Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford starts latest staff rebuild with offensive coach

Fresno State has hired Brian Armstrong to be its offensive line coach, the first of the new staff additions for coach Jeff Tedford to be announced by the athletics department.

Armstrong comes to Fresno State from FCS Montana State, which last season led the Big Sky Conference in rushing yards per play and per game as well as rushing touchdowns and beat up some of the best defenses it faced in a 12-2 season that ended with a loss to eventual national champion South Dakota State in the playoff semifinals.

Weber State and Montana allowed 3.9 yards per rush, tied for the best in the conference. But the Bobcats racked up 347 yards on the ground at 6.5 yards per play against Weber State and 429 yards at 6.7 per play against Montana.

In an FCS playoff matchup against Weber State, the Bobcats gained 388 yards on the ground at 7.3 yards per play. They also averaged 5.3 yards per rush in a loss at Oregon State, one week after the Bulldogs averaged 4.6 in a last-second loss to the Beavers at Valley Children’s Stadium.

Armstrong, who has 26 years of experience coaching at the college and high school levels, has been the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Montana State the past four seasons. The Bobcats have advanced to the FCS semifinals in the past three of those seasons, losing to North Dakota State in the 2021 championship game.

Four offensive linemen that he has coached have been honored as first-, second- or third-team FCS All-Americans including tackle Lewis Kidd in 2021, who just finished his rookie season with the NFL New Orleans Saints.

Armstrong replaces Saga Tuitele, the first of the new staff additions before the Bulldogs’ victory over Washington State in the LA Bowl to cap a 10-4 season.

Fresno State struggled with injuries in its offensive line through the middle of the season, but pounded out 221 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in its bowl victory and finished eighth in the Mountain West Conference in rushing offense, tied for fifth in tackles for loss allowed and ninth in sacks allowed.

Still to be named is a replacement for offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, who left for the same position at Missouri. It’s expected that Tedford will promote wideouts coach/pass game coordinator Pat McCann.

This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 1:52 PM.