A New Coach Joins the NCAA Ranks - JDRAKE349's Blog

JDRAKE349's Blog

A New Coach Joins the NCAA Ranks

Posted on May 14, 2016 at 12:22 AM.

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We pick up this story in 2013 with coach Joe Drake and the Kent State Golden Flashes. Coach Drake is the offensive coordinator for KSU, under head coach Paul Haynes. The OC position at Kent State was coach Drake's first job at the coordinator level for an FBS school after climbing the ranks at his alma mater, Maine, followed by UConn. The 27-year old was ready for the big time.

Drake brought an aggressive power spread with him to Kent State and with it, he and Paul Haynes would take over the MAC. Based reads and options plays from the pistol and shotgun, Drake's offense uses the run to batter and befuddle opponents before ripping a play action pass down the field for a score. With so many different plays that look alike, by the time the fourth quarter rolls around, defenses can't tell what's coming until it's too late.

Given the keys to the offense, Drake, along with quarterback Colin Reardon and senior halfback Trayion Durham were ready to make their statement. And boy, did they. Reardon seemed to be a natural fit to run the offense. He could keep the ball on a triple option, make a linebacker miss and bulldoze a defensive back for a first down and then drop a 25-yard pass into a receiver's hands on the very next play.

While Reardon gave Drake and Kent State options, the biggest star was the halfback, Durham. Trayion Durham is built like a power back but has the speed and elusiveness to slip out of tackles as well. He became the bellcow for the Golden Flashes, barrelling between the tackles and taking pitches on the outside. It didn't matter where you gave him the ball, he could take it to the house -- and he did so often. With the defense needing to respect all the potential threats of Drake's offense, they could never fully commit themselves to containing Durham and he made them all pay.

Kent State rode the legs of Durham and the arm of Reardon to a ton of success in 2013. The dynamic duo helped bring home a MAC championship to Kent State, but was unable to earn a W in their bowl game. When all was said and done, the Golden Flashes posted an impressive 11-3 record, but the greatest achievement belongs Trayion Durham. Durham became the first player in Kent State history to win the Heisman Trophy. He racked up over 1600 rushing yards on just 211 carries (a YPC of 7.66) and found paydirt 27 times, leading the nation.

All good things must come to an end, though. As the Kent State faithful suspected would happen, their terrific season build on Drake's new offense would attract many suitors from around the country. After being courted by a few programs, coach Drake agreed to terms with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to become their next head coach in 2014.

Now, the ink is dry and coach Drake is officially a Ragin' Cajun. The offseason for a coach changing jobs is even shorter than normal and coach is already immersed in the never-ending work of a head coach. We'll pick up the story after the preseason as he leads UL Lafayette into his inaugural head coaching season.