Tip of the hat to 850TheBuzz who has linked this article from Lexington, KY stating that Mike Archer will become the Tom O’Brien’s Defensive Coordinator at NC State.
Archer has a much more impressive resume than he had impressive defense at Kentucky last year.
UK finished the season ranked 118th out of 119 Division I-A teams in total defense.
The Cats were No. 118 in passing defense, No. 108 in rushing defense, and No. 99 in scoring defense.
But UK’s 28.4 points per game allowed in 2006 was an improvement from the 34.1 it allowed per game in 2005. And UK tied for second in Division I-A in turnover margin thanks to a defense that tied for third in fumbles recovered (18) and tied for 41st in pass interceptions (14).
We don’t think that you need to get too hung up on ^these numbers. It isn’t like Kentucky’s program is stocked full of talent…particularly in light of the program’s recent NCAA probation. Archer brings with him a wealth of experience and contacts throughout football – particularly the southeast. He won two SEC Championship in 1988 after a 10-1 season in 1987 as the Head Coach at LSU. At the time, he was the youngest head coach in college football (34).
After leaving LSU, Archer remained in coaching, but strictly as a defensive coach. In 1991, he became linebackers coach at the University of Virginia. In 1993, Archer became linebackers coach and assistant head coach at the University of Kentucky. He moved on to the NFL in 1996, where he served as linebacker coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers for seven years. However, Archer returned to the University of Kentucky as the defensive coordinator in 2003.
