The American’s three new head coaches arrive with their own styles of championship-level offense
The championship game had just finished, but Tom Herman wasn’t about to let a recruiting opportunity slip by him.
So as the confetti fell at AT&T Stadium and Ohio State celebrated its College Football Playoff title, capping the first year under college football’s new postseason format, Herman reached into his back pocket, donned a scarlet baseball cap, adorned with an interlocking UH logo, raised his right hand and connected his thumb and ring finger to form a familiar Cougar Paw sign.
The message was simple. Herman, the offensive coordinator who helped Ohio State with the national title with a third-string quarterback, was now the head man at the University of Houston.
Herman celebrated with his Ohio State brethren on the night of the championship game, then made the three-and-a-half hour drive from Dallas to Houston the next day to spend his first day in his new office.
Back in Dallas, Chad Morris was off to a bit of a head start in his new role as head coach at SMU. And Philip Montgomery was well on his way in his new digs as the new coach at Tulsa. Both Morris and Montgomery immediately dug into the fertile recruiting ground of Texas and Oklahoma, mining the area to augment rosters that had some fine individual standouts, but generally lacked the depth to win consistently in 2014.
“I think this is a goldmine,” said Morris. “I really do. It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of people pulling in the same direction and we’re going to get that done. But they’re going to have to tell me, ‘Whoa,’ because we’re going to be on the go all the time. There’s an opportunity to see some instant success.”
Morris faced what was likely the most challenging of the American Athletic Conference’s rebuilding efforts. SMU managed just one win last season and averaged 11.1 points per game – a far cry from the offensive proficiency that Morris had enjoyed as offensive coordinator at Clemson.
In four years at Clemson, Morris helped the Tigers to a 41-11 record, the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference title and four postseason berths, including two BCS bowls. Clemson averaged 512.7 yards and 41 points per game in 2012. Before joining the staff at Clemson, Morris spent one year as offensive coordinator at Tulsa, where he helped the Golden Hurricane to a 10-3 season in which it averaged 41.4 points per game.
Conventional wisdom says that there might be some time before we see marked improvement with SMU, but Morris is not one for sitting and waiting, evidenced by the seemingly endless fuel of Red Bull that keeps his motor running and the PonyUpTempo motto that permeates the Mustangs.
The Mustangs were hit hard by injuries last year, losing their Opening Day starting quarterback for the season after the first game and struggled to develop any kind of consistency. By the end of the year, Matt Davis emerged as a solid dual-threat quarterback, while the spring practice sessions saw redshirt freshman Courtland Sutton open a lot of eyes at wide receiver.
“The tempo of practice has probably been the biggest challenge,” said Morris. “There’s constant movement all practice long. But they understand how we’re going to work and how we’re going to get this done.”
Montgomery arrived in Tulsa to find a roster that might not need a rebuild so much as it needs some fine-tuning. The Golden Hurricane was fourth in The American in total offense last year, averaging 412.5 yards per game, and Tulsa has a nice collection of skill players under its roof.
“They have done a great job here in the past,” said Montgomery. They have won conference championships. It’s a place where you can come and win.”
Quarterback Dane Evans threw for 3,102 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first year as a regular starter, while wide receiver Keevan Lucas enters the year as a bona fide All-America candidate. Lucas had 101 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago, while Kyearris Garrett (698 yards, five TDs) helps comprise a receiver tandem that might just be the best in the conference. Factor in the production of running back Zack Langer, who rushed for 801 yards in 10 games, and give Montgomery the keys to that group, and some scary numbers could come out of Tulsa this year.
“I’ve never been in a system where I catch the ball and I’m already thinking about the next play,” said Lucas.
Montgomery made headlines as the offensive coordinator at Baylor, which led the nation in total offense in each of the last two years and ranked second nationally the two years before that. Baylor won the outright Big 12 title in 2013 and shared the crown in 2014 as the Bears finished last season ranked No. 7 nationally. Baylor averaged 581.5 yards and 48.2 points per game last season and reeled off staggering totals of 618.8 yards and 52.4 points per game in 2013.
“That’s the way we’re going to play and that’s the way we’re going to practice,” said Montgomery. It’s a lot of work and it’s a big commitment on their part. But they understand why we do it and what we’re going to get out of it.”
Herman, though still a prolific offensive coach in his own right, has a slightly different approach than his new counterparts in The American. While Morris and Montgomery use words like “tempo” and “fast,” Herman prefers “toughness” to describe the stamp he wants to put on the Cougars.
“We’re going to be the most physically and mentally tough team that we can,” said Herman. “It takes no talent to be tough and to give great effort. How good will we be? I don’t know. It’s up to us to make sure that the guys are prepared. But our fans will see a physically and mentally tough football team.”
The example he cites is his most recent team at Ohio State, the one that won it all.
“They were by far the most selfless team that I’ve ever been around,” said Herman. They were genuinely excited for the successes of their teammates and that’s pretty special.”
At Houston, Herman finds a team that went 8-5 last season and ended the year with an incredible last-minute comeback against Pitt in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, as the Cougars overcame a 34-13 deficit in the final 3:41. He has a dynamic starting quarterback – Greg Ward Jr. threw for 1,919 yards and ran for 569 – and an excellent running back tandem with Kenneth Farrow (1,037 yards, 14 TDs) and Ryan Jackson (610 yards, 5 TDs). But Herman is quick to point out the differences between a team that wins eight games and one that competes for championships.
“I think that these young guys thought that they were working hard, but they need to be continually educated on what championship-level hard work really is,” said Herman. “But they want to do the right thing. I really do believe that.”