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Meyer Begins Assembling New Coaching Staff
12/17/2002 12:00 AM | Football
Dec. 17, 2002
SALT LAKE CITY -
New University of Utah head football coach Urban Meyer began assembling his coaching staff by inviting two Ute assistants to stay and bringing four assistants with him from Bowling Green.
Perhaps Meyer's biggest coup was retaining defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham, whose unit has led the MWC in scoring defense since 1998, came to Utah as a defensive line coach back in 1994. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1995. The other holdover from the previous Ute staff, Bill Busch, has coached the safeties for the past two years.
"Kyle (Whittingham) and I knew what we wanted right from the start. It was just a question of working out the details," said Meyer. "I am excited to have such a highly respected coach stay with the program. Kyle has done a tremendous job here and he truly loves the University of Utah. Bill Busch impressed me as someone I wanted to keep as well. Together, they will help ease the transition that always occurs when there is a new coaching staff."
The four coaches who came with Meyer from Ohio were part of his original staff at BGSU, which went 17-6 during their two years there (2001-02). They are: wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen, offensive tackles/tight ends coach John Hevesy and offensive guards/centers coach Greg Studrawa.
"Those four played an integral role in our offensive success at Bowling Green," said Meyer of his incoming coaches. "They are talented, energetic and enthusiastic, and they are excited about what they can help achieve here in Salt Lake City."
Whittingham is largely credited with Utah's incredible defensive success since the mid-'90s. Utah led the conference in total defense in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2002. His defense has finished in the nation's top 20 in a national statistical category 13 different times since 1995. This past season, Utah led the league in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense, ranking No. 12 in the nation in the latter. But Whittingham-coached defenses are best known for keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Utah has led the MWC in scoring defense for the past five years, while ranking No. 13, 12, 18, 13 and 30 in the nation.
Assisting Whittingham on the defensive side of the ball since 2001 is Busch, who coached an all-conference safety in Antwoine Sanders this fall. Strong safety Dave Revill, Utah's leading tackler in 2002, was named second-team all-conference.
The quartet Meyer brought from Bowling Green helped produce one of the nation's most prolific offenses in 2002. At the conclusion of regular season play, BGSU ranked No. 4 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 40.8 points per game. The Falcons also finished eighth in total offense (448.9 ypg) and 15th in rushing offense (219 ypg). They led the country in "red zone" offense, scoring on 61 of 63 trips (96.8%) inside the 20-yard line.
Gonzales, a native of Thornton, Colo., played for Meyer while an undergraduate at Colorado State when Meyer was coaching the Ram receivers. Gonzales' first coaching experience came at NCAA Division III MacMurray College (Illinois) in 1994. He then spent six years at Kent State (1995-2000). After two years as a graduate assistant at Kent State, he was promoted to running backs coach in 1997. He coached the Golden Flash receivers from 1998-2000. At BGSU, Gonzales coached an all-conference receiver in Robert Redd, who averaged over 80 receiving yards per game in both 2001 and 2002. He ranked ninth in the nation in receptions per game this past season (6.92) and was No. 32 in receiving yards per game (81.1 ypg).
Mullen, a former all-conference tight end for Ursinus College (Pa.), coached the receivers at Wagner (N.Y.) from 1994-95 and at Columbia (1996-97) before moving up to Division I-A as a graduate assistant. His first graduate assistantship was served at Syracuse (1998) and the next at Notre Dame (1999-2000), where he coached with Meyer, then the Notre Dame receivers coach. Mullen helped with all facets of the Fighting Irish offense as a graduate assistant. In his two years as quarterbacks coach at BGSU, Mullen coached two different quarterbacks to successful seasons. In 2001, QB Andy Sahm finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference in passing efficiency. This fall, Josh Harris emerged as one of the country's most exciting quarterbacks, ranking No. 4 in the nation in individual scoring (11.17 ppg) and 15th in total offense (263.50 ypg).
Hevesy, a Madison, Conn., native who played his college ball at Maine, began his coaching career at Trinity College (1994-95). He coached the tackles and tight ends at Brown in 1996. After a year as a graduate assistant at Big East champion Syracuse, Hevesy returned to Brown as the offensive line coach (1998-2000).
Studrawa is a native of Fostoria, Ohio, who went on to start for Bowling Green. His coaching career began on the offensive line at Cincinnati (1989-90). He left for an offensive coordinator post at another Ohio school, Division III Wilmington (1991-96), before taking a graduate assistant position at Ohio State (1997). Next came three years as offensive line coach at Arkansas State (1998-2000).
Hevesy and Studrawa combined to coach an impressive turnaround for the BGSU offensive line. In their first year on the staff, they helped the Falcons reduce their sacks allowed by more than 50-percent from the previous year. This season, the BG offensive line blocked for the nation's 15th-best rushing offense and 49th-best passing offense. It played a critical role in BG's No. 8 total offense ranking in 2002.
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