1. In early August, at Youngstown State's media day, someone came up to me and said, "You know, YSU could have saved a lot of money by keeping the last guy. Seem to be getting the same results."
Thing is, they're not.
Jon Heacock went 32-24 overall and 18-17 in the Gateway Conference in his first five years, sharing the conference title in the fifth year. The following year, YSU won the league title outright and advanced to the national semifinals.
Through five years, Eric Wolford is 31-25 and 18-21 in the Missouri Valley.
2. You can make all sorts of arguments about who had it easier, Heacock or Wolford.
Heacock took over a program that was two years removed from a national championship game appearance. The Gateway/MVFC also wasn't as strong as it is now, although it was still pretty good.
But Heacock was also given a much smaller budget for assistant coaches and recruiting.
Wolford took over a team that hadn't been to the playoffs in four years but got an upgraded budget and several facility upgrades, including the locker room, coaches offices, meeting rooms and an indoor facility. (YSU also replaced the turf and is planning to install a new scoreboard.)
Regardless, the expectations were the same for both men — and Wolford hasn't met them. And while it's one thing to live up to Jim Tressel's standard — no one expects that — it's another to live up to Jon Heacock's.
Through five years, he hasn't.
3. Which brings us to Saturday.
For the third time in four years, YSU had a chance to earn a playoff berth by winning its home finale. For the third time in four years, the Penguins lost.
In 2011, they blew a 17-point halftime lead to Missouri State, which was tied for last in the conference at the time.
In 2013, they got blown out by South Dakota State in a blizzard to finish the season on a three-game losing streak.
On Saturday, they lost in overtime to a team that went 1-11 last season, a team that has zero tradition, the league's worst facilities and a budget built around its men's basketball program.
If Saturday's game was a referendum on the Wolford era — and I think it was — then something needs to change.
4. After the game, I wrote on Twitter that we should reserve judgment on this season (and the coaching staff) until after next week's game.
I stand by that. But it's hard to see how the Penguins will manage to beat three-time national champions North Dakota State in Fargo. And even if they do, they're still on the bubble since their non-conference wins aren't going to help.
5. YSU has another problem that goes beyond the big-game losses: The fans really don't like Wolford.
When I covered this year's Hubbard-Poland football game, a Poland fan cornered me as I was leaving the press box and said, "Is Wolford as big of an [expletive] as he seems?"
"No," I said. "He's actually great with the media."
I get these kinds of questions far too often.
And, honestly, Wolford actually hasn't been quite as good with the media lately. I haven't been allowed to attend practices for weeks, which just results in less coverage from our newspaper. (I haven't written fewer stories over that stretch, just fewer stories about YSU football.) And in some of our Tuesday press conferences (i.e. the only time we get access to him and players leading up to the game), he has sometimes come across like a man who'd rather be anywhere else, which wasn't the case in his first four years.
But those are minor issues. His problem isn't with the media. It's with the public.
6. Soon after Saturday's loss, I got an email from an ex-player who said he attends YSU sporting events year-round, but that he'll never go to another football game as long as Wolford is the coach. He said watching Wolford's press conferences make him "ill" and said the No. 1 reason his wife wouldn't attend Saturday's game was because she can't stand Wolford.
This was not an isolated email. There are plenty of people who wanted Heacock replaced five years ago, but who really liked him as a person. Wolford doesn't have that kind of support.
7. The two biggest complaints I hear about Wolford are
A. He's arrogant.
B. He blames his players, rather than himself.
The first one doesn't bother me. What some call arrogant, someone else might call confident. And you need confidence in this job.
But the second criticism is fair, and he did it again after Saturday's game. When asked about Hunter Wells' interception on the first play of overtime, Wolford said it was a run-pass option and Wells made a mistake by choosing to pass instead of handing it off.
Now. Even if that's true, WELLS IS A TRUE FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK! Why throw him under the bus? And if you're not sure he'll make the right decision in that spot, don't give him the option.
What Wolford should have said was, "That loss was on me. We needed to win today and we didn't get it done. It's my fault."
Even if he didn't believe it, he should have said it.
8. As I reported earlier this year, Wolford's buyout is for $150,000 if YSU goes 7-5. If the Penguins make the playoffs, it's for the full amount ($263,894).
But here's the catch: YSU's buyout would be offset by whatever Wolford makes as an assistant coach next season, assuming he doesn't decide to sit out the season. (That strikes me as very unlikely.)
Assuming he gets a job as an offensive line coach at a major program — which strikes me as likely — YSU probably won't owe much of anything.
9. Bottom line: I don't hire or fire coaches. That's a decision made by the two guys who signed his contract: athletic director Ron Strollo and Tressel, who is YSU's president.
But given the outrage from the fans — and it's very real, as my Twitter account can attest — they might be forced to make a change if YSU loses next week.
10. One more thing: Tressel has a LOT of friends in the coaching community. If Wolford doesn't return, it'll be interesting to see who's interested.
- See more at:
http://www.vindy.com/weblogs/penguin-insider/2014/nov/16/another-rough-november-wolford/#sthash.GSgXLeTD.dpuf
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