CI Week 4 Highlights
9/27/2021
A trio of Coaches Inc. defensive coordinators had standout performances over the weekend among many other big wins. Keep reading for more highlights from Week 4.
A trio of Coaches Inc. defensive coordinators had standout performances over the weekend among many other big wins. Keep reading for more highlights from Week 4.
As if replacing a future first ballot hall of fame quarterback was not hard enough, the Saints have already endured a year's worth of adversity less than a month into this season. Forced to evacuate New Orleans due to Hurricane Ida, the Saints setup a temporary home in Fort Worth, Texas where they have stayed for the past four weeks. Compounding matters, the team was without eight coaches and nine starters for their second game against Carolina and still were without three coaches on Sunday at New England. Throughout it all, New Orleans has emerged with a 2-1 record, with the two wins coming against the likes of Green Bay and New England. Jameis Winston got the Saints off to a strong start in Foxborough, throwing for two first-half touchdowns to stake the visitors to a 14-0 lead. New Orleans DB Malcolm Jenkins stretched the lead to 21-3 in the third quarter when he scored on a pick-six, but the Patriots responded with two scores to trim the lead back down to eight in the fourth quarter. Needing a sustained drive to salt away the game, Offensive Coordinator Pete Carmichael engineered a resourceful 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took 6:45 off the clock to put the game out of reach. Jack-of-all-trades QB Taysom Hill took six snaps on the final drive, accounting for 26 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Congratulations to Carmichael on New Orleans' first win at New England since 1995! Now in his 16th season with the Saints and 13th as offensive coordinator, Carmichael has helped direct an offense that has ranked first in the NFL in yardage on six occasions and in the top 10 each campaign from 2006-19, including a first place finish in 2009 when the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV. Prior to arriving in New Orleans, Carmichael coached for the Chargers, Redskins and Browns at the pro level, as well as New Hampshire and Louisiana Tech on the college side.
When asked to describe the challenges posed by Iowa State's ground attack, led by All-American RB Breece Hall, Baylor LB Dillon Doyle noted: "It certainly gets harder when they bring in extra tight ends, because there are extra gaps. If it's a multiple-choice test, it goes from A, B or C to A, B, C, D and E." Fortunately for Doyle and the rest of the Baylor defenders, Defensive Coordinator/ILB Ron Roberts (@CoachRonRoberts) has a Ph.D. in defense. Even after All-Big 12 LB Terrel Bernard went down with an injury, the Bear defense came up with stops when it mattered most. The most critical stop came after the Cyclones had pulled within two in the final minute and were attempting to tie the game with a two-point conversion. Baylor OLB Garmon Randolph brought pressure off the edge to fluster ISU QB Brock Purdy into an errant pass that was intercepted by safety J.T. Woods. After Trestan Ebner recovered the ensuing onside kick, the Bears could exhale and celebrate their first win over a ranked team since 2015. With the win, Baylor improved to 4-0 and vaulted into the Top 25 for the first time this year. Today, the Big 12 named Randolph as one of its Co-Defensive Players of the Week. In addition to the quarterback pressure, Randolph collected the first interception of his career and set a new career-high with six tackles. Congratulations to Roberts on the win and Randolph's honor! Now in his second season in Waco, Roberts previously served as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette where he helped guide the Cajuns to two consecutive division titles. Before arriving at Lafayette, Roberts spent six seasons as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana. In 2013, he was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after leading SLU to its first conference title in program history and a #6 national ranking.
After losing every game in 2020 by at least 25 points, Bowling Green promoted Eric Lewis (@CoachEricLewis) to defensive coordinator and Lewis went to work revamping the defense. Entering Week 4, the Falcons had yet to secure a win against an FBS team but the signs of a resurgence were there. Bowling Green outperformed expectations versus Tennessee and South Alabama and then soundly defeated Murray State in Week 3 despite being an underdog. Against Minnesota, the turnaround was impossible to ignore. Lewis' run defense came up big in the second quarter when DL Billie Roberts stuffed Minnesota RB Treyson Potts in the backfield on a fourth-and-one inside Gopher territory. That turnover on downs led to a Bowling Green touchdown and gave the Falcons a 7-3 lead. From there, Bowling Green's pass defense took over. The Falcons held the Gophers to just five pass completions while coming up with key interceptions on each of Minnesota's final two offensive plays to preserve the four-point lead and cap the program's first win over a Big Ten team since 2015. The win also marked the first time that a Group of Five team has defeated a Power Five team without gaining at least 200 yards of offense since 2006. Congratulations to Lewis on the incredible performance! Prior to his promotion, Lewis served as Bowling Green's cornerbacks coach in 2020. Lewis is no stranger to stingy pass defenses as he guided Georgia State's secondary to a #5 national ranking in Pass Efficiency Defense in 2016 and as Eastern Michigan's defensive coordinator in 2009, he directed the top ranked pass defense in the country. Lewis has also coached for the Green Bay Packers and at the college level with Tennessee, Boston College, Colorado State, Buffalo, Louisville, Ball State, Weber State and Bucknell.
To understand just how thoroughly Oregon State dominated USC on Saturday night, consider the fact that with over 10 minutes still remaining in the game, the Trojans were already resorting to undisguised onside kicks in a futile attempt to mount a comeback. Neither of USC’s onside kicks were successful, nor was their attempt to stop Oregon State from leaving the Coliseum with a win for the first time since the Eisenhower administration. The Beaver defense started things off on the right foot when DB Rejzohn Wright intercepted a pass from Trojan QB Kedon Slovis on the first possession of the game, setting the Beaver offense up with great field position. OSU turned Wright’s interception into seven points and went on to score on seven of its first ten possessions, racing out to a 42-17 lead. In a fitting bookend, Beaver DB Alton Julian put an exclamation point on the win when he intercepted Slovis again, OSU’s third pick of the night, on USC’s final offensive possession. In total, the Beavers forced four Trojan turnovers which they turned into 17 points. Congratulations to Oregon State DB Coach Blue Adams (@CoachAdamsOSU) on the historic win! Adams arrived in Corvallis in 2019 after a two-year stint as the defensive backs coach at USF and one season at West Virginia. With the Mountaineers, he molded Rasul Douglas from second string to Second Team All-American and a third-round draft pick. Adams previously served as the assistant defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins and has also coached at Northern Iowa.
As one of the inaugural members of the Old Dominion coaching staff when the program restarted in 2007, few have done more to help the Monarchs reach their current level than Ron Whitcomb (@ronwhitcomb). Now the tight ends for Buffalo, Whitcomb spent 12 years in Norfolk, rising from ODU's quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and ultimately assistant head coach. He helped guide the program from the most successful startup program in FCS history to its first bowl game and bowl win as an FBS member. In the process, he mentored three quarterbacks who went on to play professionally, including Washington's Taylor Heinicke. But on Saturday night, Whitcomb returned to S.B. Ballard Stadium in a different shade of blue and left celebrating a thrilling last-minute victory. Buffalo TE Trevor Borland caught a 10-yard pass to sustain a second quarter drive that resulted in a touchdown to put the Bulls up 28-7. Buffalo added another score before halftime to go up 35-7 and withstood a late Old Dominion rally when the Monarchs missed an extra point with 19 seconds left to seal the one-point win for the Bulls. Congratulations to Whitcomb on the big win! A Rochester native, Whitcomb returned to upstate New York as an offensive analyst and scouting coordinator for the Bulls in 2019 and was promoted to his current on-field coaching position in May. As a player, he finished his career as Maine's all-time leader in passing yards, completions and passing touchdowns.
Now in his 12th year as the defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Antone' Sewell (@CoachSewell_BSU) has built Bowie State's defense into a perennial presence among the national and conference statistical leaders. In 2019, the Bulldogs finished the season ranked in the top 10 nationally in eight defensive categories en route to the first undefeated regular season in school history. In 2018, Bowie State rode their defense to the program's first CIAA championship and first NCAA playoff win. In all, the Bulldogs have led the CIAA in at least one defensive category in five seasons under Sewell's direction with multiple top 5 national finishes in a variety of defensive categories. Through four games this season, the Bowie State defense appears poised to be one of Sewell's best yet. Against Livingstone, the Bulldogs limited the Blue Bears to just 72 total yards and 14 on the ground. DB Jordan Carter scored on a 45-yard fumble return to put Bowie up 33-0 and give the Bulldogs their fourth defensive score of the season, a mark that puts them in first place nationally. First Team All-American and Senior Bowl Watchlist DL Joshua Pryor finished the game with three tackles and one tackle-for-loss, one of twelve TFLs for the Bowie defense as a whole. Congratulations to Sewell on the win and strong start to the season! Prior to returning to Bowie in 2010, Sewell coached at Prairie View and also spent a season as a defensive graduate assistant at Fort Valley State.
Quick Hits
- North Carolina State shocked the college football world when it upset Clemson in double overtime, 27-21. Congratulations to Wolfpack Volunteer Assistant Scott Boone (@CoachScottBoone)!
- Maryland RB Tayon Fleet-Davis scored twice in the Terrapins' 37-16 win over Kent State. Congratulations to RB Coach Elijah Brooks (@UMDCoachBrooks)!
- Miami RB Cam'Ron Harris rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Hurricanes' 69-0 win over Central Connecticut. Congratulations to RB Coach Eric Hickson (@CoachEHickson2) and Offensive Analyst Ronnie Regula (@CoachRRegula)!
- Abilene Christian racked up 461 yards of offense in the Wildcats' 56-0 win over Lamar. Congratulations to Offensive Coordinator/QB Josh Lamberson (@JoshLamberson)!
- Elsewhere in the WAC, Sam Houston State CB Jaylen Thomas recorded two interceptions, RB Ramon Jefferson rushed for 104 yards and a score, and defensive linemen Scean Mustin and Jahari Kay each had sacks in the #1 Bearkats' 45-35 win over #25 Central Arkansas. Congratulations to Special Teams Coor./CB Gary McGraw (@DBCoachMcGraw), RB Coach Chris Buckner (@coachcbuckner) and DL Coach Joe Morris (@jbmorriscoach)!
- Southeast Missouri State rushed for 380 yards in the Redhawks' 47-14 win over Tennessee State. Congratulations to Offensive Coordinator/QB Jeromy McDowell (@CoachJMcdowell)!
- Virginia Union outgained Johnson C. Smith 415-247 in a 43-7 blowout win for the Panthers. Congratulations to Asst. Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coor./DL Marcus Hilliard (@Coach_MHilliard) and Offensive Coor./OL Mike Morita (@CoachMorita)!
- In one of the top plays of the weekend, Hawai'i RB/WR Calvin Turner, Jr. zig-zagged his way across the field to score on a 14-yard touchdown run in the Rainbow Warriors' 41-21 win over New Mexico State. Congratulations to Special Teams Analyst Ryan Matviko (@RMatviko)!
