Chet Pobolish begins his fourth year on the Southeastern Louisiana University football staff and his second as offensive coordinator after coaching the previous five seasons at Delta State. Prior to taking over as offensive coordinator, Pobolish handled the Lions’ receivers while serving as the team’s special teams’ coordinator.
In his first year as offensive coordinator, Pobolish led a Southeastern attack that averaged 40.2 points and 467.0 yards per game for the 2014 Southland Conference champions. Pobolish’s offense was led by Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year Bryan Bennett (15 rushing touchdowns, 18 touchdowns). Senior wide receiver Devante Scott finished with 1,064 receiving yards and became only the third player in school history to top 1,000 receiving yards.
Bennett, Scott and senior tackle Jonathan Braddock earned All-Southland and All-Louisiana honors under Pobolish’s guidance. Junior wide receiver Jeff Smiley, junior running back Xavier Roberson and junior guard/center earned All-Southland Conference honors as well.
Both Pobolish’s receiving corps and special teams unit thrived for the 2013 Southland Conference champions. All-Southland Conference performers Smiley (57 catches, 744 yards, six touchdowns), Tony McCrea (40-689-2 TD) and Marquis Fruge’ (39-630-7 TD) helped provide balance to an offense that featured a dominant rushing attack.
Southeastern’s historic 2013 season was partly made possible by one of the nation’s top special teams unit. Pobolish’s group featured sophomore kick returner Roberson and senior place-kicker Seth Sebastian, both who were consensus All-America choices and College Football Performance Awards’ choice for the best player in FCS at their respective positions.
Roberson led the nation with 35.2 yards per kickoff return and three kickoff return touchdowns – both single-season school and Southland Conference records. Sebastian posted the greatest season by a kicker in school history, finishing the season 16-for-18 on field goal attempts and setting single-season school records for PAT’s (66) and points (114). Punter Matt McCormick also earned All-Conference honors after averaging 40.6 yards per punt.
Pobolish established himself as one of the more creative minds in college football as his special teams unit kept fans on the edge of their seats with their vast array of fake punt formations. Perhaps the most famous play in Pobolish’s repertoire was called simply “Mothe to Mueller” - Beau Mothe’s pass out of punt formation to long snapper Rogers Mueller that gained 27 yards and helped Southeastern to a 25-24 win over nationally-ranked McNeese State.
Roberson averaged 33.3 yards per kickoff return as a true freshman and recorded a pair of touchdown returns. Robert Alford and McCrea each returned punts for touchdowns for the Lions, who won five of their final eight games after starting the season 0-3.
Pobolish inherited a group of young receivers that combined to catch a total of 29 receptions from the previous season and received steady numbers across the board as five players caught 20 or more passes. McCrea, who returned to the lineup after missing the entire 2011 season, earned All-Southland Conference honors after he led Southeastern with 28 receptions.
During his stint at Delta State, Pobolish was part of a program that won 47 games in five years, won four Gulf South Conference titles and made four appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. He coached All-Americans Trevar Deed (2008-2010), Chad Schroeder (2008) and L.J. Castile (2010) and 15 Statesmen to All-GSC and All-South Region honors.
Pobolish coached All-GSC performers Chance Dennis and Tim Smith in 2011 as the Statesmen offense finished the season with an 11-3 record while finishing 12th nationally in total offense and 21st in passing offense. Under Pobolish’s guidance, Dennis led the GSC with 80 receptions for 1,013 yards while Smith was sixth in the league with 45 catches for 511 yards.
On special teams, Brandon Lucas finished third in the GSC in punt return average and was fourth in kickoff returns. His punter, Andrew Jones, finished second in the league with a 41.9 average, highlighted by a 78-yard kick.
The Statesman Special Teams had a monster year for Pobolish in 2010, as kick returner Maurice Moore shattered the DSU and GSC records kick returns (52) and kick return yardage (1,094) in a season. Lucas also finished with the third highest return total in school history with 322 yards.
DSU’s receivers also proved to be the best unit in the GSC, as Micah Davis connected with 16 different receivers for a school record 4,097 yards passing. The corps was led by Castile, an All-GSC and honorable mention All-American selection who caught 67 passes for 900 yards and 13 touchdowns. Dennis, a transfer, also grabbed 52 passes for 807 yards and four touchdowns while Moore hauled in 54 passes for 594 yards and three scores.
Pobolish also saw three-time All-American Deed’s career come to a close at Delta State. Pobolish helped Deed engineer one of the top individual careers in school history with the second most receptions in DSU history with 187 while also breaking the school’s scoring record (264 points/44 touchdowns) and all-purpose yardage records (5,144).
In 2009, the Statesmen offense averaged 410.4 yards per game, while scoring 27.1 points per game. Senior quarterback Garrett DeWitt closed his career as the second-leading passer in school history with 6,945 yards, while amassing 7,145 yards of total offense. Deed finished the regular season leading the GSC in scoring with 15 total touchdowns.
In 2008, Pobolish helped the Statesmen offense finish the season ranked second in the GSC (471.9 ypg) and sixth nationally. Led by All-GSC candidate DeWitt, the Statesmen passing attacked ranked fourth nationally with 328.3 yards passing per game. The Statesmen also rolled up 1,713 rushing yards and ranked second in the GSC and 16th nationally with 36.2 points per game.
Under Pobolish’s direction, Schroeder (WR/PR) was named to the prestigious American Football Coaches Association All-American Team, while Deed was named a First Team All-American after amassing 15 total touchdowns and over 1479 yards of total offense.
Pobolish came to Delta State University from William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
The Moundsville, W.V., native spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at Emporia State before moving to William Penn. At ESU, Pobolish coached wide receivers for five years before serving the last three as quarterbacks coach. At ESU, Pobolish directed the Hornets’ quarterbacks to record setting performances including Tad Hatfield’s school-record 3,068 yards in 2004.
Pobolish was also a four-time All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association selection at wide receiver for Emporia State from 1995-1998. While at ESU, the speedster hauled in 193 passes, good for fifth all-time in MIAA history. His 2,595 yards receiving also rank fourth on the all-time ESU list. Known as a deceptive and elusive receiver, Pobolish concluded his career with 4,655 all-purpose yards.
He is a 1999 graduate of Emporia State with a degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Pobolish is married to the former Holly Mitchell and they reside in Hammond with their daughter, Lauran.
