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Seminoles hire Briles as new OC

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State has hired former Houston assistant Kendal Briles as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

The school announced Briles’ hiring on Sunday but did not disclose the terms. Briles replaces Walt Bell, who took the head coaching position at UMass earlier this month.

Briles resigned Saturday from Houston (8-5) after the Cougars finished the season with a 70-14 loss to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Cougars were No. 4 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring (46.4 points per game) and No. 6 in total offense (528.6 yards per game) in the regular season.

The 36-year-old Briles has been an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic (2017) and Baylor (2008-16), and he has spent the last four seasons as offensive coordinator — including the last two while guiding top-10 scoring offenses. Florida State said Briles would have “primary play-calling duties” under coach Willie Taggart, who prefers a spread, up-tempo offense that is similar to what Briles has run.

“He brings play-calling experience and familiarity with the type of scheme and tempo we will run, which is similar to the offenses he has coordinated,” Taggart said in a statement. “His ability to recruit, manage an offensive staff, develop quarterbacks and make in-game adjustments will be beneficial to us as we evolve in our offense.”

Florida State had an injury-depleted and ineffective offensive line this season, averaging just 21 points (114th among 130 FBS schools in scoring offense). That led in part to a 5-7 season that saw the Seminoles miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 1981.

Briles was on staff at Baylor when his father, Art, was fired in 2016 because of allegations of sexual assault by football players. Kendal Briles remained on staff after Baylor fired his father.

Smith leads La Tech

HONOLULU — Skip Holtz felt the need to refocus his players after they spent the better part of a week in paradise.

The sixth-year Louisiana Tech coach dressed down his team one night before the bowl game and it certainly appeared to pay off.

J’Mar Smith threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score in a big third quarter to lead Louisiana Tech to a 31-14 win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (8-5) rallied from a 7-3 halftime deficit to secure their fifth bowl victory in as many seasons, a program first.

“I got a little bit upset (Friday) night, got a little emotional last night because I felt like we were here for vacation and the bowl game, not for the win, and I was wrong. These guys flipped the switch, they went out there and they played their tails off,” Holtz said.

Defensive end Jaylon Ferguson, who had 2¢ sacks to become the NCAA’s career leader, said Holtz’s fiery talk ignited the Bulldogs.

“We thought it was just a typical meeting but he turned it up on us. He turned it all the way around on us,” Ferguson said. “Being in Hawaii and waking up to the ocean view is relaxing, to be honest, and it felt like everybody was a little too relaxed. But after last night we were all dialed up. Me and my roommate, we stayed up and talked about it all night. We all knew Coach was upset. We know we came here to win. We know he wants to win, and everything that was said wasn’t negative at all, it was to encourage us.”

Smith threw for 285 yards on 19-of-31 passing with an interception. He tossed a 58-yard touchdown to Jaqwis Dancy and scored on a 4-yard run that was part of a 21-point third quarter.

Louisiana Tech took the lead for good on Israel Tucker’s 5-yard TD run with 10:27 left in the third.

“In the first half I thought our defense played their tails off. Our offense had three turnovers, we shot ourselves in the foot, we had a number of foolish penalties, we just kept kind of shooting ourselves in the foot. But we came out in the second half, we kept banging that rock and the defense played 60 minutes. I’m proud of these guys, the way they came in, the way they competed,” Holtz said.

Ferguson set the sacks record when he dropped Hawaii quarterback Chevan Cordeiro for a 2-yard loss late in the third quarter.

“The play that it happened on wasn’t by me, but created by the effort on the back end,” said Ferguson, who finished the season with 17¢ sacks.

His 45 career sacks broke the previous mark set by Arizona State’s Terrell Suggs.

“Coming into the game, that wasn’t my goal. The goal was to win the game in Hawaii. I could have had zero sacks tonight as long as we won the game,” said Ferguson, selected MVP of the game along with Hawaii defensive end Kendall Hune.

LSU player kills man

Two LSU football players were trying to sell an electronic item when one of them fatally shot an 18-year-old man trying to rob them, police said Sunday.

A statement released by Baton Rouge police does not identify the players, but a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that the players are running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and linebacker Jared Small. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because LSU and police have not released the players’ names.

The man killed was identified by police as Kobe Johnson. He was not an LSU student and died at the scene Saturday.

LSU players called police, waited at the scene, were questioned and were released while the investigation continues.

After Johnson displayed a weapon, one of the players pulled out a handgun and fired multiple times, police said. Authorities have not said whether the player was licensed to carry the firearm he used.

Edwards-Helaire, a Baton Rouge native, has rushed for 626 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games this season. Small, a freshman who also is from Baton Rouge, has played sparingly.

It remains to be seen how LSU will handle their playing status when the Tigers finish the season against UCF in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

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