CI Week 4 Highlights

Upsets were the theme for Week 4 as several CI coaches pulled off big wins as underdogs. NC State Asst. Head Coach for Defense/CB George Barlow (@CoachGBarlow) got things off to a great start as the Wolfpack went into Tallahassee and upset #12 Florida State, 27-21 marking the program's first road win over a ranked team since 2008. Later that afternoon, UCF Assoc. Head Coach/SpecTeams/LB Jovan Dewitt (@Coach_Dewitt) knocked off previously unbeaten Maryland in dominating fashion, 38-10, for just its second win ever against a Big Ten program. In PAC-12 After Dark action, Arizona State DL Coach Michael Slater (@mlslater) and the Sun Devils took down #24 Oregon despite entering the game as two-touchdown underdogs. On Sunday, CI's NFL clients picked up right where the college coaches had left off. Buffalo WR Coach Phil McGeoghan (@PhilMcGeoghan), Washington DB Coach Torrian Gray and Chicago OffAsst Ben McDaniels all defied the oddsmakers in picking up wins. Keep reading for more upsets from the CI Family.

Rarely do Thursday night games produce the type of offensive show put on by the Rams and 49ers. Fewer practices and shorter recovery periods can often result in low-scoring, sloppy affairs. Credit to Rams RB Coach Skip Peete and the rest of the LA staff for making sure that wasn't the case last week. Peete's star pupil, Todd Gurley, had a career night as he rushed for over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Rams' 41-39 win. The output marked Gurley's first 100-yard rushing game since 2015 and his first time scoring three touchdowns in a game in his pro career. All three of Gurley's scores came in the first two quarters to give LA a 24-13 halftime lead, but his most important work came in the fourth quarter. With the Rams nursing a 34-26 lead, Gurley peeled off a 29-yard run and followed that up four plays later with a 27-yard pass reception to setup LA's final touchdown. Gurley already has six touchdowns on the season which is the most for any player through three games since 2010. Congratulations to Peete on the win and Gurley's fast start! Peete is in his second season in Los Angeles and 19th overall coaching in the NFL. During his time with the Bears, he guided Matt Forte to the 2013 Pro Bowl and did the same with Marion Barber at the Cowboys in 2007.

Since arriving in Tampa to mentor the Bulls' defensive backs, Blue Adams' (@CoachAdamsUSF) impact has been nothing short of remarkable. After only intercepting eight passes in 2016, USF needed just three games to match that total this year. In their fourth game on Thursday night, the Bulls picked off four more passes to move into first place in interceptions nationally. Leading the way was CB Deatrick Nichols who earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after he intercepted two passes and forced a fumble. As a unit, USF's defense held Temple to just 85 total yards, recorded five sacks and six takeaways in the 43-7 victory. Congratulations to Adams who has made a habit of increasing a team's interception totals wherever he's been. Last year, as the cornerbacks coach at West Virginia, he molded Rasul Douglas from second string to second team All-America. Douglas led the nation with eight interceptions and was named Big XII Defensive Player of the Year. Blue previously served as the assistant defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins from 2012-15. In 2011, he was the DB coach at Northern Iowa where he helped guide the Panthers to the Missouri Valley Championship and an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals.

Now in his fifth season as the head coach and twelfth season overall at Morehead State, Rob Tenyer (@RobTenyerMSU) has consistently led the Eagles to winning starts in conference play. MSU won for the third time in its last four Pioneer League openers but for the first time against Dayton since 2008. The Flyers have proven to be the class of the conference the past several seasons and were again picked by many to win the conference this year. On Saturday, however, the Eagles served notice that they're contenders as well. MSU QB Lawson Page and WR Christian Robinson put on a show, connecting eight times for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Their last hookup, a 55-yard score with less than a minute to play, was the biggest as it turned a 28-26 deficit into a 32-26 lead. The Eagles added a two-point conversion and their defense held to seal the 34-26 win. Congratulations to Tenyer who helped guide the Eagles to four consecutive division titles from 2002-05. In total, he has mentored over 100 All-PFL selections during his time in Morehead.

Just before the start of spring practice, Bucknell Head Coach Joe Susan hired Bobby Acosta (@CoachBA1010) to jumpstart an offense that struggled in 2016. The Bison only won four games last year in large part due to an offense than only scored more than 28 points on one occasion. Through four games this year, Acosta's offense has already posted point totals of 45 and 34. Versus Sacred Heart, every one of those scores was critical. Bucknell raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter courtesy of a 38-yard scoring strike from QB John Chiarolanzio to WR Jack Horan and a 12-yard touchdown run by RB Joey DeFloria. But the Pioneers would rally and with 1:26 to play, Bucknell took possession near midfield with the score knotted 31-31. Chiarolanzio completed a 24-yard pass to TE Marcus Ademilola to break into SHU territory and a few plays later John Burdick connected on a career-long 46-yard field goal to secure the win for the Bison. Congratulations to Acosta who spent last season as the wide receivers and tight ends at Cornell. Previously, he served in the same capacity at Syracuse and also coached tight ends at Delaware where he helped the Blue Hens reach the 2007 FCS National Championship game. Acosta spent the 2013 season as the head coach at Widener University and has completed internships with the Browns and Jets. 

Fred Kelley (@Coach_Kelley) wears several hats for the Sacramento State staff. Now in his third stint as a coach for the Hornets, Kelley serves as the team's special teams coordinator, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. Last winter, he oversaw a recruiting class that included Kevin Thomson, an FBS transfer quarterback. Through four games, it's hard to understate Thomson's value. Against Southern Utah, the junior accounted for seven touchdowns to lead the Hornets to a 54-27 win in the Big Sky opener for both teams. Thomson already had a 300-yard, five-passing TD game under his belt this year, but on Saturday he did the majority of his damage on the ground as he rushed for 149 yards and four scores. When he was passing, one of his favorite targets was TE Stone Sander who caught three passes for 78 yards. With the win, the Hornets have already matched their two wins from last year and start conference play in the win column for the first time since 2013. Congratulations to Kelley on the performance! After finishing his playing career at Sacramento State, Kelley began his coaching career at his alma mater as a grad assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends. He also boasts experience at UC Davis and Humboldt State.

In what may have been the last meeting between the two longtime rivals with North Alabama set to transition to D1, West Alabama went on the road to upset #10 UNA, 38-17. OffCoor/QB Don Bailey (@dbails9) continued his high-scoring ways as the Tigers have now averaged over 41 points through four contests. Against the Lions, RB Lakendric Thomas paced the offense with 10 rushes for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas' hot hand meant a reduced role for QB Harry Satterwhite who only threw for 181 yards and one score. Despite the modest production, Satterwhite remained atop the Gulf South Conference leaderboard in passing yards, completion percentage and passing efficiency. As a unit, Bailey's offense leads the conference in scoring and ranks 10th nationally in the category. With the win, the Lions improved to 2-0 in conference and finally received some recognition in the latest D2 poll, registering 18 votes. Congratulations to Bailey who is in his second season at UWA after coordinating Hawai'i's offense in 2015. Bailey also spent four seasons as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Idaho State where he was named FootballScoop.com's FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2014.