Posts Tagged ‘louisiana tech’

USA Today has put together a database where you can see how each coach voted in the coaches poll. Take a look.

Oakland Raiders: Head coach Dennis Allen will be away from the team for a few days to spend time with his father who is seriously ill. 

Northern Illinois: As we told you yesterday, offensive line coach Rod Carey has been named head coach. 

That's what sources told us this AM and again a few minutes ago RT @nburzych: @footballscoop Carey promoted as full time head coach?

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) December 1, 2012

Vanderbilt: We have confirmed with sources that James Franklin has agreed to remain at Vanderbilt with an extension.

3 of the best Strength & Conditioning coaches in the business...Finalists for 2012 S&C Coach of the Year

Louisiana Tech: Louisiana Tech's AD said tonight that Sonny Dykes does not have an offer at this time from Cal. 

Jacksonville State: Sources tell us that Hoover High head coach Josh Niblett is a very serious candidate for the Jacksonville State job as well. 

Butch Jones: Sources tell us Butch spent most of the day with Purdue and understands what they can offer. Also hear Cincinnati is making a significant offer to keep him. Will update...

TCU: Hearing further confirmation to what we told you weeks ago, Gary Patterson isn't looking to leave TCU. Wouldn't surprise us to see an announcement of an extension to stay at TCU looooong term. 

App State: We have learned that head coach Jerry Moore has been let go. We hear offensive coordinator Scott Satterfield will serve as interim head coach. Will update... Update> The University has announced that he will not return based on his own decision. Satterfield will serve as interim and the University has announced that a "national search" will being immediately. 

Idaho: We have learned that Paul Petrino has accepted the head coaching job. Petrino served as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas this past season. Here's what you need to know.

Virginia: The Cavaliers have announced that defensive coordinator Jim Reid, defensive line coach Jeff Hanson, and tight ends coach Shawn Moore have all been relieved of their duties. Also, safeties coach coach Anthony Poindexter will no longer handle the special teams coordinator duties, but will remain a part of the staff. A few days ago, Mike London announced that running backs coach Mike Faragalli had been let go as well.

South Florida: Skip Holtz has been let go. Here's what you need to know.

Jacksonville State (FCS - AL): Sources tell us Jacksonville State has interest in Stillman College (D-II - AL) head coach Teddy Keaton and Tennessee Chattanooga defensive coordinator Adam Fuller in addition to other candidates. 

Cal: ESPN reports that Cal AD Sandy Barbour will interview Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell today.

Finalists for FCS Coordinator of the Year have been released. Deserving Coaches!

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Skip Holtz was introduced as the newest Louisiana Tech head coach on Friday evening, and the Bulldogs' athletic department provided a behind-the-scenes look at how Holtz's first day on the job in Ruston took place.

First, Holtz spoke to his new team, setting goals for what he wants to accomplish at Louisiana Tech and saying he he wants to coach in Ruston. He closed his first team meeting by shaking the hand of every Bulldog in the room.

Next, it was down the hall to meet the fans and media in his introductory press conference. "This is the place I want to be. I think there can be great things here," said Holtz. 

Finally, it was time for a photo session on the field and a stop in his new office before wrapping up Day One as the head man at Louisiana Tech. Now in his fourth turn as a head coach, Holtz clearly knows how to make the first day on the job a successful one. And with an 88-71 record in 13 seasons, he knows how to make game day a success, too. 

Skip Holtz was introduced as Louisiana Tech's newest head coach at a Friday afternoon press conference, and he certainly looked the part. After previous head coaching stints at Connecticut, East Carolina and South Florida, Louisiana Tech marks Holtz's fourth stop as a head coach. He holds an 88-71 in 13 years as a head coach. 

As a coach that has held the top job at three institutions previously, Holtz has a clear idea of what route he wants to take with his staff.

"We're going to have to put together a staff that does a good job of recruiting this talent-rich state of Louisiana," Holtz explained. "After doing this (for so long) you have a little bit of a rolodex of coaches that you've worked with. We need some coaches and some recruiters, I don't think you have a staff full of either. We're going to need some Louisiana ties and we're going to need some Texas ties."

Holtz indicated that he was looking forward to taking some time off and wasn't pursuing any open jobs but was intrigued by the chance to coach at Louisiana Tech. He met with Louisiana Tech officials on Tuesday of this week, and things happened quickly after that. "I wanted to talk about the opportunity with my wife," said Holtz. "I landed in Tampa at 1 p.m. on Thursday, and by 5 p.m. (my famiy) was at the mall buying red and blue."

One of Holtz's first comments noted the progress the Bulldogs have made not just on the field, but in the classroom.

"I'm excited to continue to build on the academic success that's been built here because ultimately that's the number one goal that we have, to graduate every player that plays here," said Holtz.

Louisiana Tech will leave the WAC and join Conference USA in 2013, a league Holtz spent five years in as the head coach at East Carolina. He led the Pirates to Conference USA titles in 2008 and 2009. "Nothing will make me more excited than to put my third Conference USA championship ring on my fingers after one of these years," he said.

Holtz noted that Louisiana Tech will only have two carryover opponents from its 2012 schedule. "There's a lot of excitement and a lot of great challenges with that."

Holtz will inherit a roster that has settled into a very productive identity, but loses 31 seniors to graduation.

"Both Coach Dooley and Dykes have spent six years recruiting to this offense, and they've done very well. I love the passing game. I love the enthusiasm and the up-beat tempo."

As successful as the Bulldogs' offense was in 2012, the defense struggled to keep up. Louisiana Tech ranked 120th nationally in total defense, 117th in scoring defense, 107th in pass efficiency defense and 85th in rushing defense. 

"There's going to be games where you say, hold on we've got to outscore them," said Holtz. "There's going to be some games when you have to protect your defense and slow things down on offense. Not leave what we do, but not snap the ball with 28 seconds left on the play clock."

We have learned that Louisiana Tech has hired Skip Holtz as its next head coach.

Holtz walks into a situation built for big-time passing but without the principles that made the Bulldogs' offense so successful in 2012. Gone are offensive coordinator Tony Franklin (to Sonny Dykes' staff at California) and quarterback Colby Cameron (to graduation). However, Holtz will have standout running back Kenneth Dixon, FBS's leading scorer in 2012 with 28 rushing touchdowns as a true freshman, for three more years as Louisiana Tech prepares to move to Conference USA. The Bulldogs move into a league with which Holtz is intimately familiar after his five years as East Carolina's head coach.

Holtz rose through the ranks as an offensive coach, working as a graduate assistant at Florida State from 1987-88 and the wide receivers coach at Colorado State in 1989 before joining his father Lou's staff at Notre Dame as the wide receivers coach in 1990. He served the Fighting Irish's offensive coordinator from 1992-93 before accepting the head coaching job at Connecticut (at the time a Division I-AA member) from 1994-98. He then rejoined his father's staff, this time at South Carolina, as the offensive coordinator (1999-03) and quarterbacks coach (2004) before taking head coaching jobs at East Carolina (2005-09) and South Florida (2010-12). 

In 13 years as a head coach, Holtz holds an 88-71 record with two Conference USA titles, five bowl appearances and one trip to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Louisiana Tech has settled into a definitive trend in its head coaching hires. As USA Today's Paul Myerberg pointed out today, the school's last four head coaches are all the sons of prominent head coaches: Jack Bicknell, Jr., Derek Dooley, Dykes and Holtz. 

As always, we will update with more details as they become available. 

This past winter, Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Dykes got that phone call that every coach dreads. That call after midnight that can never be good.

That call was to let coach Dykes know that a Bulldog running back, Tyrone Duplessis, was heading to the hospital and was unresponsive. Duplessis later died at the hospital from what was found to be a massive heart attack.

"That's one of the hardest things that I have ever had to deal with personally. You get that phone call at 4 o'clock in the morning...and you know, as a head coach, it's never a good phone call." Dykes explains Yahoo's clip.

As the video shows, the Bulldogs have dedicated the season to their fallen teammate and his family, and are off to an 8-1 start (3-0 in the WAC), and end the season at Texas State, followed by two big match ups with Utah State at home and San Jose State on the road.

Head Coach of the Week - Bill Snyder, Kansas State: What else can be said about the man that has twice led Kansas State into national prominence? How about this:

Bill Snyder fact: in the 96 years of K-State FB he didn't coach, 3 wins/season. 21 years he has coached (incl this one), avg 8 wins/season.

— Carter Blackburn (@carterespn) October 21, 2012

RunnerUpFansOfTheDay: #KansasState. The large number of Cat fans who went to Morgantown chanted "Bill-Snyder" after easy win over #WVU

— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) October 21, 2012

 In leading Kansas State to its third road victory over a ranked team this season, Kansas State cemented itself as a true contender for the school's first national championship after a 55-14 demolition of West Virginia. 'Cats quarterback Collin Klein accounted for seven touchdowns against just two incompletions, while the Kansas State defense forced WVU quarterback Geno Smith into his first interception in 273 attempts, and then picked him off again six throws later. Snyder's team held West Virginia to season-lows of 243 yards of total offense and 3.9 yards per play. In fact, each team ran 62 plays but Kansas State accounted for nearly twice as many yards and held the ball for almost seven minutes longer than West Virginia.

Offensive Staff of the Week - Louisiana Tech: Plenty of other offenses faced stiffer competition on Saturday, but Louisiana Tech's offense was so productive that we couldn't ignore the Bulldogs in good consience. In garnering 56 points and 582 yards in the first half, Louisiana Tech produced in two quarters what many teams consider a good two weeks. The Bulldogs set a school record with 70 points, a total that Sonny Dykes' team reached with 19 minutes still to play. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's group became the first FBS team to top 400 yards on the ground and through the air this season. In 95 snaps, Louisiana Tech gained 839 yards (a school record and the most by an FBS team this season) while achieving 8.8 yards per play and 39 first downs. Louisiana Tech has topped 40 games in every game this season and been held under 50 just once through seven games. Louisiana Tech sports information director Patrick Walsh summed up the night perfectly in our Tweet of the Day: 

Next year's media guide will not have an offensive record book, just the 2012 season stats listed twice.

— Patrick Walsh (@LATechPWalsh) October 21, 2012

Defensive Staff of the Week - Oregon: In the Thursday night spotlight at Arizona State, Chip Kelly's team demonstrated to the nation it was much more than a fast offense and flashy uniforms. Nick Aliotti's unit surrendered a Sun Devils touchdown on their first play and did not allow another point until the game was well out of reach. Arizona State's next 12 possessions produced a total of 221 yards with seven punts, two interceptions, a turnover on downs and missed field goal mixed in. The Sun Devils' 14 offensive points were a season low and their 408 yards were their second-fewest to date. In all, Oregon intecepted four passes, collected five sacks and held Arizona State scoreless in three red zone trips. After Thursday's performance, Oregon leads the country in red zone defense with only 15 scores allowed in 29 trips. 

Special Teams Unit of the Week - TCU: Despite a disappointing ending for Gary Patterson's team in triple-overtime loss to Texas Tech, special teams coordinator Gary Sharp's unit played winning football on Saturday. Frogs kicker Jaden Oberkrom nailed all six of his field goal tries and converted 5-of-5 extra points. Wide receiver Skye Dawson was a difference maker for TCU in the return game as he brought back five punts for a total of 61 yards, including a 22-yard return to the Texas Tech 31 that ultimately gave TCU a 17-7 lead. Ethan Perry booted three punts for a net average of 45 yards, two of which pinned the Red Raiders inside the 20. Equally important for Sharp's unit, TCU nullified Texas Tech's return game by not allowing a punt return on the day and limiting Texas Tech to a sum of two kickoff returns that totaled just 15 and 11 yards. 

Call of the Week - Todd Berry (ULM) and Rocky Long (San Diego State): For any head coaches that may be reading this, a sure-fire way to win our Call of the Week is to successfully go for two and the win in overtime. Todd Berry and Rocky Long share our award this week because both head coaches did just that on Saturday night.

First, Berry's team fought back from a 28-7 deficit to force overtime against Western Kentucky. After WKU scored to open overtime, ULM quarterback Kolton Browning ran in from three yards out to bring the Warhawks within one and then hit Rashon Ceasar in the end zone for the game-winning conversion. It was the second such win this season for Berry's team as ULM famously toppled then-No. 8 Arkansas in similar fashion on Sept. 8. 

Rocky Long's team also rode a wave of momentum into overtime after the Aztecs fough back from a 31-21 hole with 10 points in the game's final 3:45 to force an extra frame. San Diego State quarterback Adam Dingwell went a perfect 3-for-3 in overtime as hit a pass for four yards on first down, then a 21-yard touchdown strike that set up his game-winning two-point conversion to Rob Andrews. 

Both wins are crucial for each head coach. ULM became the first team not named LSU or Alabama to defeat Western Kentucky in the Hilltoppers' last 15 games, allowing Berry's squad to stand alone in first place in the Sun Belt. Long's team has now won three straight Mountain West games to pull into a four-way tie for second place in the MWC. Both teams need one more victory to achieve bowl eligibility.