General of the Week: Marshall Hollerith, ‘17

The Washington and Lee football team, coming off an ODAC championship, is making yet another strong push for the postseason. One constant for both last year’s team and this year’s team has been the standout play of running back Marshall Hollerith, ’17. Over the last two years he has rushed for 1,262 and 17 touchdowns in 16 games, including 127 yards and a score in the Generals 52-7 thumping of Hampden-Sydney on homecoming. Meet your General of the Week, Marshall Hollerith.

Tanner Smith

Phi: What have been your general impressions of the season so far?

MH: Coming off an ODAC championship we had big expectations to live up to, especially coming off a 10–0 season, which had never been done be- fore. A lot of the seniors coming back were ready to get that train rolling again. We had a little bit of a rough start with tougher competition between Johns Hopkins and Claremont McKenna but our team quickly showed that we are fighters and can bounce back, particularly in the Sewanee game. We have carried that attitude through the rest of the season.

Phi: Your number of rushes per game has steadily gone up as the season has progressed. Was that part of the plan with the coaching staff or is that just game flow?

MH: It all depends on the defense and that week’s game plan. If they are trying to shut down the outside then we go inside and vice versa.

Phi: How do you think you have evolved as a player throughout your college career?

MH: I would like to say that I have gotten faster, but that is probably not true. I think I have just tried to keep the passion. That has always been my strength; that downhill hard running and that is what I have tried to focus on. I think it has just increased over time as I get the point where I have fewer and fewer games left and I just play with more and more passion as the season goes on.

Phi: Now that you are a little bit over the half- way mark of the season what do you think the identity of this year’s team is?

MH: I think we really found our identity with that Sewanne game where we came back in the fourth quarter, down by 17, to rally and win it. That showed us that we were battle-tested and we can get through a dogfight. I think that is really where we are headed. We had a close win against Catholic and a big win against Guilford and hopefully we can continue that throughout the season.

Phi: What do you want to do after you graduate?

MH: My current plan is to go to Atlanta to work for Suntrust

Phi: Outside of football what is your favorite hobby?

MH: I love hanging out with my friends.