Sin in haste

Football Insider Board
#1

Been hearing a lot about that '92 Citadel game lately (can’t imagine why). Had a few points to add.

  1. That 1992 Citadel team wasn’t that bad. They only lost two games that year, to 1-AA champ Marshall and 1-AA runner-up Youngstown State. Arkansas wasn’t even the only 1-A team they beat that year. They also had a win at Army. Kind of the equivalent to a loss to App State today.

  2. Nobody, fans included, showed up for that game. As much as Broyles was upset at the loss, I got the feeling that fan apathy bothered him just a bit more, the sense he had that both expectations and enthusiasm were waning in the fan base just as we began SEC play.

  3. Jack Crowe was a better coach than that one result indicated. He simply wasn’t set up for success as head coach at Arkansas (see that 1990 season for what a real dumpster fire looks like). His Jackson State record (including a win at Ole Miss) would indicate, at least, competence.

  4. The 1992 team was better than that one result indicated (3 wins in conference, remember those?). We can only speculate how the team would have done without the disruption, but they somehow delivered that crazy win at Neyland. That’s a top 5 win on the road.

  5. I’d be hard-pressed to argue that the Crowe September firing did Razorbacks football much good, even with what now appears to be a minuscule buyout. This became Exhibit A in the case of “That Crazy Arkansas Program”, to which many more exhibits would later be added, but still. The next coach would go 26-30-1 in five seasons, which isn’t at all where we want the program to be.

  6. If you give a HC x years, does that imply that the W/L in preceding years isn’t dispositive, and that you’re reserving all judgment of on-field performance until after x seasons? If it doesn’t, are you really giving a coach x years to prove themselves? I feel like three years is a reasonable period for a HC (who somebody liked enough to hire in the first place) to show you what they can do, though I’ll admit this current staff is testing that notion.

Ready, fire, aim just doesn’t seem to be the way to go, then or ever. I get the feeling the Citadel loss wouldn’t loom quite so large in Razorbacks infamy but for that hasty Sunday afternoon axing.

#2

While I am much more inclined today than I was last week to agree that Morris is in over his head (big shock that my opinion has somewhat changed, right?), I see NOTHING to be gained in firing him during the season no matter what the results. I don’t think we won any more in 1992 by firing Crowe than we would have if we had not fired him. We might have done better if we had not fired him (not saying he should have been kept after the end of that season, I don’t think there was any chance of that).

The disruption is NOT the answer for THIS season.

I am as down on Arkansas football as I have ever been. I don’t know the answers. But I do think I know what NOT to do and that is to fire Morris in the season. We will just have to wait until the end of the year and see where we are as far as win/loss (pretty sure what that will be but you never know), recruiting, over all “feel” of the program.

#3

Good post. WPS

#4

Don’t forget that Crowe was beginning his third year as head coach at Arkansas when the Hogs lost to the Citadel. He was hired (promoted) when Ken Hatfield bolted for Clemson just before signing day.

#5

That’s right. He wasn’t allowed to finish his third year before the trigger was pulled.

The reasons for, and the timing of, Hatfield’s departure is a whole other can of worms that I’m content to leave unopened.

#6

I agree. After the Missouri game, a total review will be made. If Yurachek thinks that things are improving and that a plan is in place to make more improvement, then Morris will get 1 more year.

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#7