Midseason Check: 17 Power 4 First-Year Coaches — SkimNews
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- Bob Chesney has UCLA at 6-0 in his first season, including a win at Autzen Stadium for the first time since 2004 (seven takeaways against Oregon) and a 151-point combined output against Cal, Purdue and Maryland, but lost starting QB Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending injury.
- Morgan Scalley has Utah at 6-0 after replacing Kyle Whittingham (who left for Michigan), with the Utes ranking No. 8 nationally in scoring (40.2 PPG), No. 18 in rushing (220.2 YPG), and outscoring opponents 75-3 in first quarters.
- Will Stein has Kentucky at 6-1 with three SEC road wins (at Texas A&M, South Carolina, Oklahoma), tying Georgia for the league lead at 4-1, though the Wildcats rank 130th in FBS third-down defense and 116th in passing yards allowed.
- Pete Golding has Ole Miss at 5-1, leading the nation in red zone touchdown percentage (21 of 24 trips) and ranking No. 13 in passing offense (290.7 YPG), though explosive plays have dropped from 151 last year to 50 through the first half.
- Jon Sumrall has Florida at 5-2, opening 4-0 behind 214 points and 7.6 yards per play before back-to-back blowout losses, then pulling off a road upset at Texas with backup QB Tramell Jones Jr.
- Michigan's Kyle Whittingham and Penn State's Matt Campbell are both still winless in Big Ten play, while their replacements — Utah's Scalley and Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers — have held up nicely in their own transitions.
Why it matters: Five first-year hires have their teams at 5-1 or better (Chesney, Scalley, Stein, Golding, Sumrall), while Michigan's Kyle Whittingham and Penn State's Matt Campbell remain winless in Big Ten play — a gap at blue-blood programs that reframes the 12-team College Football Playoff picture with the season past its midpoint.
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