LOUISIANA TECH
Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers
2 0 1 1 B U L L D O G F O O T B A L L B o w l G ui d e
Rob Likens enters his second season at Louisiana Tech as an assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. In his first year, Likens oversaw a receiving corps that improved from 91st in the country in 2009 to 62nd in 2010 despite a revolving door at quarterback through the first third of the season. Likens coached Taulib Ikharo to a ninth-place rank in receptions per game among WAC receivers. Prior to joining the Louisiana Tech family, Likens led Central Connecticut State as offensive coordinator to more wins than any other four-year period in school history. Likens coached the Northeast Conference’s top rushing offense for four straight seasons. CCSU’s ground game also ranked in the nation’s top-10 every year during under Likens. The Blue Devils averaged 239.18 yards per game on the ground in 2008. It was the seventh best team effort in the FCS. Central Connecticut also paced the NEC in scoring offense, averaging 30.0 points per game. “Rob is a great addition to our staff,” said Dykes. “I have known him for a while and have wanted to work with him for a long time. He has a great knowledge of the offense we want to install and as a Mississippi native, he brings a tremendous recruiting base, connections and experience.” Likens coached CCSU’s ground game to a ranking in the nation’s top-10 among FCS schools every year during his tenure as well as a winning record in all four seasons, capping off the 2009 season with a 9-3 mark. The CCSU rushing offense was tops among FCS schools in 2006. Under Likens’ guidance, the Blue Devils led the conference in scoring offense in two seasons, had three undefeated home records, averaged just under 30 points per game in four seasons (29.1) and won more games in a four-year span than any collection of teams in school history. Likens coached two 1,000-yard rushers, two Walter Payton finalists and two All-America running backs in Justise Hairston and James Mallory. Likens also coached the school’s all-time leader in passing efficiency (Aubrey Norris, 139.4) and two NEC Offensive Players of the Year in Hairston and Mallory. In all, Likens had 13 all-conference selections in his four seasons. James Mallory earned second team All-NEC honors in 2008. With 1,520 yards, he became the second player in school history to crack the 1,500 mark in rushing. Mallory was also the fourth player to go over 1,000 career rushing yards under Likens. Aubrey Norris, who enters this season as the top-rated passer in program history, also accomplished the feat last season. That duo joins Jo Jo Freeman and Justise Hairston on the list of four. Also under Likens’s tutelage in 2008, Nick Colagiovanni became the program’s 11th receiver to eclipse 1,000 career yards. In 2007, Likens’s offense was number one in total and rushing offense in the Northeast Conference. The Blue Devils posted 387.7 yards per game, including 257.6 yards per game on the ground, ranking 10th in the nation in rushing offense. The Blue Devil offense set numerous school records in 2006, including total yards and rushing yards in a single season. CCSU led the country in rushing yards per game (284.9) and finished 10th in total offense at 386.8 yards per game. As a team, CCSU set a new school mark with 42 rushing touchdowns and scored a school-record 51 touchdowns in 11 games. Likens coached Hairston, the nation’s leading rusher, to AP All-America, AFCA All-America and Sports Network Mid-Major AllAmerica honors. He also accompanied the NEC Offensive Player of the Year to the Hula Bowl. Hairston, who finished eighth in the Walter Payton Award voting, also appeared in the Texas vs. the Nation game. In all, CCSU’s offense has rewritten eight team records and six individual and game records under Likens. He has coached four first team All-NEC selections, four second team All-NEC selections and five NEC Offensive Player of the Week honorees. Prior to joining Central Connecticut State, Likens spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Southeast Missouri State. He was the wide receivers coach at Temple University in the Big East Conference from 1998-2003. Before Temple, Likens was an assistant coach at North Alabama where he helped guide the Lions to become the first program in NCAA scholarship football to three consecutive playoff championships, a feat that has only been replicated by Appalachian State (200506-07) since. Likens returns home to the south as he as a former wide receiver at Mississippi State, earned his bachelor’s degree in 1990. He earned his master’s degree from North Alabama in 1995. Likens and his wife, Soni, have a 17-month old son, Nicolas Cutter.
Coaches YTISRE&VStaff INU
ROB LIKENS
LIKENS FAMILY Soni, Rob and Nicolas
www.LATechSports.com
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