Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is the new Boston College football coach.

“Jeff’s shown throughout his coaching career he is a tremendous leader with high integrity and a gift for teaching,” BC athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement Saturday. “His passion, leadership and ability to recruit and develop student-athletes make him the right fit to lead Boston College to greater heights on and off the field.”

Hafley spent seven seasons in the NFL before joining the Buckeyes this year. The 40-year-old New Jersey native also has coached in college at Rutgers and Pittsburgh.

Hafley, who coaches the Buckeyes defensive backs, has helped turn around an Ohio State defense that struggled last year but enters the College Football Playoff leading the nation in yards per play at 3.93. He is a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award that goes to the best assistant coach in college football.

Boston College fired Steve Addazio the day after the Eagles finished the regular season 6-6. He went 44-44 in seven seasons with BC and was hired by Colorado State to be its head coach this week.

Hafley will take over the team after Ohio State is finished with its postseason.

ARIZONA STATE: Arizona State hired Boise State’s Zak Hill as its new offensive coordinator. Hill will join Herm Edwards’ staff after spending four years as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Arizona State also promoted former player Derek Hagan from offensive analyst to full-time assistant coach and added Oregon analyst Prentice Gill as an assistant coach.

FLORIDA STATE: Junior running back Cam Akers will enter the 2020 NFL draft and won’t play in the Seminoles’ Sun Bowl game on Dec. 31 against Arizona State.
Akers, who ran for 1,144 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, made the announcement on Twitter on Saturday as the Seminoles began pre-bowl practices.

FCS PLAYOFFS
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 9, ILLINOIS STATE 3: Griffin Crosa kicked three second-quarter field goals and North Dakota State’s defense did the rest as the defending national champion Bison beat Illinois State in an FCS quarterfinal at Fargo, North Dakota.

The top-seeded Bison (14-0) will host No. 5 seed Montana State next week in the semifinals after posting their 35th consecutive victory. They have won seven of the last eight FCS championships including the last two.

The Bison held the unseeded Redbirds (10-5) to three points for the second time this season, having beaten Illinois State 37-3 in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game on Oct. 5.

• Percy Agyei-Obese ran 33 times for 124 yards and a touchdown and No. 2 seed James Madison dominated defensively to beat Northern Iowa 17-0 in the quarterfinals on Friday night at Harrisonburg, Virginia.

James Madison (13-1) won its 13th straight and will face No. 3 seed Weber State in the semifinals on Dec. 21.

• Ja’Kobe Harris blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone early in the fourth quarter and No. 3 seed Weber State beat No. 6 seed Montana 17-10 in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

DIVISION II
MINNESOTA STATE 58, SLIPPERY ROCK 15: Nate Gunn ran for three touchdowns and Ryan Schlichte and JD Ekowa each threw for one and Minnesota State won at Slippery Rock in a Division II semifinal.

Minnesota (14-0) advances to the championship to play West Florida, a 28-14 winner over top-ranked Ferris State.

DIVISION III
NORTH CENTRAL 45, MUHLENBERG 14: Broc Rutter threw for five touchdowns and North Central (Illinois) dismantled Muhlenberg 45-14 in a Division III semifinal game.

North Central advanced to the championship and faces Wisconsin-Whitewater, a 35-32 winner over St. John’s of Minnesota.

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