Tag: Barry Odom

UNLV Rebels gain sole possession of 1st place in Mountain West

With a 31- 27 win over Air Force, the UNLV Rebels are now in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West. 

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With a 31- 27 win over Air Force, the UNLV Rebels are now in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West. 

”What a great performance by our kids,” Barry Odon said in a press conference. “We started the game extremely well. Then they made some adjustments and were having success. We made some adjustments there in the second quarter and then at halftime.  Staying in the arena is something we’ve talked about since we got started – let’s go 60 minutes and play one play at a time – and tonight was a really great test of that for everybody in the organization. I’m so happy for our guys, our team and our university to get that win.”

Early in the first quarter, Jayden Maiava threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Ricky White, giving UNLV a 7-0 lead.

 

Later in the quarter, with the Rebels driving to try to go up by double digits, Maiava threw an interception, and the Falcons’ momentum swung to Air Force. After the interception, the Falcons went on to score 24 unanswered points.

Air Force led 27-14 at halftime but did not score another point. The Rebels outscored the Falcons 17-0 to win.

After giving up 200-plus yards rushing in the first half, the Rebels did a better job controlling their rushing attack in the second half.

Despite throwing two interceptions, freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava improved to 7-1 as a starting quarterback, finishing 15 of 29 for 339 yards and two touchdowns.

Ricky White caught eight passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, and Kaleo Ballungay caught two for 90 yards and a score.

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Defensively, the Rebels were led by a pair of linebackers. Marsel McDuffie totaled 15 tackles (10 solo) and a forced fumble, while Jackson Woodard added nine stops and had a critical quarterback sack in the game-winning stand.

“On defense, Coach (Mike) Scherer and his staff did an unbelievable job,” Odom said. “The kids showed toughness, resolve, and resilience, overcoming some penalties and adversity.”

UNLV Football: Rebels beat Hawaii 44-20 to take home the Golden Pineapple

The UNLV Rebels beat the Hawaii Warriors 44-20 to win the Golden Pineapple trophy on Saturday afternoon. It was the third straight game the Rebels have scored 40 or more points.

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The UNLV Rebels beat the Hawaii Warriors 44-20 to win the Golden Pineapple trophy on Saturday afternoon. It was the third straight game the Rebels have scored 40 or more points.

 

“This game was not only important to our team and to our university but also to Las Vegas,” Rebels head coach Barry Odom said. With conference play starting, the ability to continue the momentum we have built so far in our program and the importance of every single conference game are huge for where we are trying to get to. This is the first time we have scored 40 points in three straight games; that’s tremendous. We had a great offensive performance. We had six sacks and didn’t give up any on the other side. That’s complimentary football. When we can do that and play well in all three phases together, we’ve got an opportunity to continue to play winning ball … I’m proud of this team for what we’ve done now through five weeks.”

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The Rebels were led by an outstanding rushing attack that netted 307 yards. Six different Rebel runners finished with more than 30 yards on the ground, led by Donavyn Lester’s best day with UNLV (98 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries). Courtney Reese added two rushing touchdowns on 32 yards.

“We just enjoy being around the team, the players on a team, running back Donavyn Lester said. “We just try to build each other up every day. We have many selfless guys who don’t care who gets the ball.” 

UNLV’s defense played well; they held the Warriors to 46 yards rushing and had six sacks on the day. Safety Johnathan Baldwin finished with nine tackles, including two for a loss and a sack.

 Quarterback Jayden Maiava completed only 11 passes, but two were touchdowns, including a 16-yarder to running back Vincent Davis Jr. to open the scoring as the Rebels built a 20-3 halftime lead and never looked back.

The Rebels played aggressive man-to-man defense and gave up some long passes; once they clean that up, their defense would be even better. Rebels defensive coordinator Mike Scherer brought in a new scheme that works for the Rebels.

“The Scheme he brought in allows us to play fast run and make many plays. His motto is run and hit,” Rebels safety Johnathan Baldwin said.

 

Three Players to Watch on UNLV Defense

If the UNLV Rebels want to improve on a 5-7 record, along with their offense, UNLV will need to improve on defense. Last season the Rebels gave up 28.5 points per game and 157.5 rushing yards per game.

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If the UNLV Rebels want to improve on a 5-7 record, along with their offense, UNLV will need to improve on defense. Last season the Rebels gave up 28.5 points per game and 157.5 rushing yards per game.

That is not a good defense; new Rebels head coach Barry Odom is a defensive guy who has hired Mike Scherer to try to improve the defense.

Defensive Tackle Naki Fahina

Senior defensive tackle Naki Fahina will be counted on to help stop the run. The Rebels will need to win at the line of scrimmage, and Fahina will help them do that. Fahina is 6-3 300 pounds and will need to stay healthy.

Odom has brought in other big bodies to help Fahina and the rest of the defensive linemen slow down opposing teams rushing attacks.

“I’m going to try to do everything I can to establish the line of scrimmage,” Odom told the Las Vegas Sun. “On defense, to be able to stop the run, that starts up front. I think if you have that ability within your program, the depth that that looks like, then your program takes off a little bit quicker.”

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Linebacker Jackson Woodard

Jackson Woodard is a linebacker transfer from Arkansas, and he has experience in the system that Odom and Scherer want UNLV to run. He has taken the liberty of teaching his UNLV teammates the defense.

Woodard played in 13 games totaling seven tackles; he will play a much more significant role with the Rebels and be the quarterback of the defense.

Cornerback Cameron Oliver

Cornerback Cameron Oliver led UNLV in interceptions with three last season. Oliver will be entering his third year as a starter. Odom likes to run DB heavy scheme that will give the Rebels a lot of speed on the field, and they can play fast.

Creating turnover will be a big part of the Rebels’ defense. If UNLV can be better on both sides of the ball, they will be a fun and exciting team to watch.

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UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom explains how he felt when Bobby Petrino left for Texas A&M

After leaving UNLV for the offensive coordinator job at Texas A&M, Bobby Petrino blindsided Rebels’ Head Coach, Barry Odom

Texas A&M’s move to acquire new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino this offseason, in January to be exact, affected the emotions of many big names in college football media after Petrino left the same position at UNLV precisely three weeks after accepting Jimbo Fisher’s offer with the Aggies.

Ethically, Petrino had every right to take his new position after his brief employment with the Rebels. To UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom’s credit, he wished him the best after becoming the second offensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher during his tenure with the Aggies.

In a piece from The Athletic, writer Nicole Auerbach interviewed Odom last spring as UNLV attempts to “ride the Las Vegas sports surge,” as the article suggests, Auerbach, of course, did her due diligence and asked about the situation involving Petrino’s departure, leading to Odom revealing that for those three weeks, Petrino was with the program, everything was peachy keen.

“When I got this job I called him and said, ‘We’re going to hire an offensive coordinator, and I want it to be you. I didn’t know how fast it would go from that conversation to, ‘Yeah, I’m really interested.’ He said he’d love to come work for me.”

Now, suppose we’re all being honest with ourselves, being offered the chance to not only be the offensive coordinator for Texas A&M but also call plays with one of the more talented offensive rosters in the country. In that case, you can’t blame Petrino for finally jumping at the chance to return to the SEC. In the aftermath, Odom expressed his obvious displeasure but understood the gravity of the offer based on A&M’s standing in the college football landscape.

“I said, ‘Well, you’ve got a job,’” Odom stated. “But it was something he couldn’t turn down. I wasn’t happy about it, but what can you do? So, I got a piece of paper and went to the next candidate and tried to get him hired and here as fast as possible. So, we did. I don’t want to lose coaches, especially really good ones, guys who are great mentors and teachers and leaders of men who are important in the community.

His next candidate? Former Texas wide receivers coach Brennan Marion swiftly accepted Odom’s offer to become the Rebel’s new and permanent (for at least the 2023 season) offensive coordinator, who Barry Odom he couldn’t be excited about.

“But I’m really excited. We’ve got Brennan Marion, and he’ll do a great job. I wish Bobby and all those guys the best.”

Let bygones be bygones, as I always say, and it’s nice to know that Barry Odom has turned the page, and hopefully, both hires will benefit both programs ahead of their respective 2023 campaigns.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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First-Year Expectations For Barry Odom At UNLV

What to expect from Odom.

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Barry Odom’s First-Year Expectations At UNLV

Odom Was Hired In December 2022

Contact/Follow @michaelbraydaly & @MWCwire

What Will Odom’s First Year Be Like At UNLV?

After being hired as UNLV’s next head coach, Barry Odom will look to put his own stamp on the program in his first season.

Odom was hired shortly after UNLV fired former head coach Marcus Arroyo in November. Arroyo’s firing came after UNLV finished the 2022 season with a 5-7 record. A clear message was sent that the university wanted to make a change at head coach.

The 2023 season will be Odom’s first season as a head coach since 2019. He was last a head coach at Missouri from 2016 to 2019. Odom went 25-25 and appeared in two bowl games across four seasons at Missouri. In the three seasons between head coaching jobs, Odom served as Arkansas’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator.

While Odom’s hiring at UNLV was unexpected by some, he brings more than 20 years worth of coaching experience to Las Vegas. Odom, a defensive-minded head coach, will be tasked with improving the team in all three phases.

Odom and his coaching staff will need to fill in the holes left by several key transfer departures. Brennan Marion was hired as UNLV’s next offensive coordinator in January. Marion is an innovative offensive mind and will implement his “Go-Go Offense” at UNLV.

There will be pressure on Odom to deliver a winning season in 2023. Arroyo was fired after recording the most amount of wins during his three-year tenure. Odom will be expected to do better than 5-7 in his first year with the Rebels.

UNLV has not made a bowl game since 2013. Odom will try to reach a bowl game at the start of his tenure. UNLV’s last winning season also came in 2013 and Odom will have to find a way to return the Rebels to glory.

You know who rules? Barry Odom rules

Former Arkansas defensive coordinator and current UNLV coach opens Rebels football practice for visiting Hogs basketball fans.

Barry Odom spent just three years in Fayetteville as Arkansas defensive coordinator. Fond memories, apparently.

Odom and the Razorbacks parted ways – somewhat mutually – after the past season. Technically, he took the head coaching job at Nevada-Las Vegas, though Arkansas’ defense – last in FBS in pass defense and 124th in total defense – suggested the time was right to move on. On Monday, Odom had a request for Arkansas fans.

“Rebels and Razorbacks in one place…Thursday morning we have Spring Practice #7 – come cheer on @unlvfootball and then grab some lunch before @RazorbackMBB #BEaREBEL,” he tweeted.

In other words, Odom is opening UNLV practice for Hogs fans who are in the city for the basketball that game. It’s a classy gesture for a guy who had his share of detractors from those same fans.

Good news is that fans often leave that stuff in the past when it passes. Odom was nothing but decent off the field, his Oklahoma-raised sensibilities meshed well with his head coach’s same and they played well a mere 15 minutes from the border.

UNLV hasn’t won more than five games in a football season since 2013. Odom last coached at Missouri from 2016-19 before being let go and joining Sam Pittman’s staff as defensive coordinator at Arkansas.

The Razorbacks basketball team tips against Connecticut in the Sweet 16 at 6:15 CT.

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Arkansas football lands five-star defensive back transfer from Georgia

In case you missed it: Arkansas football landed a former five-star defensive back from Georgia via the transfer portal on Tuesday.

[autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] and [autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] just landed the best remaining prospect in the transfer portal, five-star defensive back Jaheim Singletary from Georgia.

He was one of the most highly-sought high school prospects in the 2022 recruiting class and chose to sign with Georgia over Ohio State and Auburn. The Jacksonville (Fla.) native didn’t see any action and redshirted in his first season with Bulldogs before entering the portal in January.

Singletary is listed at 6-2, 175 pounds and according to his high school scouting report, has all of the tools to become and impressive cornerback for a Top 25 program thanks to his impressive length and instincts.

Arkansas finished dead last in the country in passing defense last season and lost a lot of contributors from that porous secondary, meaning that there were spots open for talented to players to contribute immediately. The Razorbacks also made some key staff additions in the offseason which seem to already be paying off.

[autotag]Travis Williams[/autotag] was hired as new defensive coordinator following [autotag]Barry Odom[/autotag]’s departure, and comes with a great recruiting background in key areas. He was hired shortly before [autotag]Marcus Woodson[/autotag] was brought on as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Woodson also has a well-respected recruiting background and helped bring in [autotag]Deron Wilson[/autotag] from Florida as secondary coach.

Arkansas will begin spring practices this Thursday, March 9. The Razorbacks will have 15 practices which culminate with the Red-White Game on April 15.

National writer dubs Arkansas football ‘losers’ after offseason coaching hires

Not everyone is a fan of Sam Pittman’s offseason moves. Razorbacks dubbed “losers” by one national writer after staff changes ahead of 2023 season.

[autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] may have had one of the busiest and stressful offseasons that an Arkansas coach has ever had. After the wheels fell off early in the 2022 season and the Razorbacks limped to a 7-6 finish, Pittman virtually cleaned house when it came to key staff members including both coordinators – [autotag]Barry Odom[/autotag] and [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag].

Odom left to become the next head coach at UNLV, which could’ve been expected at some point as he has previous head coaching experience and no signs of giving up on running his own program. The most unexpected move was Arkansas losing Briles, who left for the same position – offensive coordinator – at TCU, after receiving a raise to stay with the Razorbacks. Mississippi State made a serious push to bring Briles to Starkville before TCU did, which he then used as leverage to receive another raise. When he tried to do the same after the Horned Frogs came calling, Pittman and Briles parted ways.

Brandon Marcello, national writer for 247Sports.com, isn’t a huge fan of Arkansas losing both coordinators and in his latest column “Coaching Carousel: Winners and Losers” listed Arkansas among the “losers” of this offseason.

“Arkansas lost this offseason more than half of its staff, including both coordinators who deserve a heap of credit for the Razorbacks’ sudden turnaround in 2021,” said Marcello. “Change could be a good thing, sure. Either way, this is an inflection point in the Pittman era.”

To replace Odom, Pittman hired former UCF defensive coordinator Travis Williams and former Florida State defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson as co-defensive coordinator. As for replacing Briles, Pittman turned to a familiar face in Dan Enos to run the Arkansas offense after having previously served as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator from 2015-2017.

Williams and Woodson don’t have experience being coordinators at the SEC level and while Enos has plenty of SEC experience – including a pretty successful couple of seasons last time he was in Fayetteville – there’s going to be a big adjustment for he and his players. That could be the reason why Marcello isn’t very high on the Razorbacks entering a critical juncture in the Sam Pittman era.

One thing that Marcello didn’t highlight was the other hires that Pittman made this offseason which were widely applauded. He hired [autotag]Ben Sowders[/autotag] from Louisville as strength and conditioning coach, [autotag]Morgan Turner[/autotag] from Stanford as tight ends coach and [autotag]Deron Wilson[/autotag] from Florida as defensive backs coach.

I think if you zoom out and look at Arkansas’ offseason from a bigger perspective, Pittman did about the best job anyone could’ve in his position. Will all of these hires pan out and be considered “home runs” in the end? Time will tell.

For now, it’s best to have patience and see where this goes. Spring practices are right around the corner and that will give us a better glimpse into the future of Razorbacks football.

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Former LSU edge rusher commits to UNLV

Zavier Carter is heading out west after two seasons in Baton Rouge.

Former LSU outside linebacker [autotag]Zavier Carter[/autotag] has found a new home. On Monday, Carter announced that he would be transferring to UNLV to join newly hired coach [autotag]Barry Odom[/autotag], previously Arkansas‘ defensive coordinator and the head coach at Missouri.

A former four-star prospect out of Atlanta in the 2021 class, Carter appeared in 18 games over two seasons as a rotational player. He finished his LSU career with nine total tackles (one for loss), a sack and a forced fumble.

Carter’s decision to enter the portal came as a bit of a surprise. With the Tigers losing both [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] to the NFL draft, he had a path to see significant reps in 2023 if not start.

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Oklahoma’s Jeff Lebby among highest paid assistants in college football

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is among highest paid coordinators from 2022.

For the most part, the Oklahoma Sooners offense had a really good season. Jeff Lebby’s first season as offensive coordinator wasn’t perfect, but the offense was productive, had moments of explosiveness, and produced a 1,000-yard wide receiver, Marvin Mims, and a 1,000-yard rusher, Eric Gray.

The Sooners ranked 35th in the country in points per game, 32.9. Take away the 49-0 shutout, and the Sooners averaged 35.89 points per game, which would have moved them into the top 20 in the nation.

The Sooners were 18th in yards per game, ninth in plays per game and 24th in first downs per game.

Sure, there were moments the offense didn’t rise to the occasion. Specifically, third and fourth down were a struggle for the Sooners. Oklahoma converted on third down just 39.9% of the time and was worse on fourth down.

Heading into the offseason, the Sooners have to figure out their money-down offense. Their inability to convert on third and fourth down crushed this team, especially late in the season.

Because the offense had a lot of good moments, the Sooners could have won a few more games had the defense held up its end. Perhaps the biggest issue was not having a reasonable plan at quarterback when Dillon Gabriel went down.

Lebby didn’t trust Davis Beville to throw the ball and didn’t give him the chance in the second half of the TCU game or much in the Texas game. When it was clear Beville wasn’t the answer, they could have given Nick Evers some snaps to see if his athleticism could have provided a spark. Instead, Evers didn’t come in the game until the final few minutes and ran one series.

The Sooners have to find a better option at backup quarterback this offseason unless they believe that Jackson Arnold is the answer should something happen to Dillon Gabriel.

Lebby was among the highest-paid coordinators from the 2022 season, according to USA TODAY Sports. Here are the top 10.