CI Week 17 Highlights

The college bowl schedule has unfortunately been interrupted with multiple cancelations but the Coaches Inc. Family still had a productive week in Frisco, Texas. In addition to the two games highlighted below, congratulations also to Army West Point Special Teams Coordinator Sean Saturnio (@CoachSaturnio), TE Coach Matt Drinkall (@DrinkallCoach) and OL Coach Saga Tuitele (@CoachTuitele) on the Black Knights' win in the Armed Forces Bowl. In the NFL, Sony Michel rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' 30-23 win over the Vikings as LA clinched a playoff berth and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Congratulations to Rams Asst. Head Coach/RB Thomas Brown (@iamthomasbrown)! Keep reading for more highlights from Week 17.

After gaining just 55 yards of offense and failing to score, things were looking bleak for the Titans at halftime. Tennessee was down 10-0 to San Francisco and without the services of three starters on the offensive line. As they have all season, though, the Titans responded with the resiliency that has defined their season by mounting a comeback to defeat the 49ers. Tennessee Asst. OL Coach Jason Houghtaling (@UpstateNYHom) was able to help a patchwork offensive line hold up for QB Ryan Tannehill and WR A.J. Brown to work their magic in the second half. Brown caught 11 passes for 145 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter that broke a 10-10 deadlock. The 49ers responded to tie the game at 17-17, but on the Titans' ensuing drive, Tannehill engineered an eight-play, 49-yard drive that culminated with a 44-yard field goal from Randy Bullock in the final seconds to secure the victory. With the win, the Titans can clinch the AFC South with either one more win or a loss by the Colts. Congratulations to Houghtaling on the comeback win!

Despite not playing a single true home game all season, San Diego State won more games in 2021 than it did in any of its previous 98 years of playing football. The Aztecs finished with a 12-2 record, rebounding from a loss in the Mountain West Championship game in which they were missing 20 players, to win the Frisco Bowl over UTSA, 38-24. Still far from full strength, SDSU benefited from a breakout performance from QB Lucas Johnson, who passed for a career-high 333 yards and three touchdowns as the Aztecs are poised to finish in the top 25 for just the third time in program history. Defensively, safety CJ Baskerville led the Aztecs with nine tackles and recorded his first interception of the season. Congratulations to SDSU Senior Defensive Analyst Kevin Wolthausen (@kwolthausen) on the win and great season!

Two days after the Aztecs took down the Roadrunners, the RedHawks pulled away from the Mean Green for their bowl game win on the same field. Several Miami offensive players had standout performances in the season finale. RB Kenny Tracy was the first RedHawk to reach pay dirt, scoring on an eight-yard rush late in the first quarter to put MU up 10-7. For the game, Tracy rushed 14 times for a career-high 92 yards. Tracy's backfield mate, RB Kevin Davis, rushed for 33 yards and added five receptions for 24 yards and a receiving touchdown. Davis' score came with 4:08 remaining in the second quarter and gave Miami the lead for good at 20-14. A late touchdown reception by TE Nate Muersch provided the final margin of 27-14. RedHawk WR Jack Sorenson didn't find the end zone but hauled in seven catches for 116 yards, becoming only the fourth receiver in program history to eclipse 3,000 receiving yards in his career. Overall, Miami racked up 433 yards of offense, including 203 yards on the ground. Congratulations on the win to Miami Run Game Coor./OL James Patton (@Coachjpatton), WR Coach Israel Woolfork (@IWMiamiFootball) and RB Coach Lamar Conard (@CoachConard)!