Midway through Stevens' first season, with the Bulldogs at 12–1, "The New York Times" wrote "so far, Stevens has made the transition head coach look easy." "The Times" went on to state that Stevens had the calm and composure of a seasoned veteran. "You've got a lot of people always looking for the next step. And that's not what I was doing. I was just trying to figure out a way to win the next game and think like a head coach." Stevens said.