Dan Enos Named Central Michigan Football Coach

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan Director of Athletics Dave Heeke has named Dan Enos as the university’s head football coach.

“We needed a person who will have a vision for a program that centers on the full development of student-athletes: academically, athletically and socially,” Heeke said. “We needed a person with a clear vision and understanding of how to further develop our championship caliber program for sustained success. Dan will do that.”

Enos is a veteran of nine bowl games as both a player and a coach, and he has spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at the Bowl Subdivision level. Enos has 15 years of experience coaching offensive skill positions, including five years as an offensive coordinator.

“It is a privilege and an honor to be the head football coach here,” Enos said. “My family and I are very excited about becoming part of the Central Michigan University family and the Mount Pleasant community. I’m looking forward to carrying on the proud tradition of CMU football into the future.”

Enos recently completed his fourth season on Mark Dantonio’s staff at Michigan State. He was the Spartans’ running backs coach each of the past three seasons after coaching the quarterbacks in 2006.

The Spartans’ backfield featured a pair of true freshmen in 2009, as Larry Caper and Edwin Baker combined to rush for 895 yards and seven touchdowns. Caper was named to the Big Ten All-Freshmen Teams by ESPN.com and Sporting News.

In 2008, Enos worked directly with one of the nation’s top running backs: Javon Ringer. Ringer led the nation in carries (390), scoring (132 points) and touchdowns (22) and ranked fourth in rushing (125.9 ypg) en route to being named a consensus first-team All-American. Ringer was the first Spartan running back to earn All-America honors since Lorenzo White in 1987. The consensus All-Big Ten First-Team selection rushed for 1,637 yards, the second-highest single-season total in school history.

In his first season coaching the Michigan State running backs, Enos mentored one of the top backfields in the Big Ten in Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick. Michigan State ranked third in the Big Ten and No. 25 in the NCAA in rushing offense, averaging 198.2 yards a game, an improvement of 69 yards per game over 2006. Ringer, a second-team All-Big Ten pick, and Caulcrick, an honorable mention selection, combined to rush for 2,319 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2007. Ringer led the Spartans in rushing for the third straight season with 1,447 yards, the sixth-best single-season total in MSU history, while Caulcrick set a school record with 21 rushing touchdowns.

Enos began his tenure at Michigan State in 2006 coaching the Spartans’ quarterbacks. He worked directly with Drew Stanton, who earned team MVP honors after accounting for 2,252 total yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. Stanton, who was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, finished his career ranked among MSU’s all-time leaders in completion percentage (first at .642), pass completions (second at 543), pass attempts (second at 846), passing yards (second at 6,524), total offense (second at 8,036 yards), 200-yard passing games (second at 18), pass efficiency rating (third at 138.7) and touchdown passes (fifth at 42).

Enos spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons as the quarterbacks coach on Dantonio’s staff at Cincinnati.

In 2005, his pupil Dustin Grutza became the first freshman quarterback to start a Cincinnati season opener (vs. Eastern Michigan) since World War II. Grutza, a redshirt freshman, finished fourth in the Big East Conference in total offense, averaging 165.0 yards per game.

In 2004, Enos helped hone the talents of Gino Guidugli, who closed out his career as Cincinnati’s all-time passing leader with 11,222 yards. As a senior, Guidugli completed 210-of-342 throws (.614) for 2,633 yards and a school-record 26 touchdowns while leading the Bearcats to a 7-5 record, including a 32-14 victory over Marshall in the Fort Worth Bowl. Guidugli ranked fifth in Conference USA and No. 15 in the NCAA in passing efficiency with his 146.5 rating.

Enos spent the 2003 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Craig Bohl at NCAA Division II North Dakota State, where he designed an offensive attack that averaged 30.1 points per game en route to an 8-3 record. Tony Stauss hit 220-of-325 passes (.677) for 2,134 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 2,134 passing yards represented the second-highest single-season total in Bison history.

Prior to his appointment at North Dakota State, he worked for three years as the quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan (2000-02) under Gary Darnell. In 2002, the Broncos finished fifth in the Mid-American Conference and No. 30 nationally in passing offense, averaging 256.1 yards per game. In 2001, Western Michigan ranked third in the MAC and No. 30 in the NCAA in passing offense (257.8 ypg). In 2000, the Broncos averaged 400.6 total yards and 29.9 points per game while posting a 9-3 record and winning the MAC West Division crown. Quarterback Jeff Welsh ranked fourth in the league in passing (211.4 ypg) and total offense (212.8 ypg).

In 1999, Enos served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Missouri State under Randy Ball. The Bears ranked among the NCAA Division I-AA leaders in passing offense (No. 22 at 258.8 ypg), scoring offense (No. 23 at 33.9 ppg) and total offense (No. 30 at 417.8 ypg). Quarterback Jay Rodgers finished among the national leaders in passing efficiency (No. 9 with a 150.1 rating) and total offense (No. 20 at 251.6 ypg), and he set school single-season records for completion percentage (.632), passing yards (2,741), touchdown passes (24) and total yards (2,768). Rodgers had three 300-yard passing games in 1999, including 395 yards versus Southern Illinois - the second-best single-game total in Bear history.

His full-time coaching credits also include stops at Southern Illinois (quarterbacks and wide receivers, 1997-98), Northern Michigan (offensive coordinator/backfield, 1996) and Lakeland College (offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks and wide receivers, 1994-95). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for George Perles at Michigan State (1991-93).

Enos was a four-year letterman (1987-90) and two-year starter (1989-90) at quarterback at Michigan State, compiling a 16-7-1 record (.688) as a starter. He led the Spartans to back-to-back bowl victories: a 33-13 win over Hawaii in the 1989 Aloha Bowl and a 17-16 win over Southern California in the 1990 John Hancock Bowl. As a senior, Enos threw for 1,677 yards and four touchdowns while helping the Spartans earn a share of the 1990 Big Ten championship. Enos still ranks among Michigan State’s all-time top 10 in pass attempts (No. 10 at 478), pass completions (No. 10 at 297), completion percentage (No. 3 at .621), passing yards (No. 10 at 3,837) and total yards (No. 8 at 4,301).

Enos earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan State in 1991 and received a master’s degree in sports administration in 2006. A native of Dearborn, Mich., Enos earned all-state honors as a senior for Coach Jack Bridges at Edsel Ford High School. He accounted for 5,743 total yards and 46 touchdowns during his prep career.

Big Ten: Spartans LeSick with a LeFevour

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

For Michigan State’s showdown with the Chippewas of Central Michigan, I was figuring the quarterbacks in green would out-play the all-time MAC leader in yards, Dan LeFevour. It’s too late for take-backs, so let’s give LeFevour his due. The “Tim Tebow of the Midwest” finished 33-for-46 for 328 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for ten yards and caught one pass for 24 yards deep in Michigan State territory on a throwback pass from wide receiver Antonio Brown.

The biggest play came late, when LeFevour connected for his third touchdown pass with under a minute left in the game on a wheel route to Paris Cotton out of the backfield. A failed two-point conversion attempt (going for the win) forced Central Michigan to attempt an onside kick, which was executed perfectly by kicker Andrew Aquila. LeFevour then guided the ball down to Michigan State’s 25, where Aquila squeezed his kick just inside the uprights to solidify the upset 29-27.

On the other side of the ball, Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol combined for 16-of-26 passing, 215 yards and two touchdowns. I like that the new gunslingers are yet to throw an interception. But as a team, the Spartans were unable to give themselves enough possessions to finish off the Chippewas–they lost the time-of-possession battle 33:25 to 26:35. That won’t cut it when Michigan State is lacking consistent quick-strike capabilities, despite marching down the field in exactly 2:00 to score the opening touchdown of the game.

In individual performances, receiver Blair White looks solid, hauling in seven receptions for 105 yards (on top of his 9-for-162, two touchdowns last week). Stud linebacker Greg Jones, without having official statistics, had his name called often, and as predicted, is making life less than pleasant blitzing quarterbacks more so this season.

All is far from lost for Michigan State, but certainly momentum takes a big hit, especially with Notre Dame next on the schedule. I hate to say “must win” just yet, but if they lose next week, they then have Wisconsin sandwiched between their in-state showdown with Michigan to kick off conference action.

Photos Courtesy of Michigan State Athletic Communications, Robert Barclay Central Michigan

MOTOR CITY BOWL NOTES: FAU 27, CMU 24

Big Game Russ

“When pressure rises, it’s one of my strong points not to crack under the pressure,” Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith told CFI Radio after his first practice in Detroit for the Motor City Bowl. “I don’t really know where I got it from. It’s just something where I’ve been able to stay calm whenever the pressure builds up.”

Smith, or Big Red as he is known (his father is Bigger Red), was at his big game best once again. It wasn’t the five-touchdown performance he had a year ago at the New Orleans Bowl, but it wasn’t too shabby either. Smith completed 20-of-35 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns (zero interceptions).

Throughout the game, Smith did a nice job going through his progressions and the Jacksonville native made throws outside the hash marks with relative ease, working the sidelines on several occasions. His arm doesn’t warrant comparison to Matthew Stafford’s, but it appears to strong enough to “make all the throws” – there was more than enough zip on his passes.

The FAU signal caller shows good pocket presence and steps up when pressured--he doesn’t panic.

Smith has an unorthodox throwing motion, which seems to impact his accuracy more than his arm strength. Several passes sailed on him, particularly when he stepped up in the pocket. Rolling to his right, Smith looked good, displaying a strong arm when he was able to square his shoulders on a pretty 53-yard touchdown pass to Chris Bonner.

His completion percentage was also hurt by drops – leading receiver Cortez Gent dropped two passes – a problem all year for the Owls.

Smith also needs to work on his ball security. Twice he fumbled the football (lost one) and the second time he wasn’t even hit that hard by the defender. Protecting the football should be a point of emphasis for the soon-to-be senior quarterback.

A second straight bowl win adds another building block for the FAU program, a piece that didn’t appear would come this season when they were 1-5 and Smith had only five touchdown passes to go with nine interceptions. With the win over Central Michigan, the Owls ended the year on a 6-1 run with Smith’s touchdown-to-interception ratio improving to 19-to-5.

What was different?

“Not taking everything into my own hands,” was Smith’s answer. “Early on in the season I was trying to do a little too much, trying to force passes that really weren’t there. I realized it’s not really helping the team if I’m trying to do too much, so I decided I should take what the defense gave me and not try and force a 20-yard throw that wasn’t there. I realized if I could hit a five-yard route, the receiver would catch it and get 15 yards.”

Killer Hankies

Number One: With the score tied at 10 in the third quarter, it appeared CMU were going to force Florida Atlantic to punt…until they were flagged for roughing the passer. So instead of giving up the ball, the Owls had a first down on the 48-yard line, setting up Rusty Smith’s 52-yard scoring strike for a 17-10 lead. IMPACT: Minus seven points

Number Two: Antonio Brown breaks off a 78-yard scoring scamper to take a 20-17 lead…until a face mask penalty brought it all the way back. On the next play, they ran the same exact reverse to Brown, but this time he lost six yards and CMU had to punt the football. IMPACT: Minus seven points (Total = 14 points lost)

Number Three: Down 24-13, the Chippewas drove to the FAU one yard line with a chance to pull within one-score…until a false start penalty pushed them back to the six-yard line. There is not a worse spot on the field to commit a false start penalty. Dan LeFevour threw incompletions on the next two plays and they turned the ball over on downs. IMPACT: Minus eight points potentially (Total = 14-22 points lost)

Of course, one might ask, WHY ARE THEY GOING FOR IT? Inexplicably, Coach Butch Jones went for it on fourth-and-goal from the six-yard line with over 5:00 remaining. A field goal would have cut it to an eight-point game. Jones’ decision added insult to penalty.

Defensive Studs

Senior inside linebacker Frantz Joseph was all over the field, recording a team-high 13 tackles. Joseph is a big time hitter who takes names later and possesses good timing in open field when looking to lay the wood.

You can’t run right at Joseph – he’s a very sure tackler. He has excellent footwork and does a good job of sliding by potential blockers and squaring up to the ball carrier.

Joseph stays on the field in passing situations – he’s a legit three-down linebacker. He made an excellent open field tackle on Central Michigan’s playmaking wide out/return man Antonio Brown, allowing zero yards after the catch. Later in the game, Joseph knocked down a fourth down pass in the end zone, preserving the Owls’ 11-point lead.

Effort is not an issue, as Joseph doesn’t give up on plays. Even when he doesn’t make initial play, he cleans up a lot.

A couple of times, Joseph was pushed around by the Chippewas offensive line; disengaging is something he needs to work on, but it’s nothing to be too concerned about. He also can get a little too deep penetrating the offensive backfield, losing sight of the football.

Not as explosive as Joseph, but solid in his own right was CMU’s middle linebacker Nick Bellore, who recorded 12 tackles. The junior displayed good closing speed in zone coverage and quickness when he pounced on a Smith fumble. Bellore was active throughout the contest.

Unsung Heroes

Fullback Willie Rose was one of the top prospects on either team, paving the way for many of FAU’s rushing yards with his excellent lead blocks and providing solid pass protection to boot. Not just an extra offensive linemen, Rose saw some time as the lone running back in one-back sets. He showed good vision and showed toughness inside when asked to run the football. Coming out of the backfield, he can catch the ball and make yards once he gets the ball in his hands.

Following Rose’s blocks much of the time was senior tailback Charles Pierre, a physical runner who possesses good size. Pierre runs hard and is not afraid to put his hat down. Even when he was heading out of bounds, the tailback put his head down to get a little hit in on defender. He gained most of his yards (16 carries, 77 yards) running between the tackles, using his center of gravity and balance. Even when contact is made, Pierre keeps his legs churning.

He played his final game with passion and tremendous poise, so it was no surprise that headman Howard Schnellenberger went to his senior runner to milk the final minutes to secure the win. The Owls took over with 3:09 remaining in the game and Pierre touched the ball on five straight plays, converting three first downs before Smith took a knee on the final two plays of the game.

In the Trenches

Several of the top players and pro prospects will not see their name in the box score, but FAU guard Ryan Wischnefski and CMU tackle Andrew Hartline each made his presence felt. Wischnefski, just a sophomore, did an excellent job of run blocking which is where Pierre did most of his damage. Most of the Chippewas’ productive runs came when they ran behind senior Hartline, who made his 51st straight start.

On the first play of the game, Central’s defensive end Frank Zombo read screen pass, got his hands up and deflected the pass. He was quiet for most of the day, but did record a half a tackle for a loss and his pressure on Smith set up a sack for a teammate. For the Owls, their most productive defensive lineman was senior Jervonte Jackson. The defensive tackle was able to get penetration, as well as a couple of big hits on the Chippewas’ quarterback Dan LeFevour. A bit undersized to play on the inside, Jackson can get beat up physically, but has the quickness to make impact plays.

Stars of Tomorrow

Central Michigan: WR Kiro Poblah, Sophomore; LB Matt Berning, Sophomore; DT Sean Murnane, Sophomore; Florida Atlantic: CB Tarvoris Hill, Sophomore

Motor City Bowl: FAU vs. Central Michigan

By J.J. PESAVENTO

December 26 * 7:30 PM * ESPN

All eyes will be on quarterback Dan LeFevour as he leads his 8-4 Chippewas against Florida Atlantic. LeFevour can hurt a defense with his arm or his legs and led the MAC Conference in total offense in 2008. When he looks downfield, LeFevour will be targeting Antonio Brown and Bryan Anderson. When LeFevour is not moving the offense himself, look for running back Ontario Sneed to tote the rock for the Chippewas. Central Michigan has two standout defensive performers in Nick Bellore and Frank Zambo, but the defense ranks near the bottom of the pack in both pass defense and total defense. During the second half of the 2008 season, quarterback Rusty Smith threw 17 of his 22 touchdown passes and led the Owls to five wins in six games to gain a spot in the Motor City Bowl. The Owls have allowed only 12 sacks all season which has given Smith more than enough time to find receivers Cortez Gent and Jamari Grant, as well as tight end Rob Housler. The Owls live by the pass, but when they do run, Charles Pierre will get the call. The Owls have a stud defender in linebacker Frantz Joseph who ranks second in the nation in tackles. But like CMU, the defense as a whole is a weakness.

Inside the Numbers – Pass, Run & Catch

Central Michigan Chippewas (8-4, 6-2)
Pass: Dan LeFevour – 2,531 yards, 19 TDs
Run: Dan LeFevour – 536 yards, 6 TDs
Catch: Antonio Brown – 82-906-6 TDs

Florida Atlantic Owls (6-6, 4-3)
Pass: Rusty Smith – 2,918 yards, 22 TDs
Run: Charles Pierre – 937 yards, 8 TDs
Catch: Cortez Gent – 53-837-8 TDs

Photo Credit: Central Michigan University

LISTEN NOW! CFI Radio: CFI Weekly

CFI WEEKLY - MONDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2008

The latest on the BCS, what a playoff mess might look like, the worst year ever in Michigan, the worst four years ever at Syracuse and a welcome back to the Miami Hurricanes. Plus a look back at Week 12 and ahead to Week 13.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Head Coach Butch Jones, Central Michigan
Christopher Mogollon, Big East Insider
(On Location from Syrcause on the
Greg Robinson Firing)
Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald

Click to Listen to Monday's Show

Photo Credit: University of Miami Sports Media Relations Office

BCS Busters - Players of the Week

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

QB Brian Brunner, Central Michigan
Not your average backup, Brunner stepped in and set a school-record with his 485 passing yards. The senior threw four touchdown passes and ran for the game-winning score in the Chippewas’ 37-34 win over Indiana.

Honorable Mention: Devin Moore, RB, Wyoming: 234 yards, three touchdowns

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

LB Maurice Kitchens, Marshall
Kitchens made big plays all game long in the Thundering Herd’s win over Houston. Kitchens recorded eight tackles (1.5 TFLs), a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery, which he returned 80 yards, setting up a touchdown.

Honorable Mention: Jerry Hughes, LB, TCU: four tackles, two sacks, one pass defensed

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

K/P Louie Sakoda, Utah
With Utah clinging to a 13-10 lead, Sakoda pinned New Mexico at their own one-yard line with 1:58 remaining in the game, his fourth punt inside the Lobos’ 20-yard line. He also made two field goals (38 & 43 yards) in the Utes’ win.

Honorable Mention: Phillip Livas, KR/PR, La. Tech: 81-yard punt return for touchdown

Photo Credit: Robert Barclay, Central Michigan University