Posts Tagged ‘arkansas state’

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UTEP: We have learned that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler will be named the next head coach at UTEP. Here's a quick writeup on Kugler. 

South Florida: ESPN is confirming WDAE's report that Western Kentucky head coach Willie Taggart will be the new head coach at South Florida. Update> We have confirmed. Further, sources tell us that defensive coordinator Lance Guidry will serve as interim head coach. Here's what you need to know.

Auburn: Ellis Johnson will make $800,000 per year as defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee will earn $350,000. 

Notre Dame College (D-II - OH): Notre Dame College is seeking applications for the position of Defensive Coordinator. This is a full time 35K-40K benefited position.  We require the candidate to have prior defensive coordinator experience. Responsible for the overall defense scheme/game plan, recruiting and assisting in all aspects of a competitive DII program. Email resume, cover letter with the names and phone numbers of 3 professional references to careers@ndc.edu. No phone calls please. Notre Dame College is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and is actively committed to diversity within its community. In pursuit of that, we actively encourage diversity among applicants for this position.

FIU: Bruce Feldman reported earlier today that James Coley and Dan Quinn are candidates at FIU. 

Tennessee: Here is a link to Butch Jones' MOU. $2.9 million / year plus incentives. The pool for assistants is stated as "minimum of $3 million". 

James Madison (FCS): Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Jeff Durden and offensive line coach Chris Malone have been released from the staff. 

NC State: Northern Illinois defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen will join Dave Doeren in same capacity (DL / recruiting coordinator). 

West Virginia Wesleyan (D-II): Sources tell us University of Charleston defensive coordinator George Shehl will be the new head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan. In 2010 Shehl was the defensive grad assistant at Marshall. 

     Oregon's Mark Helfrich has been named 2012 Quarterbacks Coach of the Year 

App State (FCS - NC): Sources tell us offensive coordinator Scott Satterfield will "interview" this weekend for the head job...is considered the leader for the job by the coaches we hear from. 

Auburn: Rhett Lashlee has now been announced as offensive coordinator. Lashlee served on Gus Malzahn's staff at Arkansas State last season in the same capacity.

Arkansas State: Sources tell us Gus Malzahn recommended to Chad Morris that he consider the job. Separate sources tell us it is unlikely Morris will seek the position. 

Colorado: Sources tell us former NFL Coach of the Year with the New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel is interested in the job. If he's interested, Colorado should take a long look. 

Tennessee: Butch Jones' agreement is reportedly 6 years / $18 million (CBS Sports). 

Auburn: AuburnSports is reporting that Trooper Taylor will not be part of Gus Malzahn's staff. 

Nicholls State (FCS - LA): Nicholls State needs a home game for the 2013 Season.  Available date is Saturday, September 28th.  If interested, please contact Associate Head Coach, Chuck Hepola at 985-448-4796 or via email at chuck.hepola@nicholls.edu

Jacksonville State (FCS): Running backs coach Jimmy Ogle has been named interim head coach during the search. A large number of coaches have registered their interest in this opening. 

Chowan University (D-II - NC): Chowan University is looking to fill the following home-and-home: Saturday, September 21, 2013 and Saturday, September 19, 2015. We must be home in '13 and will travel in '15. Please contact Dennis Helsel, Director of Athletics, at (252) 398-6244 or by email at HelseD@Chowan.Edu

Wingate University (D-II - NC): Wingate is seeking applicants for the position of QB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator. Qualifications: Collegiate QB playing and coaching experience with strong preference for past coordinating experience. Desire to learn and implement current system. Salary: low $30's. Contact: reich@wingate.edu. No phone calls.

Cincinnati: Defensive line coach Steve Stripling will serve as the interim head coach for the bowl game.

Tennessee: Butch Jones will officially be announced as the new head coach today.

Tennessee: Sources tell us that Butch Jones has been offered the job. No decision expected tonight. 

South Florida: Multiple outlets are reporting and we are told but haven't verified that Chad Morris will interview with South Florida. Earlier in the day Steven Godfrey reported that Mike MacIntyre interviewed as well. We can confirm. 

Carthage College (D-III - WI): Defensive coordinator (interim head coach) Mike Yeager has been named head coach. 

Pearl River CC (MS): East Mississippi defensive coordinator William Jones will be the new head coach at Pearl River. 

San Diego Chargers: Kevin Acee with U-T San Diego is reporting that sources tell him that head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith will be let go following the season. While we have no reason to doubt Acee, we do feel like we've heard this before and Norv has lived to coach another day. 

Idaho: Sources tell us that offensive coordinator Jason Gesser, defensive coordinator Mark Criner and running backs coach Wayne Moses have all been told they will not be retained. Tight ends coach Al Pupunu has been retained. We have also learned that Ronnie Lee (Indiana State) will be named defensive coordinator...and Mike Anderson as linebackers (previously reported). 

Texas: University President Bill Powers wrote today that "I'd like to state unequivocally that Coach Brown has my full support as well as the support of...DeLoss Dodds. Put succinctly, Mack Brown is and will remain the Longhorns' head football coach." 

Duke: Athletic director Kevin White has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Duke through June of 2019.

Sonny Dykes: Steve Berkowitz of USA Today reports that Sonny's buyout of his contract at Louisiana Tech is $500,000; but had they been scheduled for a bowl game and he left before that game the buyout would have been $800,000. 

Wisconsin: Barry Alvarez stated today that he doesn't feel it would be the right thing to do to consider Pitt head coach Paul Chryst about the opening given that he's only been at Pitt one season. 

The Coach Tracker App: Not often do we see something that will change lives for coaches across the country; but this app will do that. You need to see this...and you need this app. 

FIU: Joe Schad has reported that Butch Davis will not be the next head coach at FIU. 

Northeastern State (D-II - OK): Defensive line coach Greg Richmond has decided to step down to take a job working with underprivileged youth.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (Canada): The Roughriders have announced that linebackers coach Alex Smith, defensive line coach Mike Walker, and offensive line coach Kris Sweet have been let go.

Colorado: Sources tell us that Butch Jones to Colorado will not happen. After sleeping on the deal, both sides agreed to move on. As we cautioned last night, a deal isn't done until the ink is dry. 

Louisville: Brett McMurphy reports that Charlie Strong has a new agreement that runs through 2020 with Louisville. 

Arkansas State: Defensive coordinator John Thompson has been named the interim head coach.

Louisville: Charlie Strong has announced at a press conference this morning that he will remain at Louisville.

FirstDown PlayBook™ Dropback app:  Find Professional drop back pass game ideas in moments!  This is not a subscription!  For less than a penny a play you have access to the same plays being run on Saturdays and Sundays.  You can tag the plays, rename them to fit YOUR system.  Create playbooks that can be used forever.  Also, share the plays with your coaches and or players.  Great resource for passing game ideas at all levels.

Arkansas State may have plucked its newest head coach from Texas but for a school that wants to become the "Boise of the South", Bryan Harsin is still very much cut from the Broncos' blue and orange cloth. 

"He talked about his experience at Boise State, the building process," said Arkansas State system president Dr. Charles Welch. "He played for three head coaches as a player. It was like he was describing Arkansas State. This is somebody who gets it and this is somebody who knows how to get it done."

"Having spent the amount of time that I did at Boise, I understand how to get there," Harsin said. "My beliefs, my philosophy comes from Boise State. What I learned there is going to be the model we're going to use here to continue to build and continue to grow Arkansas State."

Arkansas State is getting a coach who has prepared his entire life to be a head coach, and is itching to hit the ground running. "This is an opportunity I prepared myself for for a long time. I didn't know it would feel this good," said Harsin. "My only regret is that I can't be out there with those players as they prepare for the bowl game."

Harsin's high school coach, Steve Vogel, added this about the newest Red Wolves head coach, "He said (in high school) his goal was to be a head college football coach by the time he was 40 — and he beat that."

Arkansas State will pay Harsin a sum of $3.5 million over five years, with a buyout of $1.75 million if he departs after one year. After losing Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn in consecutive years, Arkansas State wants to avoid finding another head coach in December 2013. 

"You can look at my track record at Boise State," Harsin explained. "There were opportunities. I am all about the process. I am all about the opportunity to build and continue success rather than (leave after one year)."

Harsin can't coach Arkansas State in the upcoming GoDaddy.com Bowl, so he will turn his focus toward recruiting players and a new staff.

"I'm looking for high character, high output, low ego guys," Harsin added. "As far as the timetable, we'll get into those very quickly. We'll start to put together what we feel is our best people for these players."

Harsin praised Chris Petersen and Mack Brown multiple times, saying, "I've got a lot of notes sitting at my home right now from those coaches."

On the field, Harsin will be tasked with sustaining momentum for a program that has won the last two Sun Belt Conference titles. 

"I'm an offensive guy, and I know what a good defense can do," said Harsin. "A defense that's around the ball, that's opportunstic and can stop the run.

"On offense, we're going to have fun. I've already asked how many wide receivers can throw, every hand went up."

Harsin plans to transport the Boise Way to Jonesboro, the discipline, the all-in menality, the multiplicity on offense, the trick plays and everything short of the blue turf. 

"Our long-term goal is to win bowl games and win championships and do it with class and academic integrity." 

We learned late last night that Texas offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin has been tabbed as the next head coach at Arkansas State.

Harsin steps into a job that has become a destination for coaches looking for destination jobs. Hugh Freeze left after one season for Ole Miss. Gus Malzahn replaced him, and left a year later for Auburn. Harsin now steps in for Malzahn and, while there's no telling exactly how long it will take for Harsin to reach his predecessor's success, all the pieces are in place for Arkansas State to continue its run atop the Sun Belt.

The 2009 FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year, Harsin helped morph Kellen Moore from an undersized, lightly-recruited quarterback into the winningest player in FBS history. At Texas, he helped David Ash leap from outside the top 100 in passing efficiency ratings in 2011 to inside the top 20 this fall. As a true freshman, Ash tossed just four touchdowns against eight interceptions; this year, those numbers flipped as he threw 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

While his speciality is quarterbacks, Harsin calls a balanced offense. His last two offenses at Boise State averaged 266 passing yards and 194 rushing yards (in 2009) and 319 passing yards and 200 rushing yards (in 2010). At Texas, he ramped up a running game that averaged 150 yards per game in the year before his arrival  to 210 yards per game in 2011 and 176 yards per game in 2012.

Harsin is also renowned for his affinity for trick plays. There were the Hook and Ladder and Statue of Liberty to beat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Then there was the pass out of the Wishbone against Iowa State this season. Harsin regularly called for his wide receivers to throw the ball at Texas. In 25 games as Texas' play caller, Longhorns wideouts threw 10 passes that resulted in four touchdowns and an interception. 

Arkansas State has reportedly scheduled a 2 p.m. ET press conference to announce the hire. We will update with more details as they become available. 

Here's The Scoop on everything you need to know about tonight's tripleheader. 

Florida State at Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

On paper this should be a certain win for Florida State. Jimbo Fisher's team is the clear statistical leader in the ACC, ranking first or second within the league in 11 of the 17 official categories tracked by the NCAA. The Seminoles pace the ACC in total offense and total defense, scoring offense and scoring defense as well as passing efficiency and passing efficiency defense. 

The problem, however, is that certain wins have so often turned out not to be the case over the past decade for Florida State. According to Matt Hinton at SundayMorningQB.com, Florida State is 0-8 in ACC play while playing on the road as a ranked team against an unranked underdog since 2005. That number includes the Seminoles' only setback in 2012, a 17-16 setback at N.C. State on Oct. 6. (FSU is a two touchdown favorite tonight.) Since that loss, Fisher's squad has rebounded to win three straight; at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play the Seminoles stand in first place of the ACC's Atlantic Division. 

That brings us to tonight as Florida State travels to Blacksburg to face a Virginia Tech team in the midst of a very un-Frank Beamer-like season. At 4-5 overall and 2-3 in league play, the five-time ACC Coastal champions are one game above the basement in the division. They come into tonight off a 30-12 loss to Miami last Thursday night, a game in which the Hokies were the team that endured a blocked punt, an 81-yard kickoff return, a missed field goal and a missed extra point. 

Tonight marks Florida State's first visit to Lane Stadium since 2007, a place where Virginia Tech has won its last seven games. Frank Beamer's team is 19-6 on Thursday nights and 25-3 in November since joining the ACC. Those sterling marks will be put to test against Florida State, the only squad that ranks among FBS's top eight in total offense and total defense. 

Louisiana - Monroe at Arkansas State (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

The Sun Belt title could be decided tonight when two of the league's top offenses square off in Jonesboro, Ark. ULM leads the league at nearly 38 points per game, while Arkansas State checks in at No. 3 with 34 points per game. Gus Malzahn's team enters tonight with a four-game winning streak in which they've posted nearly 40 points per game. 

Red Wolves quarterback Ryan Aplin has heated up over the last month, connecting on 78-of-108 (72.2 percent) of passes for 1,023 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Arkansas State's stretch of good football hasn't just been limited to Aplin; the Red Wolves have rushed 157 times for 714 yards (4.5 ypc) for 13 touchdowns over their past four games while limiting opponents to 580 yards on 151 attempts (3.8 ypc) and three scores. Arkansas State has also secured a 10-to-3 turnover margin over that span.

Todd Berry's team had its five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, but still claims the Sun Belt's top scoring offense and turnover margin. Offensive coordinator Steve Farmer calls a balanced offense as ULM averages 40 passes per game to go with 36 rushes per game. That balance was thrown off in the 40-24 loss to Louisiana - Lafayette as the Warhawks only managed 74 rushing yards on 20 attempts. The Warhawks will need to run the ball better tonight without starting quarterback Kolton Browning, who suffered an injury early against ULL, in the lineup. Browning was working on a Sun Belt Player of the Year campaign, leading the league in total offense and accounting for 27 touchdowns. Senior Cody Wells steps in for Browning, bringing in a resume that includes 226 attempts for 1,499 yards and an 11-to-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his career.

Both teams share a 4-1 conference record coming into tonight, sitting atop the league along with Middle Tennessee (also 4-1 in Sun Belt play). ULM already owns a victory over the Blue Raiders, while Arkansas State hosts MTSU in the season finale on Dec. 1. A win tonight will go a long way toward a first conference championship for Berry's program, while Malzahn's squad hopes to defend its 2011 league title. 

Noth Alabama at West Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET, GSC-TV)

Bobby Wallace returns to Livingston, Ala., to face his old team and former offensive coordinator Will Hall, who is now at the helm of West Alabama. North Alabama (5-4) enters tonight ranked tenth in D2Football.com's Super Region 2 rankings, while West Alabama (7-3) checks in at No. 7. Hall's offense puts opposing defenses under a tremendous amount of pressure when things are clicking. The Tigers score nearly 44 points per game in their seven wins but just 16 points per game in their losses. 

Tonight marks Wallace's first trip back to West Alabama, where he led the program for five years. He is in his second stint at North Alabama, returning to the school where he coached from 1988-97 and won three NCAA Division II national titles. After winning four straight games in which they allowed a total of 28 points, the Lions have dropped three straight games and surrendered 100 points in the process.  

In case you didn't know (and how could you not?) Gus Malzahn and Arkansas State travel to southern Louisiana to face Mark Hudspeth and Louisiana - Lafayette. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET.

Both teams bring in a 2-1 record in Sun Belt play. The 10-member league has five teams at 2-1 chasing 3-0 ULM, so any hopes either team has of a Sun Belt championship likely die with a loss tonight. The Ragin' Cajuns had won three straight matchups before Arkansas State's 30-21 win last season en route to an 8-0 league record and conference title. 

Tonight is Louisiana - Lafayette's second consecutive Tuesday night game. Hudspeth's team lost to North Texas 30-23 last Tuesday in a game that was also televised by ESPN2. Tonight signals an uptick in ULL's schedule, as the Ragin' Cajuns visit conference leader ULM and Florida in back-to-back weeks before hosting Western Kentucky on Nov. 17. But enough about the rest of the schedule, what stands out about tonight's game?

- Race to 30: Outside of Arkansas State's season-opening loss at Oregon, these teams are a combined 8-0 when scoring more than 30 points and 0-4 when under 30.

- Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers: ULL leads the Sun Belt in turnover margin with a plus-6 total. The Ragin' Cajuns have collected 13 turnovers while surrendering seven. Arkansas State has lost 12 turnovers and gained 10. The Red Wolves' culprit has been fumbles; Arkansas State has lost nine fumbles this season. 

- Not so special teams: Malzahn's team is solid across the board statistically except on special teams. The Red Wolves rank eighth in the conference in kickoff returns and ninth in net punting. ULL leads the Sun Belt in net punting with a full 10-yard advantage over Arkansas State on average. 

- Stingy where it counts: Louisiana - Lafayette resides in the middle of the road in most defensive statstics except one - scoring defense. Hudspeth's squad ranks second in the league (25.3 points per game) and has surrendered the fewest touchdowns per game of anyone in the conference.

- 1992. That's the last time Arkansas State won in Lafayette. Half of ASU's roster wasn't born in 1992, while Malzahn was in his first season as the head coach at Hughes High School in Arkansas. 

We've got some early week Fun Belt action on tap tonight with Arkansas State and Gus Malzahn facing off against Louisiana-Lafayette and Mark Hudspeth. College and NFL action will resume again on Thursday.

Eastern time listed.

NFL:

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College:

Arkansas State at Louisiana Lafayette - 8 - ESPN2

High School: 

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