Jun. 23—Sam Houston offensive coordinator Ryan Carty has been recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the country after playing a vital role in the Bearkats’ first FCS National Championship.
Carty, whose offense ranked No. 1 in the country with 4,403 total yards and 45 offensive touchdowns this spring, was named the Football Scoop FCS Coordinator of the Year on Wednesday.
In terms of per game averages, Sam Houston was ninth in the country in scoring offense, 13th in total offense and 23rd in passing efficiency. The Bearkats also ranked in the top-35 nationally in rushing offense, third-down offense and red zone offense, with four offensive players — quarterback Eric Schmid, wide receiver/returner Jequez Ezzard and offensive linemen Colby Thomas and Prince Pines — earning All-American honors.
Sam Houston finished the 2021 spring season with a flawless 10-0 record, capped by a whirlwind playoff run that included come-from-behind victories over three of the top-five teams in the country.
The Bearkats secured their perfect season with a 16-play, 65-yard touchdown drive in the final moments of the national title game against South Dakota State. A 10-yard touchdown pass from Schmid to Ife Adeyi sealed the 23-21 victory with 16 seconds remaining.
Sam Houston’s offense also provided late game heroics in the previous two rounds. The Bearkats avoided a late collapse against North Dakota State — winner of eight of the previous nine national championships — in the quarterfinals with a nine-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, before erasing a 21-point deficit against James Madison in the semifinals one week later.
Carty, who also serves as the Bearkats’ quarterbacks coach, is heading into his fourth season in Huntsville. He previously served for 11 years on New Hampshire’s coaching staff, and was a quarterback on Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler’s 2003 national title team at Delaware.
Nicholls’ Rob Cristophel and Incarnate Word’s Cody Crill were also finalists for FCS Coordinator of the Year, as were VMI’s Tom Clark, James Madison’s Corey Heatherman and Jimmy Rogers, South Dakota State’s Brian Bergstrom and Delaware’s Manny Rojas. Previous winners include current North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz (2018) and former Bearkat assistants Phil Longo (2016) and Scott Stoker (2011).