Tar Heels, Larry Fedora open spring practice with cloud lifted.
After orchestrating one of the nation's top offensive units at Southern Miss, Blake Anderson joins the Carolina coaching staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under Anderson, the Golden Eagles established school records for total offense in each of the last two years. He was part of a USM staff under head coach Larry Fedora that won a school-record 12 games in 2012, including the Conference USA championship over previously unbeaten Houston and the Hawaii Bowl over Nevada.
Anderson spent his first two seasons as USM's quarterbacks coach and run game coordinator and developed Austin Davis into one of the nation's top signal callers. Davis broke nearly every school record in an outstanding four-year career.
Under the eye of Anderson, the Golden Eagles were one of 14 teams in the country that averaged more than 200 yards per game in both rushing and passing in 2011. The Golden Eagles had nearly 6,500 yards of total offense and set a school record with 461.4 yards per game. In addition, USM was 15th nationally in scoring offense, 16th in total offense and 21st in rushing offense. Anderson's offense posted 30-or-more points in 10 of 14 games in 2011, including a season-high 63 in a win over Navy.
In 2010, Southern Miss was 18th in total offense, 20th in rushing offense and 35th in passing offense. The Golden Eagles also averaged 36.9 points per game to rank 15th in the nation. That season, Anderson's quarterbacks were among the most efficient in the nation with only eight interceptions thrown - including one by a wide receiver - to 24 touchdowns. Davis accounted for 10 of the team's 28 rushing touchdowns, more than any other back.
In Anderson's second season as quarterbacks coach in 2009, Davis was injured in the fifth game and backup Martevious Young took over the offense for the remainder of the season. Under Anderson's watch, the redshirt junior threw for 1,861 yards with 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions. In all, Golden Eagles' quarterbacks threw just five interceptions on the season.
In his first year in Hattiesburg in 2008, Anderson mentored then redshirt freshman and first-year starter Davis, who responded by having the best season ever for a freshman QB at the school, while also putting together one of the better years that any signal caller has had at the university.
Davis, who was the first freshman to start in his opening game since 1991, notched 15 school records, including six season marks - passing yards (3,128), completions (261), attempts (454), total offense (3,636) and touchdowns responsible for (30).
The freshman quarterback also tallied a school mark for longest pass from scrimmage (97 yards) with fellow freshman DeAndre Brown and added a school-best five touchdown rushing game against UAB. Young added a 95-yard TD pass to Brown in 2009 for the second longest pass play at the school and the only two 90-plus yard completions at Southern Miss.
Anderson came to Southern Miss after spending the 2007 campaign at Louisiana-Lafayette as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
The Ragin' Cajuns posted the No. 6-rated rushing offense nationally (251.6) in 2007 and became the Sun Belt's first ever 3,000-yard rushing team (3,019). The team averaged a Sun Belt-record 5.6 yards per carry en route to producing two 1,000-yard rushers. UL ran for 250 yards or more in seven games and scored at least one rushing touchdown in all but one contest.
Anderson, who was in private business from 2004-2006, previously worked at Middle Tennessee, where he helped direct an offensive unit as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2002-04. During his time with the Blue Raiders, the team led the Sun Belt in scoring offense during the 2003 season and ranked 15th nationally in passing offense during the 2004 campaign. His 2003 team averaged 27.7 points per game, generating 42 total touchdowns. In 2004, his MTSU passing attack averaged 267.7 yards per game.
Anderson spent three seasons at New Mexico before landing at MTSU. He served as the wide receivers coach in 2001 and running backs coach from 1999-2000. The UNM rushing attack was responsible for a major share of the Lobo offense in 2000. The Lobos averaged 148 yards per game on the ground, which accounted for 56 percent of the team's total offense.
Anderson worked at Trinity Valley Community College (1995-98) before joining the Division I FCS ranks at New Mexico. In 1998, he was the offensive coordinator and the Cardinals went 7-3. Trinity Valley led the conference in rushing offense and was eighth nationally. The Cardinals were also second in their league in total offense under Anderson's guidance and led the league in scoring average. He helped lead the Cardinals to the 1997 NJCAA National Championship. Other capacities in which Anderson served were quarterbacks and receivers coach, defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
Anderson began his coaching career at Eastern New Mexico in 1992 (graduate assistant) and 1993 (full-time) where he tutored the wide receivers. He then moved on to Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, to coach wide receivers in 1994. HPU won the Texas IAA conference title.
A two-year letterwinner at wide receiver for Sam Houston State from 1989-91, Anderson was named Southland Conference All-Academic as a senior. He also played for two years as a quarterback and receiver at Baylor (1987-89) before transferring. A native of Hubbard, Texas, Anderson graduated with his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Sam Houston State in 1992. He also attained his master's degree in sports administration from Eastern New Mexico in 1994.
Anderson and his wife Wendy have one daughter, Callie, and two sons, Coleton and Cason.
