Bryan Cole / Collegian File Photo
The Bulldog football program, particularly head coach Pat Hill, has expressed the need for change for the future. The team finished the 2008 season with a 7-6 record and a disappointing finish, unacceptable based on the program̢۪s standards.
Tuesday marked the first step toward righting the ship. Hill announced the reorganization of his current staff and the hiring of three new coaches.
The program lost defensive line coach Kerry Locklin and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to the lure of Bowl Championship Series (BCS) teams, and defensive coordinator Dan Brown decided to retire after 12 seasons under Hill.
The three vacant spots were all filled with members of the 2008 staff – rearranging their titles and changing position responsibilities.
Both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball will have a running game and passing game coordinator, restructuring the coaches̢۪ responsibilities.
Offensive changes
On the offensive side of the ball, former Bulldog quarterback and tight ends coach Jeff Grady will assume the role of passing game coordinator and will be calling the plays from the press box on game days.
Offensive line coach Derek Frazier will remain the offensive line coach, but will also be the coordinator of the running game. The new titles have caused some confusion, but both coordinators know their jobs.
The two will work together to create a game plan and study situations for the game, but Grady will ultimately have the final say on the play call.
“That is when you get disjointed, if you have two guys that want to call the plays,â€Â Frazier said. “Who’s calling the plays? It’s coach Grady.â€Â
Catering to quarterbacks
And with the title of passing game coordinator comes the questions about the team̢۪s quarterback situation for the 2009 season. The Bulldogs have four different quarterbacks on the roster, each with a different style and skill set.
“Depending on which quarterback is going to be in there, we are going to play to his strengths,â€Â Grady said. “We are not going to force-feed something that doesn’t work.â€Â
Grady was hired after being a graduate assistant to coach the tight ends, and Hill felt that he was going to be the offensive coordinator of the future. The position was open in the previous offseason, but this year was the right time for Grady.
“With Tommy [Brandstater] going into his fifth year, I really felt that he needed somebody he could really relate to off the bat,â€Â Hill said. “I though it would be just too tough a position to put Jeff into right away.â€Â
Defensive changes
Associate head coach John Baxter will no longer be coaching the wide receivers, instead filling Grady̢۪s spot with the tight ends and continuing to coach special teams.
The Bulldogs hired Keith Williams, the offensive coordinator of San Jose City College in 2008, to lead the experienced receivers group.
The defensive side of the ball did have an effect on the offensive coaching staff. Tim Skipper, former Bulldog linebacker, has moved to the linebackers coach and running game coordinator from his running backs coach position.
To fill the final spot on the offensive side, Hill hired Joe Wade, the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Eastern Washington in 2008, to be the running backs coach.
Skipper will be coaching the position he played from the Bulldogs from 1997-2000 and is excited to put his touch on the linebacking corps.
“We need to get back to where we need to be,â€Â Skipper said. “It is the ‘LB’ life. That means hitting and knocking people out.â€Â
Randy Stewart, Fresno State̢۪s defensive backs coach in 2008, will now coach the safetys and be the passing game coordinator. Stewart and Skipper will work together on the game plan, just like the offensive coordinators, but Stewart will be calling the plays.
And he plans on making changes to the Bulldog defense that ranked 97 of 119 teams in 2008.
“Changes are coming from everybody – players, coaches and defensive staff,â€Â Stewart said. “We are going to start with our weaknesses and make them strong.â€Â
With Stewart focusing on safeties, the Bulldogs hired Micah Alba, a BYU graduate assistant in 2008, to coach the cornerbacks.
Will Plemons, the linebackers coach in 2008, will fill the defensive line coaching spot.
The changes mark the first step in getting the program back to the top of the Western Athletic Conference and success in 2009.
“I said at the end of the [2008] season that we need a rebirth in a lot of things,â€Â Hill said. “We’ll have a lot of fresh things going.â€Â
Aaron • Feb 26, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Irrelevant. The horrendous play calling that Hill forces his OC’s to call won’t allow for any creativity in the passing game. Get ready for another season of running the ball 35+ times a game. And if the Bulldogs get a lead any bigger than 10 points, the grind out the clock guru will run the ball the rest of the game, even if it is in the 1st quarter.
In the college game, teams destroy their opponent. When they get a lead, they continue to score touchdowns, not play call for 3 and outs. Boise State anyone? This isn’t the NFL where only Hill’s former boss Belichick would destroy teams by 40 points a couple seasons ago. Didn’t Hill learn anything from Belichick? Obviously not. Hill is too scared of offending the opposing coach to even consider putting the games out of reach. 10 points is the limit. After that, the rest of the play calling will all be on the ground, causing the opponent to easily overtake the Bulldogs and win the game.
Aaron • Feb 27, 2009 at 1:06 am
Irrelevant. The horrendous play calling that Hill forces his OC’s to call won’t allow for any creativity in the passing game. Get ready for another season of running the ball 35+ times a game. And if the Bulldogs get a lead any bigger than 10 points, the grind out the clock guru will run the ball the rest of the game, even if it is in the 1st quarter.
In the college game, teams destroy their opponent. When they get a lead, they continue to score touchdowns, not play call for 3 and outs. Boise State anyone? This isn’t the NFL where only Hill’s former boss Belichick would destroy teams by 40 points a couple seasons ago. Didn’t Hill learn anything from Belichick? Obviously not. Hill is too scared of offending the opposing coach to even consider putting the games out of reach. 10 points is the limit. After that, the rest of the play calling will all be on the ground, causing the opponent to easily overtake the Bulldogs and win the game.
Larry LaCotti • Feb 26, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Fresno State made an excellent choice in the hiring of Keith “Dubb” Williams as wide receiver coach. This guy is the real deal, and a proven teacher to plenty of talent that has since moved on to the NFL, ala Rasheed Davis, James Jones, John Broussard, etc. This guy will make guys run routes which is a lost art when watching football these days. You better get what you can out of this guy, because this is only a stepping stone on his way to the big time. Great pick-up Bulldogs!!
Larry LaCotti • Feb 26, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Fresno State made an excellent choice in the hiring of Keith “Dubb” Williams as wide receiver coach. This guy is the real deal, and a proven teacher to plenty of talent that has since moved on to the NFL, ala Rasheed Davis, James Jones, John Broussard, etc. This guy will make guys run routes which is a lost art when watching football these days. You better get what you can out of this guy, because this is only a stepping stone on his way to the big time. Great pick-up Bulldogs!!