Week 9 Coaching Candidates Roundup

Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina

The Chanticleers got back on track with a big win at Marshall. They jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead in the 1st quarter and then coasted to a 24-13 win. While this was a good win in a vacuum, there were some concerning things. After scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions, the Chanticleers punted on 9 of their 10. And the only score during that time was a field goal after getting the ball at the Marshall 37. I want to see this offense explode again and they very much did not yesterday. The defense bent, but didn’t break. All in all this doesn’t change my opinion of Chadwell much. A win is a win especially on the road. Next week is a huge matchup as they host Appalachian State.

Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky

A week ago I was heaping praise on the Hilltoppers for a tough road win against UAB. Then this week they show me up by laying a complete egg against North Texas, 40-13. This really wasn’t as bad as the score would imply. It was a one score game going into the fourth quarter, but things went haywire from there. The offense moved the ball a lot better than you’d expect from 13 points, but they couldn’t finish drives. And the defense gave up yards in bunches. This probably takes WKU out of the CUSA title contention, they’d need North Texas to lose two more games while winning out themselves. Unlikely. The Hilltoppers head to Charlotte next week to take on a suddenly resurgent 49er team.

Shawn Clark, Appalachian State

App State took it easy this week with a simple, clean, 42-3 win against Robert Morris. This has been a real topsy-turvy season in Boone, but there’s still a ton of hope for this team. They are still road favorites next week at Coastal Carolina.

Sean Lewis, Kent State

I decided to leave Sean Lewis on here for now. If he loses at home against Ball State on Tuesday and he’s off the list.

Mike Houston, East Carolina

Sure, BYU has been really struggling. But that doesn’t mean it is easy to go to Provo on a weeknight and beat them, but that’s just what they did. They ran all over the Cougars with Keaton Mitchell leading the way with 176 yards on 21 carries. A solid performance for the Pirates here. I watched a decent bit of this game and nothing really stood out to me. The most impressive part was winning away in a tough environment. Mike Houston’s stock seems to be rising. They have a bye next week before continuing the Big 12 newbie tour of destruction at Cincinnati.

Bill O’Brien, Alabama (OC)

I imagine that O’Brien spent most of this bye week yelling at offensive linemen to try to get them to false start less often. We’ll see if it pans out this week in a tough road matchup at LSU.

Charles Huff, Marshall

As discussed above the Thundering Herd were unable to overcome a terrible 1st quarter against CCU. It’s been an odd season for Marshall and next week they hit a pedestrian game at Old Dominion. If Huff is looking for a job upgrade this offseason, I suggest he wins this one.

Kane Wommack, South Alabama

The Jaguars took out their frustrations from last week on poor Butch Jones and Arkansas State. USA won 31-3 on the strength of their stifling defense. They gave up just 4.5 yards per pass and if you include sacks held Arkansas State to -1.0 yards per carry (yes, you read that correctly. NEGATIVE). The offense did plenty enough for a comfortable win. The Jags continue the Sun Belt gauntlet next week with a trip to Georgia Southern.

Deion Sanders, Jackson State

Gameday came to town and the Tigers did not disappoint. They dominated Southern to the tune of 35-0 in front of over 55,000 fans. Deion is well on his way to a perfect season. They take on Texas Southern next week in what should be a win.