3/25/2008 12:01:00 AM Willis Marshall has a variety of assignments for the Georgia Force — and does them all well.

THE MARSHALL FILE
Who: Willis Marshall

Team: Georgia Force

Size: 5-foot-9, 194 pounds

Position: Kick returner, wide receiver, running back

College: Youngstown State

Noteworthy:

• Won 1997 National Championship under Ohio State coach Jim Tressel at Youngstown State

• Won two ArenaBowls and a Grey Cup in career

• Played with current NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia in Canadian Football League

• Was a teammate of Force special teams coach Dialleo Burks last year in Dallas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Marshall eclectic specialist for Force

By Ben Beitzel
Staff Writer

FLOWERY BRANCH - Willis Marshall won't be pigeonholed.

He returns kicks very well. He runs the football - and has two touchdowns in three games this season. He's played linebacker and defensive back.

"It is his versatility that makes him so valuable," Georgia Force head coach Doug Plank said of the eight-year Arena Football League veteran. "I don't know of anybody else on our football team that has more assignments than Willis Marshall."

And at every level, Marshall wins.

He won the 1997 Division I-AA National Championship at Youngstown State under current Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. His first year in the Canadian Football League, he won the Grey Cup. During his eight seasons in the AFL he won ArenaBowl titles with Grand Rapids in 2001 and with the Colorado Crush in 2005.

"I bring winning to this team as far as teams I have been on in the past," Marshall said. "It is just that experience of being on winning teams and knowing what it takes."

At 5-foot-9, 194-pounds, Marshall lacks descriptors like tall and big. But he compensates with tough, smart and fast. He leads the Force in rushing with 20 yards and is tied with quarterback Chris Greisen with two TDs. Most of those yards are goal-line carries on the narrow AFL field. Arena Football does not cater to running backs.

Marshall joined the Force in Week 2 after the team released Game 1 leading wide receiver Brent Holmes. Plank said the team needed more production away from receiver, specifically special teams.

Marshall answered with his first touch. On the opening kickoff against Tampa Bay, Marshall returned the ball 47 yards down to the 4-yard line.

"I wasn't surprised," said special teams coach Dialleo Burks, who played with Marshall last season in Dallas before retiring. "I have been playing against him for the past seven years and he's been doing the same thing. He has been one of the more consistent guys that I have seen off of the net."

Above the rushing, receiving and scoring, Marshall loves to return kicks. Just talking about turning his back on the defenders and taking the kick like a rebound off the net makes Marshall smile.

"Being off that net, you have to be fearless," he said. "You can't be scared because you have your back turned, you have eight guys from the other team coming down as fast as they can.

"I love it. You know why I love it? Because not everybody else can do it."

Not many do it better than Marshall.

Since joining the Force this season, Marshall has racked up 339 yards on 20 kick returns, an average of just less than 17 yards per return. Troy Bergeron is second with 71 yards. And that is with an extra game.

Within his kick return game, the yards pile up because Marshall won't specialize. He refuses to rely on one move or one philosophy. Not every return is about making people miss before taking off, and one cut and go sometimes runs you straight into a tackler. Marshall will dance if he needs and he'll sprint if he needs. Marshall really just needs yards.

"I have been blessed with quickness so I can make a couple of guys miss and then go straight ahead," Marshall said. "My thing is, first of all, I want to go straight ahead as fast as possible. If somebody gets in my way, I may have to make them miss. Some guys are one cut and go, some guys are dancing around. I like to think of myself as in between. I can make you miss and go straight ahead as fast as possible."

Dance or sprint. Defense or offense. Receiving or rushing. The only thing Marshall wants to specialize in is winning. That is where he focuses. He accepts his backup role on offense and embraces his standout role on special teams. He may miss a flash of his early-career speed, but it doesn't slow him down. He knows how to do it all so he knows how to beat it all.

"Every year you get older, but I still feel 20 because of how I prepare," Marshall said. "I am not going to talk a lot, I am going to lead by example. If I am out there flying around, it becomes infectious. That is what I want to do for this team to help us get to the next level."

Now that is a specialty.