Sunday Superlatives: The best, worst and craziness in coaching on a busy Week 3
One of the craziest Saturday’s in college football was followed up by another doozy this weekend, so after sitting all day on the couch consuming the best, worst and otherwise in coaching, let’s dive into the Week 3 Sunday Superlatives.
SMARTEST CALL OF THE WEEK
How about Kansas’ decision to hire Lance Leipold last season?
In just Year 2, the former Buffalo coach is already doing things that haven’t been done in 15 seasons in Lawrence — like winning multiple road games. Like winning back-to-back games as double-digit underdogs.
A week after upsetting West Virginia in Morgantown, the Leipold’s Jayhawks went down to Houston and straight-up punk’d the Cougars.
Despite falling behind by 14-0, Kansas never blinked and methodically took over the game with six touchdowns in seven drives to win 48-30. The Jayhawks are averaging more than 50 points per game behind the talents of dual-threat quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Lance Leipold has won at every single one of his coaching stops. At Wisconsin-Whitewater. At Buffalo. And now at Kansas.
Not to rain on the Jayhawks’ fans parade but Leipold is engineering such a rapid rebuild that he may not be long for Kansas. The former Nebraska assistant is considered one of the main contenders for the Cornhuskers’ opening — and while there’s other great candidates out there who could blame Trev Alberts for targeting a guy who has made Kansas — KANSAS! — relevant again?
Honorable mention here for Tulane’s Willie Fritz, who made a gutsy decision to go for it on 4th-and-inches from the Green Wave’s own 24-yard line to seal a 17-10 win at Kansas State.
COACHING CALAMITY OF THE WEEK
How can I not discuss the Hot Seat Four Horsemen this week?
After Scott Frost was canned last Sunday following a blowout loss, four other coaches already on simmering seats submitted their nominations to get axed with dreadful showings by their teams.
I wrote about Bryan Harsin’s days being numbered in Auburn after the Tigers were housed at home by Penn State, but Geoff Collins at Georgia Tech, Karl Dorrell at Colorado and Arizona State’s Herm Edwards all hit new lows Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets were blanked 42-0 by Ole Miss at home, looking completely inept in every phase of the fame. Collins accepted blame postgame, but strangely, he also admitted to completely overestimating his team’s capabilities.
“That was not up to the standard of Georgia Tech football. That completely falls on me as the head football coach,” he said.
“I thought we were prepared, I thought we had a good plan, I thought we were ready to handle any adversity that showed. But I don’t know if there are any positives to take out of that — offensively, defensively or special teams.”
The Bees are really bad.
As for the Buffs, they lost their third-straight game by at least 25 points (a first in school history) with a 49-7 loss to Minnesota. Dorell has now lost 11 of his last 14 games and afterward said, “I feel good about playing the game. We’re just not very good at really playing it effectively and proficiently.”
In our weekly ode to Lewis Gizzard, “I don’t believe I’da told that!”
And then there’s Herm and the lowly Sun Devils.
An already hapless program facing looming NCAA penalties might’ve hit its nadir Saturday, as ASU was physically whipped by FCS Eastern Michigan 30-21. The Eagles had more than 300 yards rushing against ASU.
“They got after us,” Edwards said. “On both sides of the ball.”
To make matters worse, EMU’s social team trolled Edwards postgame.
Edwards was promptly fired Sunday, concluding four chaotic seasons in Tempe. More to come here.
At this point, Harsin, Collins and Dorrell might need a miracle just to make it to Halloween, too.
Before I wrap: A quick honorable mention goes to Jeff Brohm and Purdue’s coaching staff. The Boilermakers lost a heartbreaker at Syracuse, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter only to allow the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds left in regulation.
How’d it happen?
Purdue committed SEVEN penalties in the final 50 seconds of the game. That’s really bad! Worse, the Boilermakers’ coaching staff decided to play press-man on the entire final drive, giving Syracuse’s receivers 1-on-1 matchups with no safety help — when protecting the end zone was the only goal.
Woof.
THE MORAL VICTORY MEDAL OF THE WEEK
It was an unforgettable day in Boone, N.C., as ESPN’s College GameDay came to town and then saw Appalachian State stun Troy 32-28 on a last-second 50-yard Hail Mary.
But while the Mountaineers are basking in their glory, how about a shoutout to Troy and first-year head coach Jon Sumrall.
Without All-American linebacker Carlton Martial, Sumrall brought his Trojans team as a nearly two-touchdown underdog into a super hostile environment, and they nearly pulled off a huge upset.
Up 28-24 with just 20 seconds remaining in the game, Sumrall made the interesting decision to take a safety with the Trojans backed up on their own 6-yard line.
By deciding not to punt, a field goal could’ve won App. State the game, but the decision to take a safety would force them to drive the length of the field.
Had the Trojans knocked down the pass or made the tackle short of the end zone, Sumrall’s decision would’ve looked really savvy.
Sometimes, them’s the breaks, but Sumrall should like his team in Year 1. The Trojans look like a tough out in the Sun Belt this fall.
THE KIRK FERENTZ BRAVERY AWARD
Ordinarily, in this space I shoutout a coach’s courage to punt when everything says you shouldn’t, but the brother to this honor is the Pat Narduzzi Daring Decision when you kick a field goal because, gosh darn it, you just really want three points.
Miami Hurricanes’ fans saw their biggest concerns with Mario Cristobal realized Saturday night in College Station. Miami was competitive against Texas A&M, but miscues, questionable clock management and strange in-game decisions spoiled any upset hopes.
The offense struggled to protect quarterback Tyler Van Dyke all night, but in a 17-3 game late in the third quarter, Miami drove the football down to the Aggies’ 6-yard line.
What did Cristobal decide to do with Miami’s best touchdown opportunity of the night?
Naturally, run it on third-and-goal, and then decide to keep a two-score game late in the third quarter, a two-score game late in the third quarter with a kick.
Miami chip-shot field goal, 17-6 Texas A&M.
Some coaches are just #BuiltDifferent, and Cristobal loves him some red zone field goals.
THE TAKIN’ CARE OF BUSINESS CUP
Three first-time Power 5 head coaches saw their teams deliver dominant statements on Saturday.
All week, BYU (+3.5), No. 11 Michigan State (+3) and Nebraska (+10.5) were seen as popular underdogs, but Dan Lanning and Oregon, Kalen Deboer and Washington and Brent Venables and Oklahoma easily passed their individual tough tests.
The Ducks dismantled the Cougars 41-20, as Bo Nix had five touchdowns. First-time play-caller Kenny Dillingham has found a groove the last two weeks, with Oregon’s first-team offense scoring touchdowns on 13 straight drives at one point.
Deboer’s offense is just as hot, as the Huskies torched Mel Tucker’s Spartan defense. Deboer had success with transfer Michael Penix Jr. in 2020 at Indiana, but the former Hoosier has been even better in Seattle, with 10 touchdowns to just one pick in three games.
Lastly, Venables quickly eliminated any Sooners upset talk in Lincoln, with OU jumping out to a 35-7 halftime lead en route to a 49-14 rout. The Sooners bullied the Cornhuskers — on both sides of the ball. They averaged 7.7 yards per play, and Venables has their defense looking a lot like his former Clemson units early.
THE GREAT ESCAPE CROWN
A new award debuts this week, as several coaches deserve kudos for narrowly avoiding snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Sam Pittman and Arkansasavoided an embarrassing home loss to former Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino and Missouri State, as the No. 10 Hogs rallied in fourth quarter to win 38-27.
Down in Gainesville, No. 18 Florida was more than a three-touchdown favorite against piddly USF, but Billy Napier’s team survived a poor fourth quarter to hang on for a 31-28 win. Jeff Scott’s Bulls played hard, but botched a pair of snaps late that could’ve sent the game to overtime. In an alarming stat for Napier and his staff, UF is scoreless in the third quarter this season.
Finally, No. 19 Wake Forest nearly choked against Hugh Freeze and Liberty, blowing a double-digit halftime lead and needing a fourth-quarter comeback. It almost still wasn’t enough for Dave Clawson’s squad, as the Demon Deacons had to stop a 2-point conversion inside the final minute to hang on for a 37-36 win.
“In a lot of ways, they outplayed us,” Clawson said afterward. “We just made so many mistakes.”
THE THANK YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY HONOR
Just a year ago, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer went viral in defense of his football team after the Gamecocks were waxed against the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
In a bit of deja vu, it happened again Saturday afternoon.
That Georgia, operating like a well-oiled freight train right now, would run over South Carolina again (48-7 with USC’s lone points coming in the final minute of garbage time) wasn’t surprising, but Beamer’s decision to run back his bit was an amusing choice.
First, Beamer was asked if he sensed any “give-up” in the locker room.
“Hell no!,” Beamer responded. “What kind of question is that?”
Hardly an absurd one considering South Carolina looked competitively disinterested for most of the game, but ok.
“We’re 1-2 and we have a lot of fighters in that room,” Beamer added.
“Give up is not a part of this football program. Get out of here.”
Beamer was also asked about his team’s offensive issues — transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler tossed two picks and averaged just 4.7 yards per attempt — and whether the unit needed “a revamp.”
“We just played the No. 1 defense in the country,” he said. “We had some good stuff called today.”
Debatable.
The Gamecocks did dial up a couple of explosive plays, but OC Marcus Satterfield’s in-game script made zero sense all afternoon.
Case in point: Carolina passed the football seven straight times at one point. Then after Beamer Ball perfectly executed a great fake punt, Satterfield called four straight runs against the best run defense in the country the last few years — including on 3rd-and-8 that went for a TFL.
CASH THE CHECK COORDINATOR OF THE WEEK
Picasso wasn’t painting masterpieces as fast as Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken continues to draw up perfect game plans in 2022.
As previously mentioned, the Bulldogs rolled past South Carolina with ease, with eight scoring drives on their first nine possessions.
As the kids love to say these days, Monken was in his bag Saturday, flummoxing the Gamecocks’ defense with misdirection, screens and play-action deep shots.
When South Carolina’s starting safety when down with an injury, Monken “said no mercy,” ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge remarked on the broadcast.
The very next play, he attacked USC’s freshman safety with a shot to tight end Brock Bowers, who broke through the seam and ran 40 yards for a 78-yard touchdown.
Todd Monken has more than earned his money in 2022.