Nebraska situation vs Louisville issues

In case anyone might get the wrong impression, this article is NOT about whether Nebraska would interview Tom Jurich for its vacant AD spot after firing Steve Pederson yesterday; nor is it about whether Jurich would consider such a move. This is NOT about anything of the kind.

What I do want to do is compare the relative situations between UL and Nebraska football. I find it extremely fascinating how the two situations parallel each other, and how the fan base and the actions taken by Nebraska is so very different than UL, but for the exact same basic reasons.

First, look at the two schools record this year, and the expectations coming in. Nebraska was ranked 16th in the AP and 17th in the Coach's poll in the preseason. While UL had one of the most successful years ever in their history, Nebraska had a good season in 2006, finishing only 9-5, but did win the B-12 North and played in the B-12 Championship game. Ok, yeah, they lost to Oklahoma, and then lost their bowl game vs Auburn in the Cotton Bowl. But losing to teams like those in post-season games, while disappointing, is hardly anything to be upset over. Note that this all happened in the 3rd year of HC Bill Callahan's tenure. So as a result, expectations for the Huskers were big coming into 2007. They were the heavy favorites to win the B-12 North, and could even have their shot at a BCS game.

And then the season started. The Huskers on defense this season have looked like Louisville West this season. Averaging giving up over 40 points in all three of their loses this season, including last saturday's worst home loss ever to Oklahoma State. (Not Oklahoma mind you, Oklahoma STATE).

So what was the reaction to this horrible start by a team that was to be a "contender" for the B-12 conference title? A firing of the Athletic Director. (Now, I realize that there are being reported some other issues with Pederson and the job he was doing at Nebraska; such as employee dissatisfaction and job morale issues. Still, none of those appeared to be big problems back in June/July when the Nebraska administration extended Pederson's contract for 5 years. Those only became "issues" as criteria for dismissal once the football team's season tanked.)

Now, compare that with the reaction of Louisville where the season this year has been, well, to be kind, far below what people have thought it would be. Including pundits like Phil Steele, among others. But at no time has the UL fan base, or the UL administration had anything but continued faith in UL VP of Athletics Tom Jurich, to fix the problems with this football team and with the coaching staff where/if applicable.

The question is: How much does the AD truly and really impact the final W-L column of the football program?

Is not that the responsibility of the HEAD FOOTBALL COACH?? The AD's job, whether it be in Louisville, or in Nebraska, is to provide all the tools and means necessary for the football HC to build a football program that will result in wins on the field. Making sure of things like facilities, fund raising, NCAA compliance, and even player eligibility are all in order. The only other function is the fact that the AD is responsible for hiring the HC's for every sport the university offers, but it is the HC's job to put together a coaching staff that can teach the game fundamentals, techniques, schemes and methods which result in positive success on the football field. It just seems ridiculous to hold an AD responsible for the W-L records of any of the sports teams. Either from a "firing" of the AD because of it, or of a "the AD has to fix this" perspective. Both, for me, seem to be not focusing on the real problems at hand.

The real issues, for both schools, has been horribly inconsistent play by the defense, as well as some key injuries and poor game management in other phases of the game.

Yes, UL won a very key game up in Cincinnati over the weekend. One in which the UL DL played a big part in. But, given this team's track record they could turn around this week and make UConn look like the New England Patriots. The biggest key to UL's win over Cincy this past weekend were the turnovers they created, and the ones that the Cincy defense did not. That is not necessarily a trend that you want to depend on every week to get you a win. But I am digressing.

The point here to this issue for me, is that I think that that Head Coach's of each respective program at not taking enough responsibility for the current state of each respective program. With UL, you can be a little more forgiving because it is a first year coach, but how can you give a 4th year HC a nod of approval, and then turn around and fire the AD for on field performance? Conversely, how can the UL fan base give unwavering support believing that JURICH, not Kragthorpe, will "fix" UL's football on the field success? When I see both Pederson and Jurich on the practice fields with a whistle, a game plan, and putting kids through drills, them maybe I will accept that. Until then, I think it is a bit unfair and a little naieve to expect the AD of any school to have that sort of on the field impact.