Lou Holtz once said, “Handling people is the most important thing you can do as a coach. I’ve found every time I’ve gotten into trouble with a player, it’s because I wasn’t talking to him enough.”

Texas A&M-Commerce coach David Bailiff understands that all too well. He's prioritized building quality relationships with his players and coaches, and it's helped him amass over 100 career victories.

“I tell my football team I love them because I do," he said. "We build those relationships where we don't want to disappoint each other. They know I'm gonna give it my all, and this coaching staff is gonna give it their all, and in return, they give us their all.” 

Bailiff’s ability to build relationships extends beyond his team. After each season, he writes a letter to one player from an opposing team. One player who received a letter from Bailiff will be on the opposite sideline Saturday when G.J. Kinne leads UIW against the Lions.

Saturday won’t be the first meeting between the two coaches on a football field. When Kinne was a quarterback at Tulsa, he competed Baliff's Rice Owls. Baliff came away impressed with Kinne.

“He exemplified everything that was right in college athletics,” Bailiff said. “From being a competitor to being a sportsman. He checked every box and was a poster child for college football. At the end of each season, I always write one letter to somebody we played that I think exemplifies college football.”

“I have so much respect for Coach Bailiff,” Kinne said. “He’s another of those coaches that believe in relationships. Some people might be surprised by their success this year, but I’m not. He’s won a lot of ballgames. I remember getting a letter from him, and that meant a lot to me.”

The Lions have surprised people across the FCS landscape and are tied atop the Southland Conference standings in their first year at NCAA Division I. But UIW has also been a surprise this season. Kinne was named the Cardinals head coach following the departure of Eric Morris to Washington State. Kinne’s first order of business was to build relationships with his team.

“In the spring, everyone was worried about going out on the road recruiting and the (transfer) portal, and I wanted to invest and our current players because I knew that would be the key to our success this fall,” Kinne said. “So we did everything we could to let them know we care about them, not just on the football field, but as people. You can't trick them. They're gonna know if you’re real.”

Texas A&M-Commerce has thrived in the underdog role this season. The Lions are on a four-game streak, including a road win against the Southland preseason favorite, Southeastern Louisiana. 

“We’ve embraced being the underdog,” Bailiff said. “We better embrace it, or we’ll end up getting the results the prognosticators expect. Anytime you’re a team’s homecoming opponent and picked to lose every game, it puts fuel in your belly to work a little harder.”

UIW began the season as an underdog but quickly became a favorite to earn a top seed in the FCS playoffs with a 7-1 overall record. The Cardinals have embraced their role as a favorite.

“We know we're gonna get everyone's best game. That's just the way it is because of our ranking,” Kinne said. “We're getting some notoriety nationally. RG III is putting us on all kinds of top-five teams, and Lindsey Scott Jr. is a Walter Payton candidate, so we know we're gonna get everyone's best shot. But that’s fun, man. We're gonna embrace the environment this weekend. Hopefully, it's a packed house.”

The game on Saturday will be an intense battle between two outstanding teams with tremendous talent on both sides of the ball. But, once the final buzzer sounds, the relationship between G.J. Kinne and David Bailiff will continue.