First-Year College Football Coaches Show Mixed Results in Opening Week
Several new head coaches in college football posted wins, while others suffered defeats in their debut games, highlighting a varied start to the season.
Lane Kiffin's LSU team defeated Clemson 51-10 in his second game, outgaining the opponent by 499 yards. The SEC later filed a temporary restraining order to preserve its authority over member schools, and a special meeting is set to discuss possible disciplinary action against LSU.
UCLA head coach Bob Chesney guided the Bruins to a 21-point victory after a tight fourth-quarter finish, while Memphis coach Charles Huff improved to 2-0 after wins over UNLV and Arkansas State and looks to face Boise State next.
Florida’s Jon Sumrall saw his team score five long plays in a 66-21 win over Florida Atlantic, and Virginia Tech’s James Franklin led the Hokies to a 73-3 rout of VMI.
Matt Campbell, newly appointed at Penn State, posted a 45-0 shutout of Marshall, with quarterback Rocco Becht completing four touchdowns in 18 attempts.
Morgan Scalley’s Utah opened with a 52-point win over Idaho, featuring 364 rushing yards and strong backup quarterback play.
Will Stein’s Kentucky defeated Youngstown State 45-13, highlighted by transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey’s 301 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Auburn’s Alex Golesh earned a narrow 17-16 win over Baylor, though his quarterback threw three interceptions.
Michigan State’s Pat Fitzgerald saw his team rally from a 20-19 deficit to beat Toledo, while Arkansas’s Ryan Silverfield’s Razorbacks beat North Alabama 31-14 despite low offensive yardage.
South Florida’s Brian Hartline’s Bulls beat FIU 19-9, though the offense struggled to produce long plays.
Toledo’s Mike Jacobs secured a win in his debut, continuing the program’s recent success with new coaching hires.
North Texas’s Neal Brown displayed offensive promise, while California’s Tosh Lupoi’s Golden Bears fell 21-14 to UCLA after turnovers by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
Stanford’s Tavita Pritchard led the Cardinal to a comeback win over Hawai’i but the team later fell to Miami.
Tulane’s Will Hall’s squad lost 17-3 to Duke, being heavily out-rushed.
Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham, now coaching the Wolverines, noted the need for improvement after a 13-point loss to a Mid-American opponent, saying, ">He’s our QB right now, and it’s not something that’s infinite. At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner, and we’ve got to see improvement."
Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris suffered a 24-10 defeat to Tulsa, marking a difficult start for his high-tempo offense.