Looking at the Marquette club football team, with a roster of only 27 players and a 0-2 record, it would seem to be another rocky year for the Golden Eagles.

But with the help of a solid running back and a defense led by two veterans and two young stars, things may be looking up.

After suffering a heart-breaking 26-20 defeat last week against Concordia-Chicago, captain Jeff Midday seems pretty optimistic about the rest of the season.

“We’ve exceeded my expectations so far,” Midday said. “In my five years playing football here, I’ve never seen a defense like the one we have this year.”

Last week the defense started off shaky against Concordia, giving up 18 points in the first half. In the second half, however, the team scored 20 unanswered points before conceding a late fourth quarter touchdown that gave the Golden Eagles their second loss of the season.

The loss, hurt but the future doesn’t look bad for the team.

“M..J. Puch and Tom Rynne have done a great job,” Midday said. “They know the game and we will be ready to hand them the team next year.”

Along with Puch and Rynne, half the team consists of underclassmen, which makes the Golden Eagles optimistic for the future.

Co-captain Adam Hall couldn’t agree more with Midday on the defense, but had one name to offer when asked about the offense.

“Pat Rodgers — he’s been doing great, always performs well, and has a solid game.”

Rodgers, the starting running back, is behind an entirely new line.

“We’ve had to convert a few defensive linemen and a few linebackers into offensive linemen, but they’ve been doing well,” Hall said.