Deconstructing a Defense like a Division 1 Coach 

The Coach

Dave Christensen

Offensive Line Coach- Arizona State University

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Coach Christensen is the current Offensive Line coach at Arizona State University. 

Before ASU Coach Christensen joined Texas A&M's staff in January 2015 to coach offensive line and oversee the running game.

A veteran of 33 seasons as a collegiate coach, Christensen came to Texas A&M from the University of Utah, where he helped the Utes to a 9-4 record and a bowl win in his lone season in Salt Lake City. Serving as Utah’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, Christensen helped the Utes to a four-win improvement while orchestrating a balanced offensive attack that averaged more than 190 rushing and passing yards per game.

Previously, Christensen was the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 2009-13 and also a longtime offensive assistant under Gary Pinkel at Missouri and Toledo.  From 2009-13, Christensen was the head coach at Wyoming where he compiled a 27-35 record in five seasons.

In 2009, Christensen became the first Cowboy head coach to win a bowl game in his debut season when he led Wyoming to a 35- 28 win over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Two years later, Christensen was named the 2011 Mountain West Coach of the Year after the Cowboys compiled an 8-5 overall record, including a 5-2 record against MWC opponents.

He became a head coach after serving 17 years as an assistant for Pinkel at Toledo (1992-2000) and Missouri (2001-08). Christensen coached the offensive line at both schools and was the offensive coordinator from 1997-2008, including his entire stay at Missouri. Christensen devised and implemented one of college football’s most exciting no-huddle, spread offenses at Mizzou, where he was named the 2007 National Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Rivals.com and was runner-up for the 2007 Frank Broyles Award, honoring the nation’s top assistant coach.

Missouri played in the Big 12 Championship game in both 2007 and 2008 as the champion of the Big 12 North. Missouri finished the 2007 season with a No. 4 Associated Press ranking and Christensen’s offense ranked No. 5 in the nation in total offense (490.3 yards per game), No. 8 in scoring offense (39.9) and No. 9 in passing offense (314.1). Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2007, when Christensen’s offense scored a school-record 558 points, far surpassing the previous Missouri single-season record of 399 points. In 2008, the Tigers finished fourth in the nation in passing offense (330.4 yards per game), No. 6 in scoring offense (42.2) and No. 8 in total offense (484.1). The Tigers were nationally ranked offensively throughout Christensen’s tenure as the offensive coordinator, which followed a successful stint at Toledo.

During his nine years as a Toledo assistant (the last four as the offensive coordinator), the Rockets set numerous school records on offense while winning one Mid-American Conference championship and two MAC West titles (tying for another). Christensen also served assistant coaching stints at Western Washington (1983), Eastern Washington (1986-87), Washington (1988-89, graduate assistant) and Idaho State (1990-91).