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Stephen F. Austin Football

SFA, offensive coordinator Gary Crowton part ways after two seasons

January 16, 2018
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Stephen F. Austin will welcome the spring football season in the coming weeks without offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, a source confirms to The Sawmill.

The former BYU head coach, who ran the Lumberjacks offense over the past two seasons, had recently held the same title at Southern Utah and LSU, after a long career that included stints with Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisiana Tech, Oregon, Maryland and the Chicago Bears of the NFL.

SFA's offenses under Crowton were marred by injuries at the offensive line and quarterback positions and ranked ninth in the 11 team Southland Conference in 2017 with 19.6 points per game. Notably, transfer quarterback Foster Sawyer, who arrived in Nacogdoches looking like an answer at signal caller, injured his knee during the summer before a season-ending tear of his ACL during the fourth game of the season.

Even with the adversity, sources tell The Sawmill that head coach Clint Conque, an offensive mind by trade, has taken the struggles on that side of the ball personally. The circumstances of Crowton's departure, although not specifically clear, may signal an effort by Conque to assert a bigger role in the offensive meeting rooms.

The Lumberjacks, who also lost running backs coach Jake Brown to TCU, are expected to add at least one assistant on the offensive side of the ball following National Signing Day. The title of the open positions remain to be determined, but could involve a scenario where Conque effectively coordinates the offense.

SFA enters the offseason with one of the better quarterback situations in the Southland Conference as Sawyer, who is expected to return from injury, junior Jake Blumrick, who started seven games for the Lumberjacks this past season, transfer Josh Covey and sophomore Zach Smith are expected to compete for the starting nod.

That competition will be held inside a tweaked offensive system, regardless of who is leading it moving forward.

SFA, offensive coordinator Gary Crowton part ways after two seasons

18,306 Views | 27 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by BigJack85
nacluth
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Good, bad, or more of the same?
RedRiverLa
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Interesting. I have to say by the second game we could predict his calls. Flanker screen. Wish him the best he is a nice guy.
SFA Jack Fanatic
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Gosh, I'm sure hoping one of those four QBs steps up to the challenge. (And as has been said here early and often, it all starts with an effective offensive line.)
TallTexan
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nacluth said:

Good, bad, or more of the same?
Just my gut feeling, but I'd say bad. It's Mid January, we haven't played a football game since November. Long time to make a change.
INiedrauer
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Staff
Change was made immediately, to clarify. Just now made it to us.
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Isaac Niedrauer
@INiedrauer


BigJack85
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Odd that they'd wait so long. I agree with the sentiment that it's probably Conque taking the reigns of the offense. It's his livelihood at stake.
Axe 'Em Jacks - Class of 85'
Rodray
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Jacks4460
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The Football program had Crowton evaluating 100% of the football talent and then if he thought they were good enough he would pass the film on to the position coach... ****tiest process ever and might explain why we haven't won...
Jacks4460
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I am not wealthy by any means but do we not have any wealthy alumni that can pitch in for the betterment of their University and buy Conque out of his contract.. I know it might be late but just wondering why the support from some of the wealthier SFA seems non existent.. Aggy alum just pitched in 75 mil for 1 coach.. I know we are not on that level...
SFA Jack Fanatic
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Rodray said:

Players went in and talked to the Ad to get Crowten fired. They tried doing the same on Congue, but hes owned to much on his contract and the schools broke. Cant afford to give raises to professors and cant afford to fire Conque. So now they are going to hire a no name OC and Congue will call the plays for an offence that doesn't want to play for him. They don't trust him and there not going to bust there ass for someone they dont trust. Don't get your hopes up for a winning season until the main problem is gone.
Wow. That was pretty rough, Rod. Grab a cold one and chill out.
Jacks4460
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Rod I hear you on how they dont want to bust their ass for someone they dont trust.. I am glad they had the courage to go to the AD and do this. They have to realize tho they dont run the show. If they dont like the coach then they cant just get rid of him.. My questions to the players would be "So just because you dont like your coach you want to become a loser?" It seems like this is where a leader on the team needs to bring them all together and have a talk about how they are going to approach this spring..I am just glad we had great leaders on our team.. Hard ass workers no matter what...LC and Pat Jackson use to sprint the field almost every single time they touched the ball in practice.. I am sure the administration is well aware of the situation and will make a move if they dont see a significant improvement. I just hated to lose no matter the situation so if I was mad at a coach it just fueled me more to do better. Now a days kids might have changed..
Jacks4460
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Rod also sounds like Conque and those players that went to Hill and Hill all need to have a meeting and get on the same page. Conque should be trying to ammend things with those players.... unless those players are a bunch of guys that arent coachable....If the kids arent coachable then they need to be gone. Scholly's are only good for a year...
INiedrauer
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Staff
I'll leave most of this alone but this is worth noting: SFA's financial resources have nothing to do with Conque coaching. University funds cannot buy out a coach's contract. Boosters have to do that and there was no effort to raise buyout money from them at all.
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Isaac Niedrauer
@INiedrauer


Jacks4460
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Issac thanks for the response... Then there it is the people with the $$ didnt want the change bad enough to fork over the $$ to get rid of Conque. Unless there were people with the $$$ willing to do it and the AD said no way.. Who really knows..
Jacks4460
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Issac do you think there was no buyout effort made by the AD in going to the $$$ Alum or do you think the $$$ Alum said no way are we giving our $$$ to a contract buy out?
INiedrauer
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Staff
Jacks4460 said:

Issac do you think there was no buyout effort made by the AD in going to the $$$ Alum or do you think the $$$ Alum said no way are we giving our $$$ to a contract buy out?
Every source I had during the final weeks of the season said there was no effort. That includes people on the SFA payroll and boosters who expect to be contacted when an effort like that is made. Conque was effectively safe before kickoff at Northwestern State.
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Isaac Niedrauer
@INiedrauer


Jacks4460
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Issac thank so much for your info. It is always good to see where the $$$ stands... I hope Coach pulls it out this year... but if the kids have shut it down on him already and want him gone that will be a hard bridge to mend but it is still mend able.. Unless there are locker room/internal issues that we are unaware of.
TallTexan
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Todd Peterman at Desoto just resigned. We should see if he might be interested in an OC position.
Jacks4460
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I am surprised he lasted this long... That school board is crazy.. Glad tho he hung around for another year after they tried to out him for no reason other than he was a white man..Wonder if Claude will be back in Desoto?
Rodray
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Because your boosters are all gone. Football usually pays for summer sessions for the players w money raised from boosters. Couldn't do it last year because they didn't have the money. So if you don't have the money to pay for summer sessions how do you think they were going to get money to buy out Congue. That's what the players were told unless that's not the truth.
Jacks4460
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Wow!!! What did TT pay us to play in Lubbock? Sounds like these issues run deeper than the ones with money not wanting to give..I wouldn't doubt if players were just told that Rod...If there is no money in the program then why don't they drop it like UAB.. Hard to believe that TT didn't pay us more than 650K to play there.. So they should of had some money around going into this season..
INiedrauer
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Staff
SFA definitely still has boosters. Moving on from Conque was never part of the plan this year.
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Isaac Niedrauer
@INiedrauer


Jacks4460
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Rod not sure how they do it now but players school should of been paid if they were on scholarship and working out over the summer... The student that is also financially strapped would get a small pell grant and the school would provide him with a part time job in housing or landscaping.. If not someone in the department needs to be hustling up some part time work for these youngsters.. Someone is not doing their job..
Jacks4460
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Your right SFA has many boosters... Asked Greg Arnold if anyone from the school has ever asked for monetary donations and he said "no and I am really surprised" SFA has alumni with money.. They need to be reached out too and they need to see a commitment from the school to field a competitive team that competes for a championship year in and year out.. School has to make the first move when it comes to facilities and winning on the field... When that happens and they get the right person in there asking for money in the proper way then we will grow athletically thus more fans(alumni involved) and such..
Jacks4460
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I am proud of our basketball team and the way we graduate the college athletes... That is the ultimate goal a SFASU diploma...
PurpleForever
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Any rumors on candidates for the position? Really need to get the position filled and start getting the offense implemented.
BigJack85
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Jacks4460 said:

Your right SFA has many boosters... Asked Greg Arnold if anyone from the school has ever asked for monetary donations and he said "no and I am really surprised" SFA has alumni with money.. They need to be reached out too and they need to see a commitment from the school to field a competitive team that competes for a championship year in and year out.. School has to make the first move when it comes to facilities and winning on the field... When that happens and they get the right person in there asking for money in the proper way then we will grow athletically thus more fans(alumni involved) and such..


Myself and a legal friend looked at Conques contract (it's on the web) and it appears it would cost approximately $95,000 to buy out Conque. There's enough money out there to take care of this. At this point it ain't going to happen. Period. I'm just hoping for the best (probably 8-3). If we can get that and gain some momentum it could be a program changer.
Axe 'Em Jacks - Class of 85'
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