New Kentucky football assistant Matt House lists Steve Spagnuolo as greatest influence
Kentucky’s newest staff addition brings a lot of experience to the job. Matt House, the new inside linebackers and special teams coach, was defensive coordinator each of the last three seasons before agreeing to join Mark Stoops in Lexington.
In fact, House was expected to enter his second year as defensive coordinator under Ron Turner at Florida International before accepting Stoops’ offer. Before that, House was the defensive coordinator for two seasons under Paul Chryst at Pittsburgh.
At Pitt, House’s defense ranked No. 33 nationally in total defense in 2013, giving up an average of 367.5 yards per game. In 2014, Pittsburgh ranked 34th nationally in total defense, allowing 359.8 yards per game. When Chryst left for Wisconsin, where he inherited Dave Armada as the DC, House was hired by Turner at FIU, where the defense was ranked 76th nationally, allowing 406.1 yards per game.
Appearing on The Leach Report with Tom Leach on Monday, House said his greatest coaching influence is NFL coach Steve Spagnuolo, whom House spent three years (2009-11) with as a defensive quality control assistant with the St. Louis Rams. Prior to that, Spagnulo was defensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. He is now back with the Giants as the defensive coordinator.
House’s coaching career started as a graduate assistant under Bobby Williams at Michigan State in 2001. He coached defensive backs for two years with John Bunting at North Carolina in 2003-04. (Ex-UK player and assistant Chad Scott was a running back on those Tar Heel teams.) In 2005, House was hired as defensive line coach at Gardner-Webb.
In 2006 and 2007, House coached defensive backs for Turner Gill at Buffalo University. He made the jump in 2008, joining John Fox’s staff as special teams assistant with the Carolina Panthers. He was hired by Spagnuolo with the Rams in 2009. Spagnulo was fired after going just 10-38 in three seasons. House then was hired as defensive backs coach at Pitt, then elevated to defensive coordinator the next season.
Here’s a game-by-game look at House’s three seasons as defensive coordinator (2013-14 at Pittsburgh; 2015 at Florida International). Key: RA = rushing attempts; RY = rushing yards; YPR = yards per rush; C = pass completions; A = pass attempts; PY = passing yards; YPA = yards per pass attempt; Plays = total plays; TY = total yards; YPP = yards per play.
Matt House game-by-game as defensive coordinator
Year | Opp | RA | RY | YPR | C | A | PY | YPA | Plays | TY | YPP |
2013 | Florida St | 34 | 156 | 4.59 | 27 | 29 | 377 | 13.00 | 63 | 533 | 8.46 |
2013 | New Mexico | 52 | 213 | 4.10 | 9 | 17 | 57 | 3.35 | 69 | 270 | 3.91 |
2013 | @Duke | 36 | 213 | 5.92 | 22 | 33 | 319 | 9.67 | 69 | 532 | 7.71 |
2013 | Virginia | 35 | 65 | 1.86 | 15 | 37 | 123 | 3.32 | 72 | 188 | 2.61 |
2013 | @Virginia Tech | 38 | 76 | 2.00 | 19 | 34 | 239 | 7.03 | 72 | 315 | 4.38 |
2013 | Old Dominion | 20 | 93 | 4.65 | 31 | 53 | 312 | 5.89 | 73 | 405 | 5.55 |
2013 | @Navy | 47 | 220 | 4.68 | 8 | 18 | 105 | 5.83 | 65 | 325 | 5.00 |
2013 | @Georgia Tech | 53 | 276 | 5.21 | 5 | 10 | 84 | 8.40 | 63 | 360 | 5.71 |
2013 | Notre Dame | 24 | 138 | 5.75 | 18 | 39 | 318 | 8.15 | 63 | 456 | 7.24 |
2013 | North Carolina | 35 | 149 | 4.26 | 15 | 27 | 173 | 6.41 | 62 | 322 | 5.19 |
2013 | @Syracuse | 39 | 148 | 3.79 | 18 | 28 | 159 | 5.68 | 67 | 307 | 4.58 |
2013 | Miami | 34 | 180 | 5.29 | 17 | 28 | 296 | 10.57 | 62 | 476 | 7.68 |
2013 | vsBowling Green | 34 | 10 | 0.29 | 21 | 33 | 279 | 8.45 | 67 | 289 | 4.31 |
2014 | Delaware | 31 | 33 | 1.06 | 9 | 16 | 31 | 1.94 | 47 | 64 | 1.36 |
2014 | @Boston College | 34 | 142 | 4.18 | 10 | 28 | 134 | 4.79 | 62 | 276 | 4.45 |
2014 | @FIU | 33 | 57 | 1.73 | 17 | 35 | 236 | 6.74 | 68 | 293 | 4.31 |
2014 | Iowa | 35 | 133 | 3.80 | 12 | 18 | 178 | 9.89 | 53 | 311 | 5.87 |
2014 | Akron | 36 | 169 | 4.69 | 17 | 35 | 213 | 6.09 | 71 | 382 | 5.38 |
2014 | @Virginia | 43 | 225 | 5.23 | 10 | 17 | 121 | 7.12 | 60 | 346 | 5.77 |
2014 | Virginia Tech | 22 | 26 | 1.18 | 26 | 45 | 265 | 5.89 | 67 | 291 | 4.34 |
2014 | Georgia Tech | 64 | 465 | 7.27 | 5 | 12 | 147 | 12.25 | 76 | 612 | 8.05 |
2014 | Duke | 27 | 172 | 6.37 | 23 | 31 | 266 | 8.58 | 58 | 438 | 7.55 |
2014 | @North Carolina | 43 | 226 | 5.26 | 23 | 40 | 276 | 6.90 | 83 | 502 | 6.05 |
2014 | Syracuse | 29 | 106 | 3.66 | 10 | 25 | 149 | 5.96 | 54 | 255 | 4.72 |
2014 | @Miami | 28 | 125 | 4.46 | 22 | 45 | 296 | 6.58 | 73 | 421 | 5.77 |
2014 | vsHouston | 40 | 212 | 5.30 | 15 | 25 | 274 | 10.96 | 65 | 486 | 7.48 |
2015 | @Central Florida | 30 | 46 | 1.53 | 23 | 34 | 249 | 7.32 | 64 | 295 | 4.61 |
2015 | @Indiana | 52 | 205 | 3.94 | 19 | 33 | 234 | 7.09 | 85 | 439 | 5.16 |
2015 | NC Central | 23 | 38 | 1.65 | 18 | 36 | 171 | 4.75 | 59 | 209 | 3.54 |
2015 | @La Tech | 42 | 246 | 5.86 | 18 | 32 | 226 | 7.06 | 74 | 472 | 6.38 |
2015 | @Umass | 39 | 132 | 3.38 | 32 | 43 | 363 | 8.44 | 82 | 495 | 6.04 |
2015 | UTEP | 47 | 150 | 3.19 | 12 | 24 | 117 | 4.88 | 71 | 267 | 3.76 |
2015 | @Middle Tenn | 43 | 200 | 4.65 | 17 | 26 | 261 | 10.04 | 69 | 461 | 6.68 |
2015 | Old Dominion | 33 | 297 | 9.00 | 18 | 34 | 201 | 5.91 | 67 | 498 | 7.43 |
2015 | @Fla Atlantic | 49 | 229 | 4.67 | 16 | 25 | 168 | 6.72 | 74 | 397 | 5.36 |
2015 | Charlotte | 48 | 131 | 2.73 | 25 | 38 | 264 | 6.95 | 86 | 395 | 4.59 |
2015 | @Marshall | 39 | 289 | 7.41 | 17 | 26 | 174 | 6.69 | 65 | 463 | 7.12 |
2015 | Western Ky | 37 | 253 | 6.84 | 16 | 21 | 224 | 10.67 | 58 | 477 | 8.22 |
This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 11:16 AM.