Week 7 Coaches Inc. Highlights

Oregon State, Penn State, and UAB fired their head coaches after Saturday losses and the Tennessee Titans fired HC Brian Callahan after the Raiders beat them on Sunday. It’s hard to believe there are so many openings and we’re only halfway through October. Buckle up.

Alabama and Oregon remain in the Top10 and are joined by Texas Tech and Justin Johnson - who improved to 6-0 and became bowl-eligible after the Red Raiders’ win on Saturday. BYU assistants Jernaro Gilford and Kelly Poppinga; and UNLV assistant Adrian Mayes also maintained perfect records, both in dramatic fashion, to become bowl-eligible with 6-0 records. Our coaches at Lehigh (7-0) and Tennessee Tech (6-0) stayed unbeaten and ranked in the FCS Top 10 and shoutout to Defensive Coordinator Dan Owen and the Presbyterian Blue Hose who came back to win on the road at Butler to move into the FCS Top 20 at 6-0 and are currently on a 10-game winning streak.

The Atlanta Falcons are now 3-2 after a 1-2 start and the offense’s young stars are shining bright. The offensive line, mentored by Assistant OL Coach Nick Jones, paved the way for 2023 first round pick RB Bijan Robinson’s monster night. He amassed 238 scrimmage yards including an 81-yard TD run. 2022 first round pick WR Drake London joined Robinson in the spotlight with 10 catches for 158 yards and a TD. The young duo became the first pair in Falcons’ history to combine for 150 yards rushing with a TD and 150 yards receiving with a TD in the same game. Nick and the Falcons head to San Francisco to face a banged up 49ers team on Sunday night in search of their third straight win.

BYU Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Corners Coach Jernaro Gilford and Special Teams Coordinator/DEs Coach Kelly Poppinga became bowl eligible in a wild game on Saturday night in Arizona. Lightning delayed the game for an hour and it took two overtimes to establish a winner. The Cougars jumped out to an early 14-0 lead but found themselves trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter. Freshman QB Bear Bachmeier led them back and ran for a TD to tie the game with 19 seconds left in regulation and then ran for the game winner in the second overtime period. BYU has now started 6-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history and sits ranked at #15 in the latest AP poll.

After losing a heartbreaker in Buffalo, Eastern Michigan Co-Offensive Coordinator/TEs Coach Chris Chestnut and Corners Coach Munir Prince helped the Eagles bounce back with a home win over Northern Illinois on Saturday. WR Joshua Long hauled in EMU’s only TD of the game in the fourth quarter to take back the lead from NIU. On the ensuing NIU drive, DB Bryce LLewellyn snagged an INT to set up the final Eagles FG and secure the 16-10 win.

The new coaching staff at UNLV started out the season with a close victory over Idaho State and since then have rattled off another five straight wins. None have been as exciting as Saturday’s 51-48 win over Air Force that featured 11 lead changes and 65 combined points in the second half. Run Game Coordinator/TEs Coach Adrian Mayes and the UNLV offense put up a whopping 597 yards of offense that was capped with QB Anthony Colandrea’s 19-yard TD run with 36 seconds left in the game. However, just like the rest of the game, Air Force had an answer. The Falcons attempted a 40-yard FG that would have tied the game as time expired but the kicker missed the attempt and UNLV got the win. The 6-0 start is the best start to a season for UNLV in over 50 years.

Another coach who finds himself in his first season with an entirely new staff is Alabama A&M DL Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Marco Coleman. After stops at his alma mater (Georgia Tech), Michigan State, and the Raiders, Marco decided to join former NFL teammate Sam Shade’s inaugural staff in Huntsville. On Saturday, Alabama A&M took the lead on a FG as time expired in the first half and never looked back. After building a 31-19 lead in the third quarter, Freshman DL, Arenza Davis, blocked a Mississippi Valley State punt and gave the ball to the Bulldog offense at the MVSU 9 yard line to set up the TD that put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs are now 4-3 after Saturday’s win and have a bye before facing off against rival Alabama State in the Magic City Classic.

The Citadel rushed for 354 yards in a dominant win over Valdosta State on Saturday. It was a complete performance that left no doubt who was the better team in the 38-14 victory. Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Tony Coaxum saw his punter finally average over 50 yards in a game, booming one for 72 yards to give him a 56-yard average for the day. Tony’s punter is now in the Top 5 in the country in average and the team is #3 in the nation in Net Punt. The Citadel will host Western Carolina on Saturday looking for its third consecutive win.

The Lehigh Mountainhawks are now 7-0 on the season and have won 12 straight regular season games dating back to last year. Saturday’s 31-7 rout over Columbia completed an Ivy League sweep as Lehigh had previously beaten Penn and Yale. Lehigh hired DL Coach Jeff Comissiong in February after recent stints at Boston College and Maine, joining second-year Lehigh staffers OL Coach/Run Game Coordinator Mike Morita and Defensive Coordinator/Rovers Coach Rich Nagy. The team has played great football all year behind a balanced offense and a defense that ranks in the Top 10 in the country in both Total Defense and Turnovers Gained. The new staff won the Patriot League last year, finishing 9-4 overall, and the sophomore season, with the addition of DL Coach Jeff Comissiong, is on track to do even better.