to compete for.


Tony Conty:  Having been a Division I Player now carrying the small-school label entering a strong Defensive Tackle class, how are you preparing yourself for the challenge?

Dennis Marsh:  Coming from a smaller school, I know that I have to hustle even harder and make even more plays, considering that I am not at the Division I level anymore.  I know that the scouts want to see me hustling and they want to see me dominate.  That’s what I want to do at the Division I-AA level: dominate the competition.


Tony Conty:  Have you had a chance to speak to Kendall Langford Dolphins, Marcus Dixon (Cowboys), and Rudolph Hardie (Lions) who all got a shot at the NFL as D-Linemen out of your conference?

Dennis Marsh:  No, sir, I don’t talk to any of them, but I keep up with them.  I know that I have been keeping up with Kendall Langford who is starting for the Dolphins.  I knew Dixon was with the Cowboys and Hardie…I have been keeping up with him as well because all of those guys were great players in the MEAC.  I want to come out and give some of the same performances that they had, if not better.


Tony Conty:  What would you say is your biggest strength as a lineman?

Dennis Marsh:  My biggest strength is the fact that I’m a tough guy.  I try to dominate and run through Offensive Lines as quickly as possible and try to anticipate the snap count.  Having been coached at the Division I level and coached here, I try to put two styles together and be the best D-Lineman that I can.  I had a good coach at Maryland and I have a good coach here.  They are two completely different styles, but if you put them together, you’ll be one hell of a football player.


Tony Conty:  How confident does the offense look to you under Connecticut transfer Dennis Brown?

Dennis Marsh:  The Offense looks really good.  Dennis Brown, he’s a really, really hard worker.  He’s one of the hardest working players I have ever seen.  He’s got a lot of leadership even though he just got here.  He’s a winner and he knows that’s what we are trying to do.


Tony Conty:  What do you do to take your mind off of football?

Dennis Marsh:  Really, I just like to lift weights or maybe spend some time with some friends and head out to the mall or something.  It’s hard to take my mind off football.  It’s been such a part of my life for years.  If I really had to take my mind off of something, I’d probably just go to the beach or something if it isn’t too cold outside.


Tony Conty:   Who are the most dominant Offensive Linemen that you have faced in your career?

Dennis Marsh:  I went against a Tackle from South Carolina State two years ago.  I think that his name was Clayton Ford.  I am not sure what he is doing now, but that was the most dominant guy that I faced.  That was my first year playing in the MEAC.


Tony Conty:  What NFL Defensive Tackles do you admire?

Dennis Marsh:  I was just watching the Giants the other day, and #98, Fred Robbins…I love the way that he just gets off the ball and into the backfield every play.  Either him or Darnell Dockett.  He’s probably a little faster than me but we are similar in the way that we get after the Quarterback.


Tony Conty:  What do you think of the penalties for excessive celebration?

Dennis Marsh:  I can understand it at the College level.  They don’t kids celebrating too much after a play, but, to be the decision of the game, like in the Washington game,  I don’t think that was necessary.  He was just getting up and being excited.  It’s hard to tell someone to stop being excited.  That’s kind of hard.  As long as it’s not blatant and not someone drawing attention to himself,  I think that they should just let it go.


Tony Conty:  Do you think they protect the Quarterback too much?

Dennis Marsh:  At the NFL level, I think that it is really important for them to protect the Quarterbacks.  As long as it is not done blatantly, like coming up and smacking them in the head, or pushing him down after he’s thrown…I just think some of these rules take away from the game of football.  I don’t think that it what they want to do, but they may be what they end up doing.


Tony Conty:  What do you think of Roger Goodell’s attempt to focus on character?

Dennis Marsh:  I think that character is really important.  You want to be the type of player that it is good to have around.  It looks bad when you have guys who commit crimes hanging around.  The league has gotten a lot of negative attention, but, in the long run, it will help out.


Tony Conty:  Self-promote.  Why should teams consider you in next year’s draft?

Dennis Marsh:  Teams should consider me because I am big and tall at 6’5, 300 lbs, but am still quick off the ball.  I love football.  I can move and I can take up blockers.  Someone should definitely pick me up.