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Gary Crowton spent part of his coaching career trying to figure out how to beat the Utah Utes. Now there is a chance he could be brought in to help the Utes win. Crowton, BYU's coach from 2001-2004, interviewed with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham Tuesday in San Antonio at the American Football Coaches Association Convention as Whittingham continues his search for an offensive coordinator. Crowton, who is still on Maryland's staff as offensive coordinator but didn't renew his contract, told the Salt Lake Tribune the interview went well. "I've been really impressed with Kyle and what he is doing with the program there," Crowton said. "He is a great coach and the way they came back to win that bowl game was impressive and a lot of fun to watch." A 1975 graduate of Orem H.S., Crowton was 26-23 as BYU's head coach before he resigned in December of 2004 after three losing seasons. He would relish the chance to return to his old stomping grounds. "It would be an exciting chance for me and I feel like I'd have a lot to offer," he said. Crowton has held various coaching positions at Oregon, Louisiana Tech, LSU and with the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Those experiences would help him create whatever offense the Utes need, he said. "I would always want to follow the lead of the head coach," he said. "I've been around for quite a few years and I've learned a lot of different ways to move the football." Crowton had a three-year contract that paid him more than $500,000 a year with Maryland, but it was learned in December he wouldn't return in that position after Maryland went 2-10 and struggled to find a consistent offense. The Terrapins finished the season ranked 67th nationally in total offense (379.67) and 87th in scoring offense (23.08). Crowton declined to comment on the situation at Maryland. Prior to joining the staff at Maryland, Crowton served as LSU's offensive coordinator from 2007-2010. During that time LSU set several offensive records and averaged more than 30 points a game in Crowton's first two seasons. He also served as Oregon's coordinator for two years starting in 2005 and helped the Ducks rank ninth nationally in total offense in 2006 averaging 422.8 yards per game. Whittingham is searching for a replacement for Norm Chow, who left the Utes after one season to become Hawaii's head coach. The Utes didn't fare much better offensively than Maryland this year after quarterback Jordan Wynn suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the year. Utah finished 109th in total offense (310.85) and 74th in scoring offense (25.0).
- Lya Wodraska