Michigan State Coach Watch: Lance Leipold, Johnathan Smith notch big wins

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State is in its fourth week of transitioning from the Mel Tucker era to whatever is next in Spartan football. Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller announced last week that a search for the Spartans’ next head football coach is officially underway.

On Sept. 18, SpartanMag.com released an unofficial list of candidates that were likely at that time to be on the radar for those at Michigan State tasked with finding the school’s next head coach. Some of those coaches have gotten off to a poor start this season and have fallen from SpartanMag.com’s Coach Watch List, while others seem to be in the process of improving their resumés.

Below is a list of the candidates on SpartanMag.com’s Watch List and how they fared during Week Six of the college football season, in chronological order.

*Jamey Chadwell, head coach, Liberty
Liberty 21, Sam Houston State 16

THE LATEST: Jamey Chadwell and Liberty struggled against a 0-5 Sam Houston State on Thursday night. After jumping out to a 7-point lead just two-minutes into the game, Liberty allowed Sam Houston State to drive 85 yards in 12 plays, burning 6:00 off the clock. Sam Houston State took a 10-7 lead after Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter was picked off on the next offensive drive. Liberty’s offense scored 14 unanswered points and held on to win 21-16.

Liberty sits at No. 11 in the nation for total offense, averaging 7.25 yards per play, and 490.4 yards per game. The Flames have the No. 2 rushing attack in the country with 1,276 yards on 224 rushes (5.70 yards/rush).

Liberty is playing Jacksonville State (5-1), coached by Rich Rodriguez, on Tuesday night in a showdown for first place in Conference USA.

*Brian Hartline, offensive coordinator and wide receivers, Ohio State
Ohio State 37, Maryland 17

THE LATEST: The Buckeyes’ offense sputtered in the first-half of Saturday’s game, as Ohio State was tied with Maryland 10-10 heading into halftime. Ohio State’s offense found a rhythm in the third quarter and poured on 27 points in the second-half to take down Maryland, 37-17, in Columbus.

Ohio State has the No. 17 passing offense in the country. Wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka lead the team in receptions with 25 and 22, respectively. The Buckeyes’ offense has 1,514 passing yards, nine touchdown receptions, and is averaging 14.56 yards per completion.

Ohio State plays at Purdue on Saurday

*Jason Candle, head coach, Toledo
Toledo 41, UMass 24

THE LATEST: Toledo took down UMass (1-6), and built a 21-point lead in the third-quarter. The Rockets moved to 5-1 on the season, winning five-straight following a loss to Illinois on opening night. Candle’s team – led by former Detroit King quarterback, Dequan Finn – is ranked No. 15 in the nation in total offense. The Rockets’ offense has accumulated 2,839 yards on the season, averaging 6.99 yards per play. Toledo has scored 32 offensive touchdowns in six games.

Toledo plays at Ball State (1-5) this weekend while a showdown with 5-1 Miami looms on Oct. 21.

*Charles Huff, head coach, Marshall
North Carolina State 48, Marshall 41

THE LATEST: Third-year head coach Charles Huff has Marshall off to a 4-1 start this season. The Thundering Herd traveled to Raleigh, N.C., where it faced its second Power Five opponent of the season in Dave Doeren and NC State. Going on the road and losing by one score to a credible Power Five opponent is a positive checkpoint on Huff’s resume. Earlier in the season, Marshall defeated Virginia Tech, 24-17. Marshall’s defense is ranked No. 48 in the nation, but struggled on Saturday. NC State quarterback MJ Morris threw four touchdowns passes. The Herd kept the game close, picking off Morris three times, but ultimately fell just short, 48-41.

Marshall has challenging Sun Belt Conference games coming up, starting against 4-1 Georgia State on Saturday, followed by 5-0 James Madison, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.

*Dave Doeren, head coach, North Carolina State
North Carolina State 48, Marshall 41

THE LATEST: Dave Doeren, in his 11th year at NC State, has the Wolfpack 4-2 off to start, with NC State’s losses being to Notre Dame in week two and Louisville in week five. NC State’s defense – which is ranked No. 38 in the country – held its first five opponents below 24 points. SpartanMag has not detected that Doeren is a legitimate candidate for the Michigan State coaching job at this time. A season with 10 or more wins could have put him on the radar, but a near defeat against Marshall didn’t help his darkhorse status. Doeren, was defensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2008-10, and went 23-4 in two years at Northern Illinois. His next win will be his 100th.

*Lance Leipold, head coach, Kansas
Kansas 51, UCF 22

THE LATEST: Kansas jumped out to a 31-0 lead early in the third quarter and coasted to dominant victory in Big 12 play against Gus Malzahn and Central Florida. UCF went 9-4, and 9-5 in Malzahn’s first two seasons, and is 3-3 this season. Kansas’s victory over UCF, along with sound victories over Illinois (34-23) and BYU (38-27) gives the Jayhawks three wins this season over teams that went to bowl games in 2022. BYU is 4-1 with victories over Cincinnati and Arkansas, but was outclassed by Kansas.

Kansas’ lone loss was 40-14 at No. 3 Texas on Sept. 30. Kansas played without its starting QB due to injury in that game, and trailed 13-7 at halftime but lost touch with the Longhorns late in the third quarter.

Kansas plays at 3-2 Oklahoma State this weekend and will then face No. 5 Oklahoma on Oct. 28, after a bye week.

The 59-year-old Leipold is in his third year at Kansas and seems to have the Jayhawks revving up toward a red-letter season.

*Jake Dickert, head coach, Washington State
UCLA 25, Washington State 17

THE LATEST: Washington State moved to 4-1 on the season falling to UCLA, 25-7, on Saturday. The Cougars led 17-12 after three quarters, but allowed UCLA to score 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter in a massive early-season Pac-12 game. Washington State was coming off a bye week following a major win over a then-No. 14 Oregon State, 38-35. A victory would have vaulted Washington State near the Top 10 and added sizzle to Dickert’s stock. Instead, Washington State will try to get on track against Arizona this weekend before a potential bellwether game at Oregon on Oct. 21.

The Cougars have a shot of finishing the regular season 9-3, with winnable games coming up against Arizona State, California, Stanford and Colorado. The game against Deion Sanders and Colorado on Nov. 17, the week before the Cougars face in-state rival Washington, could loom as a huge national-stage game for Dickert.

Washington State’s has the No. 18 ranked offense in the country with 2,245 yards and 24 touchdowns. The Cougars’ passing attack is ranked No. 2 – trailing only Washington – with 16 touchdown receptions and 13.34 yards per completion.

*PJ Fleck, head coach, Minnesota
Michigan 52, Minnesota 10

THE LATEST: Fleck’s candidacy took a hit on Saturday with a 52-10 loss to No. 2 Michigan on Saturday in Minneapolis. Minnesota has lost three of its last four games, including a 37-34 overtime loss to Northwestern and a 31-13 loss at No. 20 North Carolina.

Minnesota has a bye week before a chance to reverse course in a key game at Iowa on Oct. 21. A week later, Michigan State visits Minnesota.

*Johnathan Smith, head coach, Oregon State
Oregon State 52, Cal 40

THE LATEST: Oregon State is 5-1 and ranked No. 15 after defeating Cal, 52-40, on Saturday. Beavers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, a transfer from Clemson, scored five-touchdowns and completed 19-25 passes. Smith’s team is ranked No. 28 in total offense with 30 touchdowns and an average of 449.2 yards per game. On the opposite side of the ball, Oregon State has the No. 30 defense in the nation. The Cougars are holding opponents to 5.12 yards per play and 325.7 yards per game.

Oregon State has a huge game against No. 18 UCLA at home on Saturday. It’s a big game for the Pac-12 championship hopes of each school, and also a massive opportunity for Smith’s coaching resumé, if he has sights on leaving Corvalis at some point.

Oregon State has winnable games against Arizona, Colorado and Stanford before a pair of steep challenges against No. 7 Washington and at No. 8 Oregon wrap up the season.

(Jim Comparoni contributed to this report).

BYE WEEK:

*Mike Elko, head coach, Duke
*Kalen Deboer, head coach, Washington

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