Both are now suddenly feeling heat, because, in the case of one, the program has failed to reached expected heights and, in the case of the other, there have been two bad losses already this season, including one at home to a Sun Belt Conference team.
Butch Jones and Ed Orgeron may not be linked by geography or coaching style or demeanor, but they are linked by the disdain their fanbases have for them at the moment.
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| Butch Jones (Rocky Top Talk) |
Jones, hired just after the end of the 2012 season to replace the failed Derek Dooley, was never really embraced by Rocky Top, as he wasn't seen as a big enough name. Now, forgive Tennessee fans for having delusions of grandeur -- the Vols ain't Alabama or USC or Ohio State or Texas, and can't just have anyone they want.
They should, however, be able to do better than someone who came from a non-Power 5 school, as Jones did from Cincinnati. They got "no" responses from Mike Gundy, Larry Fedora, Charlie Strong and Jon Gruden, and reportedly looked into Butch Davis, Jim Mora, Kirby Smart, Bobby Petrino -- and the guy they fired because they felt he didn't win enough, Phil Fulmer. He only took Tennessee to a national title, and was consistently among the best in the SEC. But fans are a fickle bunch, and they must have grown tired of double digit wins.
Tennessee got Jones, despite protestations from Peyton Manning, who attempted to lure him to Colorado despite being a Tennessee alum. Jones went 9-4 the last two seasons, calling them two of the "best seasons" in school annals -- never mind the aforementioned national championship and double digit winning campaigns. But in four seasons under Jones, Tennessee has never won the SEC East, and it won't again this year.
Jones became upset with the media earlier last week, apparently believing the media should be a cheerleader for his program. And then his team goes out and lays a colossal egg, getting shut out by Georgia 41-0, the team's first shutout at home since 1994 and worst shutout loss since 1905.
Jones' teams often looked unorganized, unprepared, and the coaching staff does not seem to know how to utilize its talent.
There are huge questions at quarterback, and recruiting has slipped to the point that there are no real emerging stars at receiver. Running back John Kelly is a good one, but he can't do it by himself, even though he tries.
The defense looked like it quit against Georgia, and if that's true then it could just be a matter of time for Jones.
"We will dissect everything. Everything will be looked at, from A to Z. we have to work to get better.
"Everyone should hurt. If it doesn't hurt, then that shows you are not heavily invested. if that's not motivation, then I don't know what is. There is a tradition of excellence here that we demand."
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| Ed Orgeron (The Advocate) |
But at least he was one of them, a Louisiana native, so the Geaux Tigers crowd gave him a chance. He went 6-2 after taking over for Les Miles last season, but the two were against Florida and Alabama, LSU's biggest rivals. There was talk that the offense was getting an overhaul this season, and dynamic coordinator Matt Canada arrived from Pittsburgh, the only team in America to score at least 40 points in every game in 2016. Coupled with holdover defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, the Tigers were going to be something.
They were, albeit against lesser competition, and then they weren't, absorbing a 37-7 body blow from Mississippi State before being knocked out at home by Troy, an upper level Group of Five team that is nowhere near as talented as the Tigers yet outplayed, outcoached and outhustled them on every level, leaving with a 24-21 victory. LSU is 67th in total offense and 83rd in scoring offense, and the defense is also an issue, allowing 87 points in the last three games. Very un-LSU.
When interviewed for the job, Orgeron brought with him a binder, showing what he would do in every conceivable situation. So it was funny that he and his team looked so lost from the outset against Troy -- to the point that he didn't even know what play was being run. Third team back Nick Brossette got the opening carry, gained five yards and then fumbled.
"I was not aware we were going to do that," Orgeron said. "I wish I could have that first play back. I wanted Darrel Williams to get the ball. Our third string back got the ball. I should have done a better job of game-planning. I think, that's not the way we ought to start the game."
Orgeron presented himself as a CEO, who would know every aspect of the program yet would give his coaches freedom to do their jobs. So when he doesn't know what's going on, especially in this day and age of scripted offenses, that's a real red flag.
LSU fans appear to be stuck with him, as the powers that be put in a $12 million buyout were he to somehow be fired this season. If the unthinkable happened and LSU let him go, it would be paying him, Miles and whomever it hired as the new coach.
"It's not about Troy, it's about us," Orgeron said. "Its a disappointing performance. We were outcoached and outplayed. It seems like we got outphysicaled by Troy tonight, which is not Tiger football."
Truth be told, LSU hasn't played Tiger football for some time, and may not as long as Oregeron is around. Florida and Alabama are still on the schedule, so it might get worse before it gets better.
This should be a lesson to fans, to be careful what you wish for -- you just might get it.
Barrett Becomes Top Buckeye -- So Why Do So Many Want Him Replaced?
In all of my years covering the Ohio State football beat, one record I was sure was safe -- Art Schlichter's passing mark of 7,547 yards. The Buckeyes would never find someone to start for four years, or throw the ball enough to really challenge the mark.
So imagine my surprise when J.T. Barrett broke it on Saturday in the Buckeyes 56-0 romp over Rutgers. He already held most of the school records, including most wins as a starter and most touchdowns responsible for, so checking all of the boxes with the yardage figure seemed only right.
Amazing that a guy who many in Buckeye Nation believe can't play -- or, more succinctly, can't throw -- could achieve so much.
Barrett has more wins than anyone in school annals, yet fans say he hasn't won a championship of any kind, and that he wilts in big games. Never mind that in 11 games against ranked teams, Barrett has gone 8-3, and the Buckeyes have averaged 33 points in those games. His 2014 campaign was the best in OSU history, with over 2,800 yards, 34 touchdown passes (and another 10 running) and the highest passer rating in school history (169.8).
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| JT Barrett (The Lantern) |
Barrett has improved the last few weeks after the offense was tweaked to feature more quick decisions and quick throws, and utilize more bubble and tunnel screens -- though detractors will say that the improvement came against Army, UNLV and Rutgers, not exactly a Murderers Row of defenses. And there is some legitimacy to that.
But there are a couple of things to remember here -- first, OSU is not a passing team. Sure, it needs to be able to pass enough to keep defenses from stacking the box against its power running spread, but if the Buckeyes are throwing the ball more than 25 times a game consistently, it's probably not a good sign. OSU should lean on running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber, and rely on Barrett's savvy to handle the RPO Urban Meyer's offense demands.
Which brings us to point two -- Barrett is a perfect fit for this offense. He will never be mistaken for a gunslinger, but Meyer has never had a truly prolific passer. He's always favored quarterbacks as part of the run game, with shorter passes to the perimeter that could utilize playmakers in space. He did it with Percy Harvin at Florida and with Curtis Samuel last year at OSU.
Fans who clamor for Dwayne Haskins or Joe Burrow see the precise passing, but what they don't realize is that neither is ready to really take over an offense that is pretty complex, even though its based on simple concepts. Meyer has often cited Barrett's toughness and leadership as two reasons he loves him, and those aren't going to change anytime soon.
You know what is changing? OSU's offense, and with it Barrett's efficiency.
In the last three games, Barrett has moved from the 40s in ESPN's QBR metric to 17th, tops in the B1G and one of just two league quarterbacks in the top 20. Barrett has even hit a few deep balls, which was the biggest complaint from OSU fans -- who fail to realize that the Buckeyes aren't the 1970s Oakland Raiders, taking shots downfield every other throw.
If the receivers continue to progress -- Parris Campbell is the closest thing Ohio State has to a Harvin or Samuel, and Bin Victor showed some fight and determination in going up for a 50-50 ball against Rutgers -- Barrett should continue to improve. Many say this kind of offense won't work against better defenses, and they may be right. But it has worked in the past, including in the 2014 national championship campaign, so I am giving Meyer the benefit of the doubt.
Of course, fans won't be happy until or unless the Buckeyes knock off Penn State on Oct. 28th. I am sure that if OSU wins, but Barrett plays average or worse, fans will find a way to be upset.
After all, going back as far as Woody Hayes, many OSU fans are more concerned with HOW the Buckeyes win rather than THAT they win.
Barrett is a winner, and while he will never be mistaken for Schlichter in a passing sense, he does have him beaten in most important measurables.
Should the Buckeyes run the table and win the B1G title game, it will be in the discussion for the College Football Playoff, at which point Barrett will have a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
Thanks For Playing
While their coaches will say there is still plenty to play for, a handful of teams saw their seasons, for all intents and purposes, end on Saturday. No longer part of the chase for the College Football Playoff, these teams are more than welcome to pick up their lovely parting gifts on the way out:
Iowa -- The Hawkeyes were never serious players, though their defense is good enough to cause problems for teams that don't come to play. The offense is archaic, and there is little semblance of a passing game. But Kirk Ferentz will still get his millions -- it must be nice to not have expectations, Iowa.
Northwestern -- The Wildcats were seen by many (including the person typing these words) as a darkhorse pick to win the Big Ten West division. Um, about that ... who knew the ground game would be so poor, that the defense would regress back to 2014 and 2015 levels, and that, for one of the few times in Pat Fitzgerald's tenure, the team wouldn't play hard all the time.
Ole Miss -- You weren't really allowed to play, anyway, so we aren't going to waste a lot of space.
Vanderbilt -- Solid defense, anemic offense, and no one to open holes for Ralph Webb at running back, which is a shame because he's been one of the more unheralded backs in the land for a couple of seasons now. There just isn't enough offense in Music City for the Commodores to truly compete, though Kyle Shurmur may have a football job beyond college.
LSU -- See above. The less (Miles) said about the Tigers, the better. Florida and Alabama are still on the schedule, so at least the Bayou Bengals aren't harboring any false hopes about being any good.
Indiana -- If it was basketball, we could talk. As it is, the Hoosiers were pretty much fools gold this year
South Carolina -- The effort is there, the talent is not, at least not yet. The Gamecocks had Texas A&M on the ropes but couldn't finish the job, so now it can build for the future.
Colorado -- While last year's resurgence wasn't a complete fluke, the Buffs are still a year or so away from being a consistent contender in the Pac-12. There just isn't enough firepower in the passing game, and too many issues in the secondary.
Cal -- Another team taking positive steps forward, it's just too young to really be a factor this year. Justin Wilcox will get it going because he's an excellent coach, but the early season optimism probably was a bit much for a team that came into the year as one of the least experienced in America.
The number of unbeatens has fallen to 17, while the winless has dwindled to seven -- though one, UTEP, saw its head coach, Sean Kugler, step down after an 0-5 start.
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