College Football Week 18 – Eight bowls down, 31 to go
Who hit a home run and who struck out?
Or who was successful and who wasn’t?
It’s a coaching thing.
With the regular season over, the holidays upon us and the bowl games barely begun, this is a good time to sit back and ponder the coaches – the first year coaches. How did they perform in their premier seasons at their respective schools? Some hit a homerun. Others struck out. Most batted around 500 – just above or just below. Some were successful. Some weren’t. Let’s take a look.
Of the first-year coaches, I have categorized their performances into most successful, successful, barely successful, barely unsuccessful, unsuccessful, most unsuccessful.
Most Successful Coaches (A+): Ohio State’s Ryan Day (13-0) and Appalachian State’s Eli Drinkwitz (12-1).
At Ohio State, Ryan Day picked up where Urban Meyer left off. Day was even better as he didn’t stub his toe to a Virginia Tech, Iowa or Purdue along the way. He was a focused coach.
After a great first season at Appalachian State, Eli Drinkwitz gets to be a first-year coach all over again next year. With only one year at App State, he was hired by Missouri to lead the Tigers out of their doldrums. He may have wished he stayed in Boone.
Successful Coaches (B+): Kansas State’s Chris Klieman (8-4), Temple’s Rod Carey (8-4), Western Kentucky’s Tyson Helton (8-4) and Central Michigan’s Jim McElwain (8-5).
Chris Klieman took over a 5-7 Kansas State team and led the Wildcats to an 8-4 record, including a win over Oklahoma – the Sooners only loss. Watch out for Klieman. He knows how to win.
Rod Carey maintained a steady keel at Temple that included a win over Memphis – the Tigers only loss. If Carey keeps winning, he won’t be at Temple for long.
Tyson Helton took over a 3-9 Western Kentucky team and led them to an 8-4 record. And he doesn’t have to add his brother, Clay, to his staff after all.
Jim McElwain took over a 1-11 Central Michigan team and coached the Chippewas to an 8-5 record. Picked to finish last in the MAC’s West Division, CMU won the Division and played for the MAC championship.
Barely Successful Coaches (C+): Louisville’s Scott Satterfield (7-5), Utah State’s Gary Andersen (7-5), Charlotte’s Will Healy (7-5), Liberty’s Hugh Freeze (7-5), North Carolina’s Mack Brown (6-6) and Miami of Florida’s Manny Diaz (6-6).
Scott Satterfield took over a 2-10 Louisville team and guided the Cardinals to a 7-5 record. Picked to finish last in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, Louisville finished second in the Division behind Clemson.
The best you can say about Gary Andersen is that he was barely successful at Utah State. After all, the Aggies were 11-2 last year. Andersen’s team did have an outstanding win over a 9-3 San Diego State team.
Will Healy took over a 5-7 Charlotte team and flipped them to 7-5. Healy also coached the 49ers to their first ever bowl game.
Hugh Freeze had some success at Liberty, taking the Flames from 6-6 to 7-5. Freeze also led Liberty to its first bowl game.
Mack Brown took over a 2-9 North Carolina team and led the Tar Heels to a 6-6 record, that included a win over Miami (Florida) and wins over both rivals – Duke and NC State. The Mack is back.
At best, Manny Diaz can be considered barely successful at Miami, but just barely. The Canes did have an outstanding win over Virginia and good wins over Louisville and Pitt.
Barely Unsuccessful Coaches (C-): West Virginia’s Neal Brown (5-7), Colorado’s Mel Tucker (5-7), Northern Illinois’ Thomas Hammock (5-7), Troy’s Chip Lindsey (5-7) and Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell (5-7).
Neal Brown took over a West Virginia team who’s cupboard was bare. Sitting at 3-6, the Mountaineers won two of their last three games, including a win on the road over an 8-4 Kansas State. WVU fans trust the climb.
Mel Tucker maintained status quo in Boulder. The Buffs were 5-7 last year and likewise this year. Colorado started out hot at 3-1 that included a win over Arizona State. Then the Buffs lost six of their last eight games. They did manage a good late season win over Washington.
Thomas Hammock took Northern Illinois down. The Huskies were 8-6 last year, 5-7 this year. Hammock did mange two good wins over Ohio and Western Michigan.
Troy went from 10-3 under Neal Brown to 5-7 under Chip Lindsey.
Jamey Chadwell’s Coastal Carolina team finished in last place in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. But the Chanticleers weren’t any worse than last year’s 5-7 team.
Unsuccessful Coaches (D): Texas Tech’s Matt Wells (4-8), Houston’s Dana Holgorsen (4-8), East Carolina’s Mike Houston (4-8), Maryland’s Mike Locksley (3-9), Kansas’ Les Miles (3-9), Georgia Tech’s Geoff Collins (3-9), Bowling Green’s Scott Loeffler (3-9) and Texas State’s Jake Spavital (3-9).
The only good thing you can say about Matt Wells’ debut year at Texas Tech is that the Red Raiders did beat an 8-4 Oklahoma State.
You can’t even say that much about Dana Holgorsen. Houston didn’t beat anybody. This a Houston team that was supposed to contend with Memphis for the AAC West Division. Heck, Houston was so bad that after four games, Holgorsen had about half the team redshirt so they could play next year. You get what you ask for, Houston.
There was some improvement at East Carolina – minor though it was. Mike Houston improved the Pirates from 3-9 to 4-8. I guess that’s encouraging.
At 2-0 and a 63-20 win over Syracuse at the beginning of the season, Maryland’s Mike Locksley was a hot commodity. Then it all fell apart for the Terrapins. They were 1-9 in their last 10 games.
At 3-9, Kansas’ Les Miles didn’t have the success that Mack Brown did at North Carolina. The Mad Hatter will try again next year. Don’t count him out just yet.
It was a tough season for Geoff Collins at Georgia Tech as he was converting the Yellow Jackets from the triple option to an NFL-style, spread-based offense. It was so tough that Georgia Tech lost to The Citadel. But, before the season was over, the Jackets did manage to beat Miami (Florida).
Somebody needs to tell Scott Loeffler that Bowling Green fired Mike Jinks for going 3-9.
What else can I say about Texas State going 3-9. Is there any surprise here? Jake Spavital is buds with Dana Holgorsen. Get the picture? You’ll learn, Texas State.
Most Unsuccessful Coaches (F): Akron’s Tom Arth (0-13) and Massachusetts’ Walt Bell (1-11).
The only way for Tom Arth to go is up. You can’t get any worse than 0-13.
And at Massachusetts, they are saying, “Thank goodness for Akron.” That’s the only team Walt Bell’s Minutemen beat.
Of the 27 first-year coaches in 2019, 12 had successful seasons, while 17 left something to be desired. What will 2020 bring for those coaches?
There is hope for the unsuccessful. During his first year at South Carolina, Lou Holtz was 0-11. The next year he was 8-4, including an Outback Bowl win over Ohio State.
Speaking of coaches, the coaching carousel came to an end last week when the last four schools – UNLV, Appalachian State, Fresno State and New Mexico – still looking for a coach announced the search was over.
Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo is the new head coach at UNLV. Arroyo replaces Tony Sanchez who was fired a few weeks ago. Appalachian State offensive line coach Shawn Clark was elevated to the head coaching job in Boone. Clark replaces Eli Drinkwitz who left App State to become Missouri’s new head coach
Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer was named the new head coach at Fresno State. DeBoer replaces Jeff Tedford who stepped down for health reasons. And finally, Arizona State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales is the new head coach of New Mexico. Gonzales replaces the fired Bob Davie.
Fired Rutgers coach Chris Ash is Tom Herman’s new defensive coordinator at Texas. Kevin Sumlin has hired former Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads as his new defensive coordinator at Arizona. Sumlin fired his defensive coordinator during the season. Willie Taggart hired Jim Leavitt as his defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic.
Yes, the coaching carousel came to an end, assuming no coaches leave for the NFL. It is estimated that eight NFL teams will fire their coaches come January. A couple of those teams could reach into the college ranks for their new coaches. Stay tuned!
The 39-game bowl season got underway Friday afternoon in Nassau – the Bahamas of all places. Buffalo (8-5) took care of Charlotte (7-6), 31-9. The Bulls Jaret Patterson rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Charlotte was playing in its first bowl game, and Buffalo got its first bowl win.
I’m convinced there were more football players on the field than there were spectators in the stands at the Bahamas Bowl. Interestingly, there was no attendance reported for the game. I guess that’s because there wasn’t any.
In the next game on Friday, Kent State (7-6) surprised Utah State (7-6), 51-41. The coaches of Kent State and Utah State should give their offensive coordinators a bonus and fire their defensive coordinators. Like Buffalo above, the Golden Flashes won their first ever bowl game. And the mighty MAC is 2-0 after the first day of bowl games. I’m 0-2.
It has been an amazing season for Kent State and its coach Sean Lewis. Last year, in his first season at Kent, Lewis was 2-10. At one point this season the Golden Flashes were 3-6. They won their final three games to finish 6-6. And now they have won their first bowl game.
North Carolina A&T (9-3) beat Alcorn State (9-4), 64-44, in the Celebration Bowl. Yes, it was football, not basketball.
In the New Mexico Bowl, San Diego State (10-3) shattered Central Michigan (8-6), 48-11. It was a tough finish to a good season for CMU coach Jim McElwain. After an 8-4 season, the Chippewas lost their last two games (MAC championship and New Mexico Bowl) to finish 8-6.
Playing under an interim coach, Florida Atlantic (11-3) beat SMU (10-3), 52-28, in the Boca Raton Bowl. FAU quarterback Chris Robinson put on a show, going 27-for-37, passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The Owls were coached in the game by outgoing defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer.
In the first of three bowl games in Orlando, between December 21 and January 1, Liberty (8-5) downed Georgia Southern (7-6), 23-16, in the Cure Bowl. Liberty grabbed the victory in its first ever bowl game. The Flames never trailed in the game.
In the rain in Montgomery, Arkansas State (8-5) held off FIU (6-7), 34-26, in the Camellia Bowl. The Red Wolves quarterback Lane Hatcher was amazing, going 27-for-51, passing for 393 yards and four touchdowns.
They called it the Petersen Bowl. Actually, it was the Las Vegas Bowl. Washington (8-5) beat Boise State (12-2), 38-7. It was called the Petersen Bowl because Washington coach Chris Petersen was coaching against his old team – Boise State. Petersen coached the Broncos before becoming the Huskies coach. Stepping down at the end of the year, Petersen goes out a winner at both schools.
In the final game of the day on Saturday, Appalachian State (13-1) capped off an outstanding season, beating UAB (9-5), 31-17, in the New Orleans Bowl. App State’s Darrynton Evans rushed for 161 yards and one touchdown.
Eight games down and I am 3-5 with my bowl picks. At this rate, Virginia is going to beat Florida in the Orange Bowl.
Next up: Marshall vs. UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl – Monday, December 23.
Speaking of bowls, someone said that Virginia got in the Orange Bowl because the Russians influenced the selection process. Regardless, somebody must have bribed somebody because the Orange Bowl couldn’t have selected a worse team than Virginia for the New Year’s Six bowl. Excluding UT Martin and Towson, Virginia will be the worst team the Gators have faced this season. Florida has nothing to gain with a win, and everything to lose with a loss.
In other news, CBS will no longer be the primary broadcaster of SEC games after the 2023 season. The CBS-SEC contract comes to an end after the 2023 season and CBS is not going to bid on a new contract. Currently CBS pays the SEC $55 million a year. A new contract between the SEC and one of the networks which will commence in 2024 is expected to go for around $300 million a year. ABC/ESPN will bid for the contract and so will FOX Sports. The odds favor ABC/ESPN.
Rockledge Gator and I had lunch with Judy Hansen last week. We lunched on the deck of Bonefish Willy’s, overlooking the Indian River. The three of us all worked together for many, many years – all good times. While the three of us were having lunch, Bootsie and Swamp Mama were lunching at another location. Tis the season!
Happy Hanukkah..…Seasons Greetings..…Merry Christmas..…Happy Holidays
Touchdown Tom
December 22, 2019
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Review of the First Eight Bowls
It’s better in the Bahamas (in the Bahamas Bowl) – Buffalo 31, Charlotte 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Charlotte 24, Buffalo 22). For Buffalo that is. The Bulls jumped out to a 24-0 lead and never looked back. Buffalo led 17-0 at halftime and 24-0 with 5:22 to go in the third quarter. Buffalo was the running team – 205 yards, and Charlotte was the passing team – 198 yards. Attendance in Nassau: 0
Crum was a Flash (in the Frisco Bowl) – Kent State 51, Utah State 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah State 32, Kent State 17). If you like offense, this was your bowl. The teams combined for 1,056 yards of offense. Kent State was the running team. Utah State was the passing team. Kent State 51, Utah State 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah State 32, Kent State 27). Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum was 22-for-27, passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns and he rushed for 147 yards and one touchdown. Utah State quarterback Jordan Love was 30-for-39, passing for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Frisco: 12,120
Aztecs rule (in the New Mexico Bowl) – San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11 (Touchdown Tom said: San Diego State 18, Central Michigan 13). San Diego State took a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back. The Aztecs had 510 total yards to 277 for CMU and 24 first downs to 8 for the Chippewas. San Diego State quarterback Ryan Agnew was 18-for-31, passing for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Aztec running back Jordan Byrd rushed for 139 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Albuquerque: 18,823
The Eagles couldn’t put out the Flames (in the Cure Bowl) – Liberty 23, Georgia Southern 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Southern 30, Liberty 27). Liberty never trailed in the game and at one point in the third quarter, the Flames led Georgia Southern by 16 points – 23-7. Georgia Southern only had 95 yards passing. Attendance in Orlando: 18,158
We don’t need no Lane Kiffin (in the Boca Raton Bowl) – Florida Atlantic 52, SMU 28 (Touchdown Tom said: SMU 34, Florida A&M 26). SMU’s defense was a no show and the Mustangs’ offense had no running game. FAU took advantage. Attendance in Boca Raton: 23,187
The Panthers were seeing Red (in the Camellia Bowl) – Arkansas State 34, FIU 26 (Touchdown Tom said: FIU 29, Arkansas State 26). As in Wolves. Arkansas State led 27-13 in the third quarter. Then FIU rallied to trail by one point – 27-26 – with 11:52 to go in the game. But that’s where the rally ended. The teams combined for 970 total yards – 705 of the total yards were from passing. Attendance in Montgomery: 16,209
All mush – (in the Las Vegas Bowl) – Washington 38, Boise State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Boise State 21). Washington not only outplayed Boise State, but also the Huskies took advantage of three Broncos turnovers. Washington’s defense held Boise State to 78 yards rushing. It was a fitting end for Washington coach Chris Petersen. Attendance in Las Vegas: 34,197
Late start (in the New Orleans Bowl) – Appalachian State 31, UAB 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Appalachian State 30, UAB 17). Appalachian State was down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. Then the Little Mountaineers went to work and outscored UAB, 31-3. The App State defense held UAB to only 40 yards rushing. Attendance in New Orleans: 21,202
Last Week’s Bowl Game Picks: 3 winners, 5 fumbles (37.5 percent)
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Arkansas State’s Lane Hatcher – 27-51-1-393 (4TDs) and Utah State’s Jordan Love – 30-39-1-317 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson – 173 yards (2TDs); Appalachian State’s Darrynton Evans – 161 yards (1TD) and Kent State’s Dustin Crum – 147 yards (1TD).
Weekend Recap
FCS (Division I-AA) Semifinals
North Dakota State 42, Montana State 14
James Madison 30, Weber State 14
Celebration Bowl
North Carolina A&T 64, Alcorn State 44
Division II Championship
West Florida 48, Minnesota State 40
Division III Championship
North Central 41, UW-Whitewater 14
Quotes of the Week
“ I think it is ridiculous that Virginia is in a New Year’s Six bowl. That’s absurd,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.
“Virginia has no business playing in the Orange Bowl,” college football commentator Tim Brando.
“This is what Urban Meyer has done at a lot of places. He’s gone in, won, scandal, left. I don’t know if you can do that in the NFL,” ESPN college football commentator Pat McAfee, on Urban Meyer coaching in the NFL.
“If you do what you always do, you’re gonna get what you always get,” Doug from South Carolina, talking about Will Muschamp on The Paul Finebaum Show.
“I’m gonna wear this hat. He doesn’t have to,” former Florida running back Emmitt Smith, putting on a Gators hat after his son E.J. signed his commitment to Stanford, instead of Florida, on early signing day.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there were three passings of note last week – Peter Snell, Hayden Fry and Junior Johnson.
Peter Snell, a three-time Olympic champion who twice held the world record for the mile, died last week in Dallas. He was 80. A native New Zealander, Snell was considered the best miler of his generation in an age when the event was the premier contest in sport. He would eventually serve as a research fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, later directing the university’s Human Performance Center. Snell won the 800 meters at the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 800 and 1500 double at the 1964 Tokyo Games, the first man since 1920 to win the double at the same Olympics. No man has accomplished that feat since. He retired in 1965 to pursue schooling in the United States, earning degrees from the University of California-Davis and Washington State University.
Hayden Fry, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Iowa for 20 seasons and produced one of the sport’s most important coaching trees died last week near Dallas. He was 90. Fry went 143-89-6 at Iowa, including a 96-61-5 mark in the Big Ten. He coached the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten championships, three Rose Bowl appearances and 10 AP Top-25 finishes. Before Iowa, Fry coached North Texas for six seasons and SMU for 11 seasons. He won coach of the year honors in three leagues – the Southwest Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference and the Big Ten Conference. Fry also was Sporting News’ national coach of the year in 1981. His biggest impact on the sport may be the number of coaches who played for and/or coached under him. His coaching tree includes former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez, former Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, former Iowa State and North Texas coach Dan McCarney and current college coaches Mark Stoops of Kentucky, Bo Pelini of Youngstown State and Jay Norvell of Nevada. Hayden Fry was born on February 28, 1929, in Eastland, Texas. He played quarterback at Baylor and began his coaching career at Odessa High School in Texas before entering the college ranks.
Robert Glenn “Junior” Johnson, the moonshine runner turned NASCAR driver described as “The Last American Hero” by author Tom Wolfe in a 1965 article for Esquire, died last week. He was 88. From North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Johnson was named one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers in 1998 after a 14-year career that ended in 1966 and included a win in the 1960 Daytona 500. He honed his driving skills running moonshine through the North Carolina mountains, a crime for which he received a federal conviction in 1956 and a full presidential pardon in 1986 from President Ronald Reagan. He later became a car owner for drivers. His last race win as an owner was in the 1994 Southern 500 with Bill Elliott. At age 24, Johnson turned his moonshine running to racing and became a superstar in NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He walked away from the sport in 1996 to pursue other interests.
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