FootballScoop is proud to announce that Mike Bloomgren (Stanford) is the 2013 FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year presented by ProGrass.
Many offenses these days benefit from misdirection, double entendre and creative accounting. Not Stanford. The Cardinal are going to come right at you, and it's up to the offensive line to make it happen. After a second consecutive Pac-12 championship and second consecutive Rose Bowl, Bloomgren's offensive line made it happen in 2013.
While often shuffling as many offensive linemen on the field as the rules allowed, Stanford ranked 22nd nationally in rushing offense, carrying 584 times for 2,904 yards (4.97 per carry) with 30 touchdowns. The Cardinal achieved 81 runs of 10 yards or more and 25 carries of 20 yards or more, tied for the 20th most in college football.
Stanford threw the ball 311 times in its 14 games and allowed only 16 sacks, the 11th fewest in college football on a per game basis. Bloomgren's unit allowed Stanford passers to complete 190 throws for 2,776 yards with 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, creating a quarterback rating of 151.92, which ranked 19th nationally.
Most impressively, the Stanford offensive line was called for only two holding penalties the entire season.
"Mike is a great combination of many things," said Stanford head coach David Shaw. "He's an expert teacher of technique and skill, an innovative game-planner, a father figure and a motivator."
The Cardinal offensive line was at its best in high-leverage situations. The Cardinal converted 98-of-197 third down situations (49.75 percent, 10th nationally). Stanford also boasted the 10th-best red zone offense in the country, posting 30 touchdowns and 17 field goals in 52 total trips.
The Oregon game served as Bloomgren's magnum opus, as the Cardinal held the ball for more than 42 minutes and rushed 66 times for 274 yards and two touchdowns, leading to a not-as-close-as-the-final-score 26-20 defeat of then-No. 3 Oregon.
Individually, Stanford offensive linemen were some of the most decorated in the country. Senior guard David Yankey earned consensus All-America honors and was named a First Team All-Pac-12 performer, while senior Cameron Fleming, sophomore Andrus Peat and senior Khalil Wilkes garnered Second Team All-Pac-12 accolades.
A native of Tallahassee, Fla., Bloomgren is in his third year on the Stanford staff. Bloomgren's coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Alabama from 1999-2001, and then spent two years apiece as co-offensive coordinator at Catawba College and offensive coordinator at Delta State. Bloomgren jumped from Division II to the NFL, working as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets from 2007-10 before landing on Shaw's staff.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by ProGrass are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Bloomgren, Justin Frye - Boston College, J.B. Grimes - Auburn, and T.J. Woods - Wisconsin) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Bloomgren will receive his award and be recognized at an event at the AFCA Convention in January.
Previous winners of the Offensive Line Coach of the Year award are Steve Greatwood (Oregon, 2008), Tony Wise (Pittsburgh, 2009), Bob Bostad (Wisconsin, 2010), Greg Studrawa (LSU, 2011) and Ed Warriner (Ohio State, 2012).
