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Big East’s Near-Complete Coaching Purge Leads to Uncertain Future

January 04, 2011   Brian Grummell   No comments

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Rarely has a football conference undergone as much coaching upheaval as the Big East. Once the home to powerhouse names like Rich Rodriguez, Brian Kelly, Bobby Petrino and Jim Leavitt, unprecedented coaching turnover has reshaped the conference’s football fortunes.

With Connecticut losing Randy Edsall to Maryland and Pittsburgh having terminated alum Dave Wannstedt only to turn around and fire his replacement Mike Haywood, a quarter of the league’s coaching jobs are now vacant just a year after three new coaches were brought in. West Virginia‘s Bill Stewart is the second-most tenured coach with three years on his resume but he, too, will be gone to make way for Dana Holgorsen following the 2011 season.

This dramatic restructuring has, at least in the short term, been troubling for the league’s football fortunes. Without a recruiting hotbed like Florida, Texas or California to commandeer, it can be argued that high-level success in the Big East comes with a certain amount of tenure and a steady hand. It is a different model from the rapid-fire turnarounds often enjoyed at schools like USC, Florida, Texas and Alabama.

Unfortunately, the last few years have seen some highly skilled coaches, as well as several tenured ones, head to the exits. What remains is a stunning display of inexperience.

 

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Celebratory Salute Mars Wild Pinstripe Bowl Victory for Syracuse

December 30, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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The inaugural Pinstripe Bowl deserved better.

Trailing Syracuse 36-28 with just over a minute left, Kansas State rallied to within two points on a 30-yard scoring strike from Carson Coffman to Adrian Hilburn. Hilburn cruised to the back of the end zone then offered a quick military-style salute to fans seated around the end zone. That gesture drew an “excessive celebration” penalty that forced the Wildcats’ two-point attempt to be moved back 15 yards to the 18. It predictably failed. It was the salute soon to be discussed around the world, marring one of the better bowl games this year.

A surge of outrage emerged on Twitter and likely soon the rest of the college football world in questioning whether the NCAA’s celebration and sportsmanship rules have gone too far.

Unfortunately that discussion will overshadow the Orange’s surprising revival under coach Doug Marrone.

In two years Marrone turned one of the FBS’ worst programs into a bowl winner. Although the Orange defense carried the program through much of 2010, the offense finally woke up in time to run and throw all over the Kansas State defense.

 

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Big East Conference Football Decision for Villanova Edges Closer

December 16, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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Time is winding down for Villanova to answer the question of whether the school will join the Football Bowl Subdivision – and by extension the Big East in football. A letter from school president Father Peter Donohue addressed to fans and alumni revealed the school is within four months of reaching a conclusion. The Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet in April of 2011, at which time they will announce its decision.

It will have arrived at that decision thanks to an extensive open-ended process involving studies and wide-ranging discussions with invested parties. However open the process, it is anticipated in advance that the school will decline the Big East’s invitation to become the 10th football member of the 17-school conference. Villanova currently is a member of the Big East in all sports except football. The Wildcats are defending FCS national champions and compete in the Colonial Athletic Association in that sport.

The Big East recently accepted TCU as a member in all sports effective in 2012, bringing the conference’s football membership to nine schools. The conference had previously announced plans to expand to 10 football schools, with speculation that it would consider adding schools like Villanova, Central Florida, Memphis or former member Temple. TCU was a surprise addition, while Villanova has had an outstanding invitation.

 

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Turnovers No Bother for Middies in Winning Army-Navy Game

December 11, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – Navy safety Wyatt Middleton got his revenge. “You guys know those spirit spots? I know Army did a little Shake Weight spirit spot, and they kind of (mockingly) put me in there. So that was just a little fun thing for them right there.”

Middleton exacted his revenge Saturday in the 111th Army-Navy game, returning a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown just before halftime to stake Navy to a 24-7 lead. The play earned Middleton Philadelphia Sportswriters Player of the Game honors and helped the Midshipmen beat rival Army 31-17.

His playmaking wasn’t totally unexpected. “Before the game, I told (assistant) coach (Buddy) Green I’d score a touchdown” admitted Middleton afterward.

“That play was a huge turning point in the game,” said Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. “They had us reeling a little bit.”

Said senior offensive tackle Jeff Battipaglia, “that was probably the biggest (turnover) I’ve seen in my life.”

Fumbles — and turnovers — were a central theme to this year’s matchup. The schools combined for six turnovers thanks to five fumbles lost — six overall — and an interception.

It was an unexpected ball-security fiasco for two schools that came into the game among the nation’s top 16 in turnover margin. Several entries in releases distributed to media before the game stressed the schools’ strength at avoiding turnovers.

“Army has made one of its goals for the 2010 season to be the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in turnover margin,” read one such passage.

 

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Sloppy Play Clouds West Virginia Victory That Clinches Tie for Big East Title

December 04, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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West VirginiaMORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith wove through the Rutgers defense, straining to reach the goal line. His daring 10-yard dash should have put the Mountaineers up 28-7 against listless Rutgers, but a defender popped the ball out just inches from the goal line. It was that kind of sloppy offensive performance in what was otherwise a breezy blowout that has left observers scratching their heads about West Virginia — and Big East — football all year.

Oh don’t worry, the Mountaineers won 35-14, capturing at least a share of the Big East championship. But, the sloppy play could have lost this game had they faced a more capable opponent.

In the first half alone, 17 points were left off the board thanks to a pair of red zone fumbles and a blocked field goal. Smith’s mistake late in the third quarter extended the game another drive until Tavon Austin dashed up the middle for a 46-yard score to put the Scarlet Knights away.

Arguably, the difference between the TCUs and Boise States and Oregons of the world and a talented but troubled West Virginia is how they manage those opportunities. West Virginia easily could have made a statement here, cruising to something like a 52-7 epic conference win. Instead it made too many mistakes.

The silver lining is that the victory ensures a piece of the Big East crown while also eliminating preseason favorite and rival Pittsburgh‘s outside shot at the honors. The win pushes the Mountaineers record to 9-3 overall, with a shot at a 10th win against a to-be-determined bowl opponent.

 

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Big East Report: TCU Is Now Part of the League’s Big Picture

December 01, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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The Big East certainly has a thing for, well, big. News arrived this week that the hodgepodge conference will get a little bigger in 2012 with the addition of latter-day football power TCU. That ups the conference rolls to an expansive 17 schools, nine of them participating in FBS football. “We’re the largest family in intercollegiate athletics,” was the understatement of the year by Big East Commissioner John Marinatto.

Meanwhile, the current structure of the Big East merrily marches on with unranked Connecticut its most likely BCS bowl participant.

The conference has taken a beating all year, but things may have turned around with South Florida‘s overtime win last weekend over Miami. It was a significant non-conference road victory.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh defensive end Jabaal Sheard (above) was named to the AFCA All American team. Connecticut back Jordan Todman merits consideration on someone’s All-America team before the awards circuit is through. Louisville is making a late push as well for its star tailback, Bilal Powell.

 

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TCU Brings Texas-Sized Concerns to Reshaped Big East

November 29, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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“Hot dang!” That was how TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte opened the school’s press conference announcing its agreement to join the Big East Conference starting in 2012. It was a very Texas thing to say, and symbolic of the shifting nature of both the Big East and collegiate athletics.

Culturally, TCU is an odd fit for the still very eastern Big East. Sure, South Florida is a member, but adding TCU makes for just two warm-weather schools out of a 17-school collaboration. The obvious reason for TCU’s inclusion, hardly avoided at the press conference, was TCU’s presence in the No. 5 Dallas/Ft. Worth television market. “In years past it (conference association) used to be for geography. Now it is for TV markets,” admitted Del Conte.

Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins put a slightly different spin on the topic, saying that where conferences tended to be shaped by geography, they now “transcend geographical boundaries” and historical contingencies, whatever that means. Regardless, the big picture he tried to paint was of a unique athletic and academic partnership that can stand tall in the increasingly condensed world of intercollegiate athletics. Added Big East commissioner John Marinatto, “We are the largest family in intercollegiate athletics.”

This summer’s near-colossal roulette game of conference shakeups arguably threatened the Big East’s legitimacy as a football conference. If the Pac-10 had been able to scoop up Texas and move to a 16-school alignment, the Big Ten might have followed, potentially snagging Rutgers and Notre Dame from the Big East with the SEC likely following course with its own expansion grabs.

 

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Turnovers Doom Pittsburgh in Lopsided Backyard Brawl

November 26, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is in free-fall. Its well-earned two game lead in the Big East Conference race is now mush, having fallen in humiliating fashion to rival West Virginia 35-10 on Friday.

“You look at the scoreboard and can’t believe that is the score,” said Pitt defensive tackle Chas Alexcih following the Backyard Brawl.

Believe it.

The Panthers spotted the Mountaineers a 14-7 halftime lead, later stretched to 21-7 to start the third quarter when Geno Smith found Tavon Austin downfield for a 71-yard strike. “The (air) kind of came out of the balloon after that,” said Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt. At that point the Mountaineers had three touchdowns against just two first downs. Guess who the obvious culprit was in such a lopsided outcome?

Turnovers, of course.

Panthers quarterback Tino Sunseri started the show off with an interception the Mountaineers took back to the Panther two-yard line. A touchdown followed. Three drives later, normally reliable back Dion Lewis fumbled the ball near the Mountaineers’ 20-yard line. West Virginia returned that to near midfield. Back Ray Graham took up the act with another fumble of his own, this time deep in Panthers territory. West Virginia again took advantage to grab the 14-7 lead.

 

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Big East Report: Backyard Brawlin’

November 24, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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And a pair of sophomores shall lead them. That is the unexpected battle cry for Pittsburgh and West Virginia heading into Friday’s “Backyard Brawl” that could determine the take-what-you-can-get Big East.

The Mountaineers’ Geno Smith has been the cool game manager capable of quietly dropping a quartet of touchdown passes when he’s on. Pittsburgh’s Tino Sunseri is more the quick-strike artist attacking the deep midfield when not connecting with lengthy receiver Jon Baldwin on play-action passes further downfield.

Not that either program absolutely needs its quarterback to carry the team. Admitted Panthers’ coach Dave Wannstedt to Big East media Monday, “To this point, both teams have been a little more effective from the defensive side.” The Panthers have ridden a dominant defensive line that has been so solid they haven’t had to blitz much. West Virginia makes its case with its unusual 3-3-5 alignment. “Schematically they know what they are responsible to do. It’s a combo of strength up front, speed on the edges, and they’ve got good players,” said Wannstedt.

Although defense is expected to carry the day, these are arguably the two most explosive offenses in the conference outside of Cincinnati. West Virginia looks to a trio of smallish backs/receivers who are dangerous in the open field. Everyone knows about Noel Devine but Jock Sanders has been the steady receiving threat Smith looks to, while sophomore Tavon Austin has made the most splash getting open downfield.

 

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Five Step Drop: Possible Progress for Minority Head Coaches

November 24, 2010   Brian Grummell   No comments

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FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. The grades are in: The Black Coaches and Administrators have graded 34 FBS and FCS schools for how they’ve handled minority hiring last year and have awarded 13 “A” grades to FBS schools. Hopefully a sign of improvement, just one of the 20 FBS schools was given an “F” grade. Of some intrigue, the more progressive Pac-10 does not have a black head coach although Tyrone Willingham left Stanford for Notre Dame several years ago and Karl Dorrell struggled at UCLA. As I’ll continue to emphasize now and into the future, the key to achieving more minority head coaches is to produce a ton of high quality minority coordinators. Most head coaches are hired from the coordinator ranks and it becomes increasingly hard to bypass or ignore minorities for head coaching gigs when the applicant pool increases in talent, experience and diversity.

2. News out of Atlanta is that Boise State will play a pair of SEC teams in upcoming Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classics. The Broncos will play Mississippi in 2014 and rematch with Georgia next year. Great news, although the tone from the post tells the story – demanding more visits to the south from teams around the country without any subsequent road trip from the southern school. Fix this and nobody will ever again be able to complain about the SEC’s supposed dominance. Not that the conference would ever be up to the task.

 

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