Will New Chad Morris of SEC Last Until Halloween?
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For whatever reason, Chad Morris was a disaster at Arkansas.
In case you're wondering, yes, everybody knows why it was a train wreck but we could spend more time than you want to read detailing all of that. The bottom line was he didn't win games.
That bottom line is what's causing Bryan Harsin to be in a situation where everybody is assuming he'll be the first coach out in the SEC this year.
The former coach at the community college in Jonesboro might have been fired last weekend if Missouri hadn't fumbled away an overtime win on 1-yard line.
Coaches have been fired before Halloween. Tommy Bowden at Clemson leaps immediately to mind.
Harsin has struggled mightily. For whatever reason he has gotten crossways with the powers that be down on The Plains because they launched an investigation last year that failed.
The Tigers may have waited too long to show him the door. By the time all that happened last year, the available pool of coaches that might have an interest in coaching there already had other jobs.
Now he has no support with athletic director Allen Greene announcing he was stepping down from his role.
“The Auburn money people, they never wanted Harsin to get hired, and the AD that hired him, he got forced out last month,” Feldman said. “They’re ranked number 55 in recruiting and that is last in the SEC.”
That last part was enough to get Morris ousted in Fayetteville before he finished two seasons. The fact he ended up in Auburn as offensive coordinator ended up costing his buddy, Gus Malzahn, fired.
Harsin is getting to the point he can't afford losses. You wonder if he got much credit at all for last week's win over Missouri.
The only way he could explain that away is the excuse that Missouri is a good team, which probably wouldn't even pass the laugh test.
The Tigers' Eli Drinkwitz may actually be worse than Harsin, but that's just a subjective view from a distance.
There is a common thread for those two guys and Morris, though — none of them appear to have a clue about reading the room and relating to fans, players or the media.
These days that may be the most important thing of all.
And if you don't think Harsin has an easy path to keeping his job, look at the schedule.
After LSU this weekend, the Tigers go on the road to Georgia and Ole Miss followed by a home game against Arkansas to finish October.
That game with the Hogs is two days before Halloween.
Whether Harsin is coaching by then is likely to depend on how many wins he gets.
You wonder if some people at Auburn are starting to have divided loyalties.
HOGS FEED:
PITTMAN TO SPEND SATURDAY TRYING TO CAPTURE ELUSIVE 'LOSER SABAN'
JUST STAYING CLOSE AGAINST ALABMA SHOULDN'T BE THE GOAL ON SATURDAY
WHAT FOLKS ARE SAYING ABOUT ALABAMA AHEAD OF SATURDAY'S GAME
SEC ROUNDUP: ALABAMA FOOTBALL BUILT AROUND HATE, ROBOTS
FANS ONLY ONES GIVING RAZORBACKS CHANCE AGAINST CRIMSON TIDE
SAM PITTMAN'S COMPLETE PRESS CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY BEFORE ALABAMA GAME SATURDAY
WHAT HOGS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN JORDAN DOMINECK SEES IN ANOTHER TALENTED ALABAMA OFFENSE
WATCH: HOGS' RUNNING BACK ROCKET SANDERS AND TIGHT END TREY KNOX WITH THE MEDIA TUESDAY
WATCH: HOW MIKE NEIGHBORS IS TRYING TO CHANGE HOGS' WITH SOME DIFFERENT PERSONNEL THIS YEAR
HOGS MUST DECIDE THIS WEEK IF THEY WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY ALABAMA
SEC ROUND-UP: IS DEION SANDERS NEXT IN LINE AT AUBURN, PLUS MORE
ALABAMA NOT PHASED BY SEEING RED IN THE STANDS
• Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the allHOGS message board community today!
• Follow allHOGS on Twitter and Facebook.
• View and subscribe to the allHogs YouTube Channel