Tag: Indiana

Watch: Former Notre Dame player was fired as NFL coach at halftime

Bet you haven’t heard this story.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ putrid performance against the Las Vegas Raiders cost coach Brandon Staley his job.

In fact, during Amazon’s halftime report, Richard Sherman wondered out loud if Staley should still have a job in the second half. While it turned out to be Staley’s final half coaching the Chargers, a halftime dismissal would have put him in extremely rare company.

YouTuber JaguarGator9 tracked down the only time a coach didn’t survive a game. It was [autotag]Frank Coughlin[/autotag], the captain of Notre Dame’s 1920 squad after [autotag]George Gipp[/autotag]’s withdrawal from the university. He was named coach of the Rock Island Independents, one of the NFL’s founding franchises, for 1921. The problem was he also was a practicing lawyer in South Bend and refused to move to Rock Island, so he was barely around for practices.

JaguarGator9 explains it all here starting at 5:55:

So, yeah, it was clear Coughlin was not cut out for coaching. To his credit, he went on to a very successful legal career as a St. Joseph County prosecutor and Indiana’s assistant attorney general under two governors. When it comes to pro football though, he is notorious for all the wrong reasons.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Report: Former Wisconsin coach set to be retained under new staff at Indiana

Report: Former Wisconsin coach set to be retained under new staff at Indiana

The Indiana Hoosiers made a few splashes in the last few weeks, firing longtime head coach Tom Allen after a disastrous 3-9 season. It then hired one of the hotter coaching names on the market: former James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti.

Cignetti had the Dukes at 11-1 this season after an 8-3 2022 campaign. He is no Jonathan Smith (former Oregon State coach, now at Michigan State), but the college football world agrees he did a terrific job at James Madison.

One piece of Cignetti taking over at Indiana is how he’ll handle the staff around him. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported there is one assistant coach set to be retained: former Wisconsin offensive line coach Bob Bostad.

Bostad was in Madison from 2006-2011 as tight ends coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach. He then was the program’s inside linebackers coach from 2017-2021, before Paul Chryst moved him to coach the offensive line entering the 2022 season. Once Chryst was fired, Bostad took a job under Allen at Indiana.

Bostad is experienced along the offensive line, knows how to recruit the midwest and has a good track record as an assistant coach. Cignetti’s move to retain him with the new staff should prove to be a smart one.

Former Vols’ quality control analyst expected to be hired at Indiana

Former Tennessee football quality control analyst expected to be hired at Indiana.

Curt Cignetti was hired as Indiana’s head coach on Thursday.

“I am very excited to welcome Curt Cignetti as the head football coach at Indiana University,” Indiana athletics director Scott Dolson said. “We had a very talented and deep pool of candidates, and Curt stood out thanks to an incredible track record of success over more than four decades in college football. As a head coach he’s succeeded everywhere he’s been, and as an assistant he has been a part of championship cultures while working alongside some of the game’s best coaches.”

Cignetti served as head coach at James Madison (2019-23), Elon (2017-18) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2011-16).

Cignetti is expected to hire former Tennessee quality control analyst Tino Sunseri on his Indiana coaching staff, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Sunseri was with the Vols in 2018.

He served as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at James Madison.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Former Wisconsin HC passed over for two head coach openings

Report: Former Wisconsin HC being considered for several job openings

Former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst did not spend much time away from college football after the Badgers fired him last October.

He quickly took an analyst job with Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns, where he has spent this season aiding what is currently an 11-1 football team with a chance to go to the College Football Playoff.

There were questions, somehow, about whether Chryst still had the desire to be a head coach and lead a program in today’s climate. After all, part of his departure from Wisconsin was reportedly due to him and AD Chris McIntosh not seeing eye-to-eye on how to operate in the current age of college football.

Well, a recent report made it seem like Chryst was ready to put his hat in the ring for a few open jobs. Portland, Oregon sportswriter Kerry Eggers reported last weekend that Oregon State is considering Chryst, and that he’d be interviewing there on Monday. He also added that Chryst is being considered for the Indiana opening after it fired longtime HC Tom Allen.

Then, in the last week, Oregon State elevated defensive coordinator Trent Bray to head coach, while Indiana hired former James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti. Neither went through and hired Chryst, and it’s unknown how much consideration each program gave him.

Nevertheless, we’re starting to see Chryst’s name in the ongoing coach carousel. So the long-time Badger coach could be finding a new home sooner rather than later.

Report: Indiana fires Tom Allen

An in-state coaching change to keep an eye on

As the college football regular season comes to an end it’s a day to keep an eye on coaching firings.  One hit early Sunday as Indiana has fired coach Tom Allen after seven seasons in charge.  The original report came from the Indy Star.

Allen finishes his Indiana tenure at 33-49 overall and 18-43 in Big Ten play.

It’s the second year in a row Notre Dame sees an in-state Big Ten team going through a coaching change.  Last year Jeff Brohm left Purdue to take the Louisville job.

Notre Dame and Indiana are slated to meet again for a home-and-home series in the 2030 and 2031 seasons.

Related: Notre Dame future schedules and opponents

Projecting the College Football Playoff’s Top 10

A best guess at what the top ten will look like later tonight when the College Football Playoffs announce their first rankings of the year.

Later this evening the College Football Playoff committee will release their first set of rankings this year. Since 2014, the first year of the CFP, they really have been the only rankings that really matter. Yes, the Amway Coaches and AP Polls are still important, but they don’t get you into the playoffs. Here is a best guess as what the top 10 will look like when the rankings are released later tonight.

Indiana defeats Lady Vols in Fort Myers Tip-Off

Indiana defeats Lady Vols in Fort Myers Tip-Off.

No. 19 Indiana (4-1) defeated No. 21 Tennessee (3-2), 71-57, Thursday in the Elevance Health Women’s Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Lady Vols trailed, 33-21, at halftime after the Hoosiers converted seven of their last eight shots in the second quarter. Tennessee never led in the contest and trailed by as many as 21 points.

Sara Puckett totaled 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists. She was one of three Lady Vols to score 10-plus against Indiana, which led, 12-9, after the first quarter.

Karoline Striplin scored 13 points, including 11 in the second half.

Jasmine Powell returned to the Lady Vols’ lineup after an injury and totaled 12 points and six rebounds.

Yarden Garzon led the Hoosiers with 23 points. She also recorded five rebounds and five assists.

PHOTOS: Kellie Harper through the years

Michigan State football QB Katin Houser named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Katin Houser named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Following a road win over conference rival Indiana, Michigan State football redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

Houser went 25-for-39 in the win, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns. However, it wasn’t a perfect day for Houser, as he did throw two interceptions, but he did get the job done.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Wisconsin lost to the worst team in the Big Ten yesterday

Wisconsin lost to the worst team in the Big Ten yesterday

There’s no way to sugarcoat Wisconsin’s 20-14 loss to Indiana.

Some will look around the Big Ten West and see Nebraska and Minnesota both lose, and project future Iowa losses given its offensive woes. But it’s hard to project any positive outcome with this Badgers team after a loss to ESPN SP+’s No. 95 team in the nation and worst in the Big Ten.

There are two ways to look at the loss and the ongoing season…

A realist would note that this is Luke Fickell’s first year and the team is without its top quarterback, top two running backs and top receiver.

A pessimist would look at the schedule and explain this Wisconsin team is possibly a pick-six against Rutgers and a last-minute touchdown to a backup tackle away from being 1-5 in-conference. And that there has been nothing redeemable about this Badgers team, but rather an apparent inability to be ready to play when the game kicks off each Saturday.

Either way, there will be more games and more seasons to decide the Fickell era at Wisconsin. But Year 1 can be called a disaster after a loss to barely a top-100 team in the sport.

Photos from Notre Dame’s exhibition win over Hanover

The new-look Irish finally take the court.

Notre Dame’s season officially won’t begin for another week, but Irish fans got a taste of it Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish dominated Hanover, a Division III school in the southeastern part of Indiana, in a 96-62 exhibition win. Hanover most likely didn’t expect to come out on top but surely was grateful for the opportunity to come to South Bend.

This was the first time fans saw the new-look Irish in action. Highly touted freshman and Mishawaka native [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] was the game’s high scorer with 18 points. Zionsville native [autotag]Logan Imes[/autotag] and [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag], son of new Irish coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], both had 14 points. [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag] and [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag], two of the few incumbents on the roster, scored 12 apiece.

Don’t let this game fool you. The Irish very much are a work in progress, and the growing pains will be evident throughout the season. For now though, enjoy the photos from the winning exhibition: