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| Jason Couch's crew has him wearing the kilt through the last Saturday in November, and that's just fine by him. Alma athletics file photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Cold legs are a good sign for Alma’s Jason Couch.
The Scots are happy to keep their head coach shivering, too.
That’s because he wears a kilt while patrolling the sidelines for all of the Scots’ home games. After Saturday’s 41-21 win over Mount St. Joseph – the program’s first NCAA playoff win – Alma (11-0) will make Couch brave the frigid central Michigan elements once again when the team welcomes Aurora (10-1) for a second-round battle on Saturday.
“Once you get the adrenaline of the game going, it’s not so bad,” Couch said with a laugh. “My kneecaps might be a still a little wind burnt and red, but that’s OK. The wind was pretty gusty, too. I am just glad the kilt stayed down.”
Now in his fifth season, Couch, a former Alma standout center, introduced the kilt for home games when he took over as head coach in 2018.
“For me, as a former player and alum, it’s a way to externalize my pride of being back here as head coach and part of this program. I am just thrilled to be back here and that was my way to kind of show it and it kind of stuck,” he said. “I think the guys would lose their minds if I didn’t wear a kilt for home games.”
The kilt is more than just for appearance, though. Couch and his coaches developed a philosophy around it, with each letter representing a core ideal: K for kinship, I for integrity, L for love and T for tenacity. Thus was born the team’s motto of “KILTstyle.”
“We basically live by that,” Alma senior linebacker Odin Soffredine said. “We stress during camp at the beginning of the year what the four letters mean and we have breakout groups to discuss what they mean to us, personally. Then, we come together and speak as a team about it.”
It’s provided a solid foundation for the kind of program Couch and his coaches want to build.
“I think it really brings everyone together. Each piece has its own way of bringing the team together,” Alma freshman quarterback Carter St. John said. “I think we really get behind it. The seniors instilled that into us early in the beginning of the year. The seniors do a really good job and we stay true to it.
“I love that Coach Couch wears a kilt,” he continued. “I know all the players love it, too. It just shows his commitment to us. I don’t know what people think about it outside of us, but, to us, it shows how much he cares.”
Some of the other Scots have joined in, too, and donned their own kilts during the team’s pregame Scotsman Walk on campus from Dunning Memorial Chapel to Bahlke Field.
“A couple of the offensive linemen and I have thrown on kilts, too,” St. John said. “With the Michigan weather coming in, it’s starting to get a little colder. It was really cold last Saturday. The worst part was the wind.”
The weather didn’t seem to bother Alma, kilts or no kilts, though in the second half. The team broke a 21-all halftime tie with 20 second-half points to secure the program’s first playoff win.
“It sure is a great thing,” Couch said. “A win allows us to spend another week together as a team. We’re very fortunate.”
Coming off an emotional 34-31 win over Albion for the MIAA championship, the Scots struggled a little against the Lions at the beginning. They saw a 21-6 edge evaporate at halftime before the rally in the second half.
“Coming off the Albion win, all week we were so hyped. It’s hard to replicate that week after week,” Soffredine said. “We were a little slower and Mount St. Joseph is a very good team. We have so much emotion toward Albion. Beating them, it felt like we met our goal. Once we got to the playoffs, we didn’t know how to act. I think the second half shows that the team realized it’s not over for us and we’re not at the top yet and we have to keep on going.”
With the defense shutting the door in the second half, Alma’s offense – led by freshmen running backs Eddie Williams and Ja’martae Hogan and QB St. John – took over. St. John found Cole Thomas for a 74-yard touchdown toss in the third quarter. Williams sealed it when he caught a 21-yard TD pass and ran for another score in the fourth. St. John passed for 208 yards, while Williams rushed for 104 yards and Hogan netted 90 on the ground.
“We knew they were good ballplayers when we were recruiting them. But, you never expect a freshman to do what they’re doing and to do it as calmly as they do it – there’s an even-keeled nature about them. They have great decision-making abilities and I am really proud of them,” Couch said. “It helps having an experienced offensive line in front of them, too.”
St. John is quick to credit others for their success.
“I think we’re a small piece in a very large puzzle,” he said. “All of our linemen are experienced. Alex Dean, our fifth-year senior center, he can do everything. He tells me what to do, sometimes. It’s easy for us to do our jobs when those guys are blocking for us as well as having weapons on the outside and having a very good, veteran defense. That enables to play to our fullest ability – not carefree, but whatever we do, we know it will be backed up by the defense.”
The Scots are looking forward to another home game, thanks to Aurora’s 33-28 upset win at UW-Whitewater.
“It’s awesome to be at home,” St. John said. “I think this will be our fourth home game in a row. Bahlke is always rocking when the Scots are in town. It’s awesome to have that amount of support with all the people behind us.”
The team looks forward to spending its first Thanksgiving together, too. Dinner is at Couch’s house. Kilts are not required, though.
“My wife and I are ready to make an awful lot of food,” he said with a laugh. “The rule is sweatpants and a stretchy waistband. We’ll lie around and watch some professional football after dinner. I am really looking forward to the fellowship together.”