Usually I confine myself to talking about LSU football, but every now and again I have to blast on some topic of interest. I can’t help but comment on two coaching decisions that are a bit mind boggling to me.
#1. During the pre-season, Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter named senior Sam Keller as starter then 48 hours later reversed field and named Rudy Carpenter, a sophomore, the starter. Keller then transferred to Nebraska and will have one year of eligibility left.#2. Arkansas opens against USC with junior signal caller Robert Johnson under center. Johnson struggles and is replaced by “super freshman” Mitch Mustain. Mustain comes into the game with less than 10 minutes left with the score 44-7 and leads the Hogs to a TD and is suddenly named the starter for the following week.
All I can gather from these decisions is that Koetter and Nutt are desperate and unsure of the direction of their teams. Koetter has ALL SPRING AND FALL PRACTICE TO PICK A STARTER and goes with the logical and smart choice only to let the players convince him to change his mind. WHO IS THE BOSS HERE? WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS? ASU then struggled in week one versus I-AA Northern Arizona and red flags are going off all over the place. If ASU falls flat this season, Koetter should be fired for the simple reason that he HAS LOST CONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILTY TO MAKE CRITICAL DECISIONS FOR THE PROGRAM.
As for Nutt, how do you go all pre-season with Johnson as the #1 then bail on him after he struggles against one of the best defenses in the nation? Did Nutt have SO LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN JOHNSON THAT HE WAS READY TO PULL THE PLUG AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ADVERSITY? If so, why not name Mustain the starter early on and let him get the reps during two-a-days? The move smacks of desperation. The Hogs are in a lot more trouble than I thought. There is NO WAY a true freshman comes into the SEC and leads his team to the top of the division.Don’t be surprised if both coaches are fired at the end of the season.
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