Here’s the latest installment of Terry’s Takes, which focuses on the coaching carousel this week.
Jeff Tedford isn’t the answer for Fresno State
Although he seems like the perfect fit (on paper) for Fresno State, Jeff Tedford should not be the Bulldogs’ next head coach.
That’s not to say that Tedford isn’t a great coach. He is. In 11 seasons at California, Tedford won a school-best 82 games, while guiding the Bears to a 50-45 record in Pac-12 play. He also went 5-3 in bowl games, and led Cal to a top 10 finish in 2004.
Not bad considering that he inherited a program that went 1-10 the year before he arrived.
With that said, I’m not certain that he’s the right guy to lead the program. Although his overall record at California was pretty good, his last team lost the final five games of the season to finish 3-9. As the head coach of the BC Lions, his team had a similar problem, dropping eight of its final twelve games en route to a 7-11 record.
Is it possible that those two seasons were an aberration?
Perhaps.
Unfortunately, Fresno State cannot afford to take a chance on someone who last had success five years ago. It needs to hire a coach that’s gotten the job done recently. If I were the one making the decision, I’d pursue Ruffin McNeill, Lincoln Riley, or Jim Grobe if Baylor doesn’t offer him the job. More on that below…
Baylor should offer Grobe the job on a permanent basis
Yes, I know I made the case for hiring him permanently in the offseason. I’m also aware that many of you will disagree with this opinion at this point in the season. After all, we don’t know how good (or great) the Bears are at the moment because they haven’t really played anyone other than Oklahoma State.
Regardless, it’s hard to ignore how well Baylor has performed under Grobe’s leadership. Sure, we knew that the offense was loaded with talent going into the season, but no one expected it to rank fourth nationally in total offense, especially after losing four starters on the offensive line. On the other side of the ball, the Bear defense ranks third in the nation in yards per play, allowing just 4.15 yards per attempt. That includes three games against Big 12 opponents (known for their high-octane offenses) as well as SMU, which upset Houston last week.
It’s tough to argue with those results.
Yet, even if Baylor weren’t undefeated and near the top of the stat sheet in every category, I’d still believe that Grobe is the right man for the job. He’s a proven head coach who has always done things the right way. What program wouldn’t want a guy like that leading the team?
Two words for Mississippi State people who want to fire Dan Mullen – “Chuck Reedy”
Who’s that you ask?
Reedy was the head coach of the Baylor Bears from 1993-96. After a losing record in his first season, Reedy went 14-9 in his next two years. However, when Baylor limped to a 4-7 mark in 1996 – the year it left the Southwest Conference to join the Big 12 – the school showed Reedy the door rather than giving him a chance to right the ship.
That turned out to be a huge mistake. Baylor wouldn’t have another winning season until 2010, and would lose at least nine games in seven of the next 13 seasons.
So, what does this have to do with Dan Mullen?
Quite frankly, Mississippi State would be making a similar gaffe by firing Mullen. Yes, the Bulldogs are currently 2-5, but the record doesn’t tell the entire story. As Mullen pointed out, MSU has lost three games this season on the final play of the contest, including Saturday’s loss to Kentucky. With any luck at all, the Dawgs could easily be 5-2.
Of course, the people calling for Mullen’s head don’t care about whether or not the other team was lucky. They want to win, and they want to win now.
What these people don’t realize is that Mullen is the best coach to do that. Sure, other coaches might seem like a better fit for the job, but no one really knows if any of them can win consistently in Starkville. After all, only one coach has led the Bulldogs to back-to-back nine-win seasons in the school’s 112-year history.
It wasn’t Jackie Sherrill. Nor was it Hall of Famers Darrell Royal or Allyn McKeen.
No, the coach that pulled off that historic feat was a guy named Dan Mullen.
That hardly sounds like a coach who should get his walking papers after one bad season.
In other words, be patient, Bulldog fans. Making a move now could set the program back at least 15 years. Just ask Baylor.
