CI Week 14 Highlights

The Coaches Inc. Family continued its masterful run through the playoffs in Week 14, posting a combined record of 8-2 across all levels. Villanova Defensive Coordinator/DB Ola Adams (@CoachOlaAdams) started things off on the right foot on Friday night as the Wildcats shut down Holy Cross, 21-16, to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight. Three more CI FCS coaches joined the party on Saturday as reigning champion Sam Houston State withstood a rally from Incarnate Word to hold on for a 49-42 win. Congratulations to Bearkats Special Teams Coor./CB Gary McGraw (@DBCoachMcGraw), RB Coach Chris Buckner (@coachcbuckner) and DL Coach Joe Morris (@jbmorriscoach)! Also at the FCS level, Jackson State and Co-Offensive Coor./WR Jason Phillips (@CoachJPhillJSU) beat Prairie View A&M, 27-10, to claim the program's first SWAC Championship since 2007. At the Division II level, three of the four semifinalists will feature CI coaches as Ferris State Asst. Head Coach/QB Brian Rock (@Coach_Rock), Colorado School of Mines Defensive Coordinator/LB Brandon Moore (@madbacker56) and Shepherd Special Teams Coor./DB Luke Wright (@CoachLukeWright) all secured wins on Saturday. On Sunday, Winnipeg Special Teams Coordinator Paul Boudreau (@bouqb2) kept the momentum going as the Blue Bombers clinched their spot in the 108th Grey Cup with a 21-17 win over Saskatchewan in the West Division Finals. Sunday also saw CI's pair of LA based NFL coaches strengthen their playoff chances with wins - congratulations to Rams Asst. Head Coach/RB Thomas Brown (@iamthomasbrown) and Chargers WR Coach Chris Beatty (@BeattyCoach)! On an individual level, Week 14 was a special one for Coastal Carolina Co-Offensive Coor./RB Newland Isaac (@coachisaacFB) who was recognized as the AFCA's Assistant Coach of the Year at the FBS level, while Virginia Union Offensive Coor./OL Mike Morita (@CoachMorita) took the honors at the Division II level. Credit also to Army West Point Special Teams Coor. Sean Saturnio (@CoachSaturnio) who was named a finalist for the award. Capping the weekend, the full bowl game schedule was announced on Sunday and we're less than two weeks away from Coach Isaac and the Chanticleers kicking things off for the CI Family in the Cure Bowl versus Northern Illinois. Overall, 39 CI coaches will be participating in bowl games this season. Please find this week's highlights and a full schedule of bowl games involving CI coaches below.

As Baylor clung to a 21-16 lead with just over a minute remaining, the Bears were seemingly dealt a death blow when on 3rd and 3, a Baylor defensive back was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, setting up Oklahoma State with a fresh set of downs at the two-yard line. While some on social media called for Baylor to let the Cowboys score, Baylor Defensive Coor./ILB Ron Roberts (@CoachRonRoberts) had other ideas. On first and second downs, the Bears defense stuffed OSU RB Dezmon Jackson short of the goal line on runs up the middle. After an incomplete pass on third down, Jackson tried his luck on an outside run, but Baylor safety Jairon McVea was equal to the task, chasing Jackson down inches short of the end zone pylon. The stop came just eight minutes after another goal line stand from the Bears that forced a field goal rather than a potentially game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion. The two goal line stands combined with four interceptions by Baylor's defense were enough to send the Bears to the Sugar Bowl and the program's first Big 12 championship since 2013. Congratulations to Roberts on Saturday's clutch defense and an incredible season!

When asked about the significance of his team's achievement as the first Group of Five team to secure a place in the College Football Playoff, Cincinnati Head Coach Luke Fickell said that he didn't want his team to have to carry the weight of so many deserving G5 teams that had come before them. Like it or not, when the Bearcats were formally awarded their place in the playoffs on Sunday, they did represent the culmination of efforts from 10 total G5 teams that had posted undefeated regular season records since 1998 only to be left out of the Bowl Championship Series or College Football Playoff. In much the same way that Cincinnati broke through barriers with Saturday's win over Houston, RB Jerome Ford shattered any misperception that the Bearcat offense is carried solely by its quarterback. Ford came up two yards short of a career-high, rushing for 187 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries (10.4 ypc). His 79-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter put Cincinnati up 14-10 and the Bearcats never trailed again. For good measure, he added a 42-yard scoring run in the third quarter to give him 20 touchdowns on the season and 1,242 rushing yards. His 6.24 yards per carry ranks first in the country among running backs with at least 200 carries. Congratulations to Cincinnati RB Coach Darren Paige (@RBCoachPaige) on a storybook season and Ford's success!

On Saturday, Ferris State cruised to the NCAA Division II Semifinals with a dominant 41-20 win over Northwest Missouri State. This marks the seventh season in a row the Bulldogs have won at least 11 games and the fourth time in five years that they have advanced to the national quarterfinals. To get past the Bearcats, Ferris State Asst. Head Coach/QB Brian Rock (@Coach_Rock) had to overcome adversity as starting QB Jared Bernhardt was sidelined after sustaining an injury in last week's win over Grand Valley State. Fortunately, backup QB Mylik Mitchell filled in masterfully, throwing for 155 yards, running for another 81 yards, and totaling three touchdowns. After FSU scored on its opening drive and the Bearcats responded on their first possession, Mitchell caught fire. With just over 3:00 left in the first quarter, Mitchell fooled the Bearcat defenders with a fake handoff to the left before bouncing outside to the right. He faked a pitch, tucked the ball, and outran what was left of the Bearcat defense, racing 36 yards to the house to put the hosts up 13-6. On the next drive, Mitchell proved why he could be one of the most dangerous dual threat quarterbacks in Division II. Just inside the red zone, Mitchell got two defensive tackles to bite on a hard count. With the free play, he lobbed a perfect back shoulder deep ball to WR Xavier Wade for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 20-6. Mitchell tacked on another seven-yard touchdown run before heading into the half and the FSU defense never gave the Bearcats a chance to come back. Congratulations to Rock on the win and superb play from his backup signal caller! In his first season with the program, Rock helped the Bulldogs reach the 2019 National Semifinals as the team claimed both the GLIAC and Super Region Championships. Previously, Rock served as an offensive analyst at Oklahoma State and from 2015-2017 he coordinated the offense at Holy Cross. In 2017, he was named the AFCA National FCS Assistant Coach of the Year. Overall, Rock boasts 27 years of Division I coaching experience.

Tailgreeter Cure Bowl: Coastal Carolina (Co-Offensive Coor./RB Newland Isaac) vs. Northern Illinois - Dec. 17, 6:00 PM

Cricket Celebration Bowl: Jackson State (Co-Offensive Coor./WR Jason Phillips) vs. South Carolina State (Offensive Coor./QB Bennett Swygert) - Dec. 18, 12:00 PM

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl: Utah State (CB Coach Ray Brown) vs. Oregon State (DB Coach Blue Adams) - Dec. 18, 7:30 PM

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl: San Diego State (Senior Defensive Analyst Kevin Wolthausen) vs. UTSA - Dec. 21, 7:30 PM

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Army (Co-Defensive Coor./Safeties Coach Shiel Wood, Special Teams Coor. Sean Saturnio, TE Coach Matt Drinkall, OL Coach Saga Tuitele) vs. Missouri (Special Teams Coor. Erik Link) - Dec. 22, 8:00 PM

Frisco Football Classic: Miami (OH) (WR Coach Israel Woolfork, RB Coach Lamar Conard, OL Coach James Patton) vs. North Texas - Dec. 23, 3:30 PM

EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl: Memphis (Special Teams Coor. Charles Bankins) vs. Hawai'i (Special Teams Analyst Ryan Matviko) - Dec. 24, 8:00 PM

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Air Force (WR Coach Ari Confesor) vs. Louisville (RB Coach De'Rail Sims) - Dec. 28, 3:15 PM

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech (DL Coach Paul Randolph, Offensive Analyst/QB Matt Clark) vs. Mississippi State - Dec. 28, 6:45 PM

SDCCU Holiday Bowl: NC State (Volunteer Assistant Scott Boone) vs. UCLA - Dec. 28, 8:00 PM

Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Virginia (Co-Defensive Coor./LB Kelly Poppinga) vs. SMU - Dec. 29, 11:00 AM

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia Tech (DL Coach Bill Teerlinck, Asst. Director of Player Personnel Kyshoen Jarrett) vs. Maryland (RB Coach Elijah Brooks) - Dec. 29, 2:15 PM

Valero Alamo Bowl: Oregon (Special Teams Analyst Chris Norris, Oregon Defensive Analyst Kwame Agyeman) vs. Oklahoma - Dec. 29, 9:15 PM

Duke's Mayo Bowl: North Carolina (Special Teams Coor./OLB Jovan Dewitt) vs. South Carolina (DB Coach Torrian Gray) - Dec. 30, 11:30 AM

TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Tennessee (Offensive Analyst Matt Merritt, Offensive Analyst Kelsey Pope) vs. Purdue - Dec. 30, 3:00 PM

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Miami (RB Coach Eric Hickson, Offensive Analyst Ronnie Regula) vs. Washington State - Dec. 31, 12:30 PM

CFP Semifinal - Capital One Orange Bowl: Cincinnati (RB Coach Darren Paige) vs. Alabama (Senior Defensive Analyst Mark Orphey) - Dec. 31, 3:30 PM

Outback Bowl: Arkansas (Asst. Special Teams Coach Mike Krysl) vs. Penn State - Jan. 1, 12:00 PM

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Baylor (Defensive Coor./ILB Ron Roberts) vs. Ole Miss (Defensive Analyst Elijah Sandweiss) - Jan. 1, 8:45 PM

Texas Bowl: LSU (Defensive Analyst Justin Poindexter) vs. Kansas State - Jan. 4, 9:00 PM