Thought this was an interesting firing... 8+ wins four years in a row (with a Heisman-winning QB) followed by 2-8 while breaking in a new QB.
Now, he was 1-3 in a bunch of crappy bowls and never really beat any of the big boys in the ACC. I think he is a classic example of a coach that "out-kicked his coverage" similar to the way things went for Donnie Jones at UCF after they left C-USA for the AAC. The first time Petrino was at UofL they were in C-USA with us and then a very watered down Big East. Louisville really hasnt had a sniff of the ACC championship thanks to Clemson and FSU being in their division.
He's never been thought of as a "good guy" in the coaching profession and with the turmoil in the UofL Athletic Department, this firing reeks of more than meets the eye. Being outscored by 194 points in the past 8 games, squeaking out a win over Western Kentucky and beating Indiana State certainly is crappy enough of a season to justify firing him after "under-performing" with Lamar Jackson last year.
Our Athletic Director might could learn a lesson from this. You can run off a coach when the energy around the program is negative. The longer we tolerate mediocrity, the more mediocre the program becomes. Anyone paying attention to the fact that UAB, who eliminated football only a few years ago, is playing for the C-USA championship in a few weeks - regardless of the outcome against MTSU next weekend?
Marshall should be DOMINATING this conference - not winning ONE championship in a decade. This sounds like a "Fire Doc" rant, and it might be, but what I (along with most Herd Fans I talk to) really want is for us to take our rightful place as the preeminent football program in C-USA. I could care less who the coach is IF we are living up to the expectations that Coach Donnan and Coach Pruett established during the "WE PLAY FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS" era. Now we play for bowl eligibility to play in the "Who Gives a Crap Bowl."
We'll likely end up 8-3 or 7-4 and play in the aforementioned bowl game, bring in another over-hyped recruiting class of which 1/2 of which actually make it to campus, 1/4 of which never see the playing field, an 1/8 of which play two seasons or less before leaving, and 1/8 of which actually see Senior Day. (These metrics are inexcusable to me) We fire a coordinator, hire a coordinator, lose games in the Joan to sub-par teams, and lose to anyone on our schedule with a winning record. Same story different year... lots of fans dressing up as empty seats in the Joan, lots of cranky posters on Herd Nation, lots of complacency in the Shewey Building, and a coach that never owns any of it.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVE HERD FOOTBALL... I just HATE what it has become.
Now, he was 1-3 in a bunch of crappy bowls and never really beat any of the big boys in the ACC. I think he is a classic example of a coach that "out-kicked his coverage" similar to the way things went for Donnie Jones at UCF after they left C-USA for the AAC. The first time Petrino was at UofL they were in C-USA with us and then a very watered down Big East. Louisville really hasnt had a sniff of the ACC championship thanks to Clemson and FSU being in their division.
He's never been thought of as a "good guy" in the coaching profession and with the turmoil in the UofL Athletic Department, this firing reeks of more than meets the eye. Being outscored by 194 points in the past 8 games, squeaking out a win over Western Kentucky and beating Indiana State certainly is crappy enough of a season to justify firing him after "under-performing" with Lamar Jackson last year.
Our Athletic Director might could learn a lesson from this. You can run off a coach when the energy around the program is negative. The longer we tolerate mediocrity, the more mediocre the program becomes. Anyone paying attention to the fact that UAB, who eliminated football only a few years ago, is playing for the C-USA championship in a few weeks - regardless of the outcome against MTSU next weekend?
Marshall should be DOMINATING this conference - not winning ONE championship in a decade. This sounds like a "Fire Doc" rant, and it might be, but what I (along with most Herd Fans I talk to) really want is for us to take our rightful place as the preeminent football program in C-USA. I could care less who the coach is IF we are living up to the expectations that Coach Donnan and Coach Pruett established during the "WE PLAY FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS" era. Now we play for bowl eligibility to play in the "Who Gives a Crap Bowl."
We'll likely end up 8-3 or 7-4 and play in the aforementioned bowl game, bring in another over-hyped recruiting class of which 1/2 of which actually make it to campus, 1/4 of which never see the playing field, an 1/8 of which play two seasons or less before leaving, and 1/8 of which actually see Senior Day. (These metrics are inexcusable to me) We fire a coordinator, hire a coordinator, lose games in the Joan to sub-par teams, and lose to anyone on our schedule with a winning record. Same story different year... lots of fans dressing up as empty seats in the Joan, lots of cranky posters on Herd Nation, lots of complacency in the Shewey Building, and a coach that never owns any of it.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVE HERD FOOTBALL... I just HATE what it has become.
