RG-J reports that sources report Ault's job to be in jeopardy

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported in their paper this morning that "multiple sources" have contacted the paper's offices in the past two weeks with the same general message: the Wolf Pack must compete for a Western Athletic Conference championship and not embarass themselves (and their ancestors, in my opinion) in a bowl game next season, lest Ault cash in his 401(k), buy a 'Bago, and move to Tampa.

Rather than shrug off the comments, Cary Groth and Coach Ault were both quick to go on the defensive, which really serves to re-affirm what we've already said: Ault is on probation.

Between their actions three weeks ago, the sheer number of people within the department willing to divulge such similar stories, and their swift and deliberate reactions this time around I think we can all be pretty certain of that fact.

But before we all get out the celebratory box of Cheese-Its, there are some things to consider.

Among the assertions by donors is that Groth has been trying to "get rid of" Ault since she arrived in 2004 and that Ault offered to step down during their meeting last month.

Groth did re-up Ault's contract, as she was quick to point out, in 2007 after a 6-7 season and Nevada's first shut-out loss since the Carter administration; if she ever had a golden opportunity to uload the guy, that was it.  Therefore, I'm inclined to believe her when she says refutes that above statement.  She is the AD, afterall, and therefore does wield the power to deal with him; either that or she really is shackled to a radiator while the team is shackled to a corpse, but the only way for that to be possible would be if she were answering to the greater wishes of the donors...the same donors who have been flooding Groth with complaints about Ault and reporting the "firestorm up there" to the RG-J.

The potential triggers outlined by the donors -- contend for a WAC title and avoid embarrassment in a bowl game -- are ambiguously defined at best, but they are indicators that the vocal faction of Ault detractors -- a few hundred of whom e-mailed Groth to complain following the bowl loss -- might be having an influence on the potential direction of the program.

They are ambiguous to a point, but the fact that contend for a title and avoid embarrassment in a bowl game is the only demarcation defining the future of Ault's employment indicates to me that the University is taking the 'just don't look like a chode again' approach in order to shelter him from disgrace; it also gives enough room for interpretation to allow them to cast him off next season - it therefore becomes further evidence of Ault's probation.

And I don't think the donors' complaints are having that kind of impact, mainly because they don't have to; 45-10 against SM freakin' U pretty much speaks for itself.

The most important to consider, however:

...Nevada has underperformed in non-conference games since Ault's return -- 12-16 overall, which includes a 5-1 record against UNLV and a 1-4 mark in bowl games.

Remove the record against UNLV, one of the worst FBS programs in the country in the last decade, and Nevada is 7-15 in non-conference games. The Wolf Pack has adopted a more challenging non-conference scheduling philosophy in the last decade or so, and the Pack did not play an FCS opponent in 2009. But its inability to compete with Top-25 caliber teams has alienated some fans. The Pack is 1-11 against Top 25 teams since 2004, including 0-10 in the last four seasons.

 The evidence is mounting...not that we need it anymore.

There's no shame in abdication...

Laugh of the Week

I check into the list of signatures on the Fire Chris Ault online petition periodically, and am pleased to report that it is now up to 26 signatures.  One of them, however, is something of a freebie.

#20
Name: You Are An Idiot on Jan 28, 2010
Comments: You are probably a disgruntled postal worker and nobody likes you. How many games did you even attend?? Coach needs support not your whining.

So, someone actually signed the petition in an attempt to tell a previous signer what he thought of him/her.

"You Are An Idiot," huh; well, I guess it takes one to know one.  And that, friends, is firechrisault.com's Laugh of the Week.

UPDATE! January 30, 2010: 'Idiot' removed his signature from the petition; unfortunate but still funny.

The NEW Fire Chris Ault Online Petition

The online petition is back (and the link has been tested), so I am posting it again:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/firechrisault/

Thanks to our astute readership identifying when this link blinked out the last time.

But now it's back, long may it reign.

Sunset over Seven Lakes Mountain

Fire Chris Ault Online Petition

A friend of the cause e-mailed us this link this morning...

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/firechrisault/

I'm flabbergasted that we didn't come up with this sometime over the last two years of the existence of this site, but a good idea is a good idea.

Good luck to Chris Klenakis; five years ago I thought you'd be our HC by now.

-------
UPDATE: 01/16/2010
Apparantly the above link is not working.  I am working on finding out why and also working to make it work.
-------
UPDATE UPDATE: 01/16
I double checked the link and it has apparantly been removed.  Dern.
-------
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: 01/17
The link has been re-affirmed, see above.  Yay!

The Victorians were sick, sick people.

Back by popular demand: Chris Ault's salary.

We've had some e-mails regarding this matter, and a whole lot of people have found our humble website by googl'ing for this information.  So, here's what my comrade could find.

2009: $375,000 (100th of 120 FBS schools)

2008: $368,000 (96th)

2007: $368,092

2006: $360,000 (81st)

Unfortunately, he could find no information prior to his contract re-negotiation.  There are some other goodies, however, in the 2006 contract.

Namely, the University will provide two cars (on loan) for Coach and Mrs. Ault (however it is Ault's responsibility to provide insurance for those cars), reimbursement of travel expenses at the "standard per diem rate" for Mrs. Ault's traveling to road games, up to 12 skybox season tickets for football on request, up to four season tickets for basketball upon request, and a membership to Hidden Valley Golf Club, valued at $7,200.00, upon request.  He is entitled to various bonuses depending upon the achievement of the football team: for winning a conference championship: $15,000; for appearing in an NCAA-sanctioned bowl game: $10,000; for achieving a post-season ranking in the 'Top Twenty Coaches Poll:' $10,000; for earning WAC Coach of the Year honors: $5,000.

He is allowed to earn income from outside sources, provided that it meets with NCAA guidelines and identifies himself as the head coach for the University of Nevada, although he is required to submit full disclosure to the Athletic Department and the president of the University.  In the event that Ault is terminated 'without cause,' Ault is entitled to: "as liquidated damages, an amount equal to the Head Football Coach's guaranteed base annual salary for the remaining term of (the) agreement."  Termination 'with cause' holds no such guidelines.

It's too much to go into greater detail here, so I encourage people to read the contract.

So while his salary still keeps him on the lower end of the spectrum for NCAA FBS coaches, his perks aren't all that outlandish, either.

Tonopah, NV

Oh for f---'s sake...

Breaking news, courtesy of KOLO:

RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada has hired veteran coach Mike Bradeson to lead the Wolf Pack’s secondary, head coach Chris Ault announced today.

This will mark Bradeson’s second tenure in Reno, having coached under Ault from 1986-1991. Bradeson has also worked at Boise State and Cal and he spent the past 15 seasons at UNLV as the longest tenured coach in Rebel history.

“Just like Andy Buh, Mike knows the Nevada way,” Ault said. “With his deep experience, he will give Andy all the support he needs from the secondary. He is a well-rounded defensive backs coach because of his vast experience as a defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator.”

While at UNLV, Bradeson spent 15 years coaching in the secondary, including five seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator. He coached or recruited eight players who went on to the NFL and three players who were named the MWC Defensive Player of the Year. Bradeson’s last year as defensive coordinator was 2004, which was the last year that UNLV beat Nevada.

That's right - Ault just hired a guy who was so spectacular as defensive coordinator for UNLV that they demoted him nearly six years ago as our new secondaries coach. This would be the same person that coached the secondary that we scored 63 points against this year. But it's okay - he used to coach under Ault from '86-'91 and knows the "Nevada way".

Problem is, so do I, and I don't seem to remember it ever involving pass defense.

Ladies and gentlemen, Wolf Pack football!

Shackled to a Corpse

We now have statements from both AD Groth and Coach Ault.  Ault stays, Wilson (sigh) stays, Buh is in, House is definately out. 

Groth's Statement

Ault's Statement

Groth not only reafirms her backing of Ault, she reinforces it with a diatribe of accolades, concluding by saying that: "...Coach Ault has 100 percent of (her) support and the support of this athletics program going into next year."  So, like Germany with Austria-Hungary in the First World War, we are a program shackled to a corpse.

At least for next season.

For it would seem that not all is as it appears.  Groth wasted no time heaping on the defense (I'll stop short of calling it all 'praise') for Ault and the 2009 Wolf Pack, but it quickly ran to excess (the lady doth protest too much, methinks), starting with a rather trite "He's done a heck of a lot for this institution...."

She began with: "The past couple of weeks, Coach Ault and I have had some good conversations, very good conversations."  Translation: Coach Ault and I have had some serious conversations.

She continued: "The average NCAA attendance when I arrived six years ago was 9,000. Last year, it was 18,000. It’s doubled in the six years he’s been coaching."  Translation: I'm going to sidestep a bit while I try to convince you (and myself) that we are going the right direction.

And on... "Here’s some of the challenges. We have community and fan indifference right now in our football program. We need to fix that, all of us together."  Translation: Transfering the blame off of Ault (and onto THE COMMUNITY!!!) takes the heat off of me, too!

"So how do we move forward? In talking with Coach Ault, I told him he needed to make a change in his defensive staff, and he agreed. It had to be done, and it wasn’t just in the defensive coordinator position."  Translation: I am starting to flex some authority over Ault here...see how serious our talks acutally were.

"One of the things that I told Coach Ault is that he shouldn’t have been put in that position in the Hawaii Bowl. His assistant coaches, it’s their responsibility to make sure that our team is prepared."  Translation: Did I go too far?  Back off!  Back off!

Ault's comments, on the otherhand, had a certain tenacity and fervor to them.  While he admitted early that the buck stops with him, he reinforced the blame of the defensive coaching staff and the community at large.  The overall flavor of his tenor: Ault was trying to sound strong, but now knows that his program is under the microscope...in short, he was on the defensive.

Read both statements, and consider the tenor of what the both of them are saying; let it sink in a little, and I think that nine out of ten of us will come to the same conclusion:

Ault is officially on probation.

Frankly, they wouldn't have had such an elaborate press conference for a routine firing, and they certainly wouldn't have gone through so many pains to appear riteous and even altruistic in their efforts if it meant anything else.  As with any other time a head coach makes a peculiar and potentially shattering move Ault could have run with the punches; he could have released a prepared statement; and there was no real reason for Groth to become so embroiled in the process, let alone to share the spotlight and discuss "...the future of the program."

And blaming the community is a sign of desperation, and a bad tactical move...a classic example of biting the hand that feeds you.  And Groth was quick to point out that attendance averages have doubled in the past six years, followed quickly by her lump of communal blame.  I don't think that anyone denies that community support could be stronger, and at the very least they admit the need to outreach and divine the needs and the desires of the larger community (Ault's tenure aside).  Then again, admiting that need is nothing new, as it seems to come up every year.

For the record, to compare extremes: the population of the greater Reno area and immediate outlying metro area: approx. 677,386; the population of the greater Lincoln, NE metro area: approx. 292,219.  According to Groth, average Mackay Stadium attendance in 2009: 18,000; average Memorial Stadium attendance in 2009: 85,888 (although it is a stone's throw from the 837,925 metro area of Omaha).  Now I'm not comparing the two programs, but a FBS football program for the flagship institution of the state in a metro area of that size should theoretically have little trouble bringing in a capacity crowd for humble little Mackay Stadium. 

For another comparison: Washtenaw County, MI (home of Ann Arbor and, therefore, the University of Michigan) has a total of 322,895; the metro area for Ann Arbor is 341,847; UM averaged 108,983 per game in 2009...and Michigan is struggling with a horrid economy and declining population (and UM went 5-7 overall, and 1-7 in the Big Ten).

There is something off here, but they need to truly evaluate what is off and why before playing the 'blame the community' card.  But play they did, and that is bad protocol and classless on the part of both parties. 

Yet regardless of where the blame has been 'officially' put, some conclusions are obvious: Groth is beginning to dictate terms to Ault; Ault is on the defensive; Ault is on probation...

...Ault is on probation...

...but, for now, the Pack is mired.

The 'House' of Usher

"That being said, the critical change is the attitude and the mentality of the defense. That's the problem."

"It starts in the fronts being tough. There's no question our weakness has been in the secondary, but I think that's due to confusion. I felt we were not a physical defense up front."-Ault

"I'm trying to figure out how it adds up," said House, who coached the defensive front along with ends coach Barry Sacks. "I don't know how he decided it would be me after 15 years of service, 15 years of unwavering loyalty. "

"I always thought I would headquarter here. After yesterday I was wounded." -House

House goes, Sacks stays; Burton was, allegedly, on the chopping block, managing to keep his proverbial head and escape just in time; Wilson is still free and coaching the linebackers (in addition to his duties as Assoc. Head Coach).

We should know more a little later today, but for now, with what the RG-J has provided so far, something is awfully fishy here.

Awfully fishy.

Nevada Wolf Pack 2009 Opponent Records

Now that the BCS cop-out that was the Fiesta Bowl is over, play has officially ended for all WAC teams.  We therefore bring you the final season-end Wolf Pack opponent tally.

Notre Dame:
     6-6 overall, no conference affiliation.
Defeated:
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (35-0)
     Michigan State 6-7, 4-4 Big Ten (33-30)
     @ Purdue 5-7, 4-4 Big Ten (24-21)
     Washington 5-7, 4-5 PAC 10 (37-30)
     Boston College 8-5, 5-3 ACC (20-16)
     Washington State 1-11, 0-9 PAC 10 (40-14)
Defeated by:
     @ Michigan 5-7, 1-7 Big Ten (38-34)
     USC 9-4, 5-4 PAC 10 (34-27)
     Navy 10-4 (23-21)
     @ Pitt 10-3, 5-2 Big East (27-22)
     UConn 8-5, 3-4 Big East (33-30 OT)
     @ Stanford 8-5, 6-3 PAC 10(45-38)
PF: 361 PA: 311 (dif. +50)

Colorado State (End of the season, and their last win was STILL at home vs. Nevada!!!):
     3-9, 0-8 MWC
Defeated:
     @ Colorado 3-9, 2-6 Big XII (23-17)
     Weber State 7-5, 6-2 Big Sky (24-23)
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (35-20)
Defeated by:
     @ BYU 11-2, 7-1 MWC (42-23)
     @ Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (31-29)
     Utah 10-3, 6-2 MWC (24-17)
     @ TCU 12-1, 8-0 MWC (44-6)
     SDSU 4-8, 2-6 MWC (42-28)
     Air Force 8-5, 5-3 MWC (34-16)
     @ Nevada Southern 5-7, 3-5 MWC (35-16)
     @ UNM 1-11, 1-7 MWC (29-27)
     Wyoming 7-6, 4-4 MWC (17-16)
PF: 260 PA: 358 (dif. -98)

Missouri:
     8-5, 4-4 Big XII
Defeated:
     Illinois 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten (37-9)
     Bowling Green 7-6, 6-2 MAC (27-20)
     Furman 6-5, 5-3 Southern Conference (52-12)
     @ NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (31-21)
     @ Colorado 3-9, 2-6 Big XII (36-17)
     @ Kansas State 6-6, 4-4 Big XII (38-12)
     Iowa State 7-6, 3-5 Big XII (34-24)
     Kansas 5-7, 1-7 Big XII (41-39)
Defeated by:
     Nebraska 10-4, 6-2 Big XII (27-12)
     @ Okla. St. 9-4, 6-2 Big XII (33-17)
     Texas 13-0, 8-0 Big XII (41-7)
     Baylor!!! 4-8, 1-7 Big XII (40-32)
     Navy 10-4 (35-13)
PF: 377 PA: 330 (dif. +47)

Nevada Southern:
     5-7, 3-5 MWC
Defeated:
     Sac. State 5-6, 4-4 Big Sky (38-3)
     Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC (34-33)
     @ UNM 1-11, 1-7 MWC (34-17)
     CSU 3-9, 0-8 MWC (35-16)
     SDSU 4-8, 2-6 MWC (28-24)
Defeated by:
     Oregon State 8-5, 6-3 PAC 10 (23-21)
     @ Wyoming 7-6, 4-4 MWC (30-27)
     @ NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (63-28)
     BYU 11-2, 7-1 MWC (59-21)
     Utah 10-3, 6-2 MWC (35-15)
     @ TCU 12-1, 8-0 MWC (41-0)
     @ Air Force 8-5, 5-3 MWC (45-17)
PF: 298 PA: 389 (dif. -91)

LaTech:
     4-8, 3-5 WAC
Defeated:
     Nicholls State 3-8, 2-5 Southland Conference (48-13)
     Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC (27-6)
     NMSU 3-10, 1-7 WAC (45-7)
     SJSU 2-10, 1-7 WAC (55-20)
Defeated by:
     @ Auburn 8-5, 3-5 SEC (37-13)
     @ Navy 10-4 (32-14)
     @ NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (37-14)
     @ Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (23-21)
     @ Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (35-34)
     Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC (45-35)
     @ LSU 9-4, 5-3 SEC (24-16)
     @ Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (30-28)
PF: 350 PA: 309 (dif. +41)

Utah State:
     4-8, 3-5 WAC
Defeated:
     Southern Utah 5-6, 2-2 Great West Conference (53-34)
     LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (23-21)
     SJSU 2-10, 1-7 WAC (24-9)
     @ Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (52-49)
Defeated by:
     @ Utah 10-3, 6-2 MWC (35-17)
     @ Texas A&M 6-7, 3-5 Big XII (38-30)
     @ BYU 11-2, 7-1 MWC (35-17)
     @ NMSU 3-10, 1-7 WAC (20-17)
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (35-32)
     @ Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (31-27)
     @ Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC(49-36)
     Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC(52-21)
PF: 349 PA: 408 (dif. -59)

Idaho:
     8-5, 4-4 WAC
Defeated:
     @ NMSU 3-10, 1-7 WAC (21-6)
     SDSU 4-8, 2-6 MWC (34-20)
     @ NIU 7-6, 5-3 MAC (34-31)
     CSU 3-9, 0-8 MWC (31-29)
     @ SJSU 2-10, 1-7 WAC (29-25)
     Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 (35-23)
     LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (35-34)
     Bowling Green St. 7-6, 6-2 MAC (43-42)
Defeated by:
     Washington 5-7, 4-5 PAC 10 (42-23)
     @ NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (70-45)
     Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (31-21)
     @ Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC(63-25)
     Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (52-49)
PF: 425 PA: 468 (dif. -43)

Hawai'i:
     6-7, 3-5 WAC
Defeated:
     Central Ark. 5-7, 2-5 Southland Conference (25-20)
     @ Washington State 1-11, 0-9 PAC 10 (38-20)
     Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (49-36)
     NMSU 3-10, 1-7 WAC (49-36)
     @ SJSU 2-10, 1-8 WAC (17-10 OT)
     Navy 10-4 (24-17)
Defeated by:
     @ Nevada Southern 5-7, 3-5 MWC (34-33)
     @ LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (27-6)
     Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (42-17)
     @ Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (35-23)
     Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC (54-9)
     @ NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (31-21)
     Wisconsin 10-3, 5-3 Big Ten (51-10)
PF: 321 PA: 413 (dif. -92)

SJSU:
     2-10, 1-8 WAC
Defeated:
     Cal Poly SLO 4-7, 1-3 Great West Conference (19-9)
     NMSU 3-10, 1-8 WAC (13-10)
Defeated by:
     @ USC 9-4, 5-4 PAC 10 (56-3)
     Utah 10-3, 6-2 MWC (24-14)
     @ Stanford 8-5, 6-3 PAC 10 (42-17)
     Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (29-25)
     @ Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (41-21)
     @ Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC (45-7)
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (62-7)
     @ Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (24-9)
     Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC (17-10 OT)
     @ LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (55-20)
PF: 165 PA: 414 (dif. -249!!!)

Fresno State:
     8-5, 6-2 WAC
Defeated:
     UC Davis 6-5, 3-1 Great West Conference (51-0)
     @ Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC (42-17)
     SJSU 2-10, 1-8 WAC (41-21)
     @ NMSU 3-10, 1-8 WAC (34-3)
     Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (31-27)
     @ Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (31-21)
     LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (30-28)
     @ Illinois 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten (53-52)
Defeated by:
     @ Wisconsin 10-3, 5-3 Big Ten (34-31 OT)
     Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC (51-34)
     @ Cincy 12-1, 7-0 Big East (28-20)
     @ NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (52-14)
     Wyoming 7-6, 4-4 MWC (35-28 OT)
PF:  440 PA: 369 (dif. +71)

NMSU:
     3-10, 1-8 WAC
Defeated:
     Prairie View A&M 9-1, 7-0 SWAC (21-18)
     @ UNM 1-11, 1-7 MWC (20-17)
     Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (20-17)
Defeated by:
     Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (21-6)
     UTEP 4-8, 3-5 CUSA (38-12)
     @ SDSU 4-8, 2-6 MWC (34-17)
     @ LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (45-7)
     Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (34-3)
     @ Ohio State 11-2, 7-1 Big Ten (45-0)
     @ Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC (24-6)
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (63-20)
     @ SJSU 2-10, 1-8 WAC (13-10)
     @ Boise St. 14-0, 8-0 WAC (42-7)
PF: 149 PA: 411 (dif. -262)

Boise State:
     14-0, 8-0 WAC
Defeated:
     Oregon 10-3, 8-1 PAC 10 (19-8)
     Miami (OH) 1-11, 1-7 MAC (48-0)
     @ Fresno State 8-5, 6-2 WAC (51-34)
     @ Bowling Green St. 7-6, 6-2 MAC (49-14)
     UC Davis 6-5, 3-1 Great West Conference (34-16)
     @ Tulsa 5-7, 3-5 CUSA (28-21)
     @ Hawai'i 6-7, 3-5 WAC (54-9)
     SJSU 2-10, 1-9 WAC (45-7)
     @ LaTech 4-8, 3-5 WAC (45-35)
     Idaho 8-5, 4-4 WAC (63-25)
     @ Utah State 4-8, 3-5 WAC (52-21)
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (44-33)
     NMSU 3-10, 1-8 WAC (42-7)
     TCU 12-1, 8-0 MWC (17-10)
Defeated by:
     (drifting tumbleweed & chirping crickets)
PF: 591 PA: 240 (dif. +351)

SMU:
     8-5, 6-2 CUSA
Defeated:
     Stephen F. Austin 10-3, 6-1 Southland Conference (31-23)
     @ UAB 5-7, 4-4 CUSA (35-33)
     East Carolina 9-5, 7-1 CUSA (28-21)
     @ Tulsa 5-7, 3-5 CUSA (27-13)
     Rice 2-10, 2-6 CUSA (31-28)
     UTEP 4-8, 3-5 CUSA (35-31)
     Tulane 3-9, 1-7 CUSA (26-21)
     NEVADA 8-5, 7-1 WAC (45-10)
Defeated by:
     @ Washington State (30-27 OT)
     @ TCU 12-1, 8-0 MWC (39-14)
     Navy 10-4 (38-35 OT)
     Houston 10-4, 6-2 CUSA (38-15)
     @ Marshall 7-6, 4-4 CUSA (34-31)
PF: 380 PA:  359 (dif. +21)

Overall:
     Highest PF: 1. Boise St, 591; 2. Fresno State, 440; Idaho, 425
     Lowest PA: 1. Boise St, 240; 2. Notre Dame, 311 3. Missouri, 330

     Lowest PF: 13. 149, NMSU; 12. 165, SJSU; 11. 260 Colorado State
     Highest PA: 13. 468, Idaho; 12. 414, SJSU; 11. 413, Hawai'i

Wow, that took a long time, I hope I don't have to do that again for...another year!

Buh in, House out, Wilson still at large

This just in (four hours ago): the Wolf Pack defense (allegedly) loses another coach, although this time under more triste circumstances.

Dan Hinxman blogged this afternoon regarding the termination of Jim House, defensive tackles coach.  An unusual move, to be sure, for about the only bright spot on an otherwise dismal squad.  While no information is yet offered, we should know at or around 11:AM Thursday (01/07) morning.

House has/had served under four different Wolf Pack head coaches, including all three Ault regimes, between 1990-2001, then 2007-2009 (Ault [1990-1992], Horton [1993], Ault-squared [1994-1995], Tisdel [1996-1999], Tormey [2000-2001], and Ault-cubed [2007-]).

A bright spot on the dark side of the ball, though, is the hiring of new DC Andy Buh, returning to his alma mater after polishing up his resume at, well, Nevada, then Fresno State, San Diego State, California and, most recently, Stanford.

I was excited to see Burton come along, and I think he would have made great strides had he stayed on an extra three years or so.  That said, the Nevada defense wasn't exactly showing much more than baby steps, even after year two.  Buh is a solid hire with strong ties to our program and, so long as he doesn't get ruined by the regime, should be able to do good things.  He has spent three years at Stanford as linebackers coach and assistant DC, and while the results of the defensive platoon weren't exactly flashy (it is the PAC 10, after all), I expect good things to come.

Stanford Schedule/Results for the 2009 Season:
(PA reinforced in parenthesis)

8-5, 6-3 PAC 10, T-2nd
at Washington State (1-11, 0-9 PAC 10, 10th)
W 39 - 13 Sep 5, 2009 (13)

at Wake Forest (5-7, 3-5 ACC)
L 17 - 24 Sep 12, 2009 (24)

vs San Jose State (2-10, 1-7 WAC, T-7th [last place])
W 42 - 17 Sep 19, 2009 (17)

vs Washington (5-7, 4-5 PAC 10, 7th)
W 34 - 14 Sep 26, 2009 (14)

vs UCLA (7-6, 3-6 PAC 10, 8th)
W 24 - 16 Oct 3, 2009 (16)

at Oregon State (8-5, 6-3 PAC 10, T-2nd)
L 28 - 38 Oct 10, 2009 (38)

at Arizona (8-5, 6-3 PAC 10, T-2nd)
L 38 - 43 Oct 17, 2009 (43)

vs Arizona State (4-8, 2-7 PAC 10, 9th)
W 33 - 14 Oct 24, 2009 (14)

vs Oregon (10-3, 8-1 PAC 10, 1st)
W 51 - 42 Nov 7, 2009 (42)

at USC (9-4, 5-4 PAC 10, T-5th)
W 55 - 21 Nov 14, 2009 (21)

vs California (8-5, 5-4 PAC 10 T-5th)
L 28 - 34 Nov 21, 2009 (34)

vs Notre Dame (6-6, Ind.)
W 45 - 38 Nov 28, 2009 (38)

vs Oklahoma (8-5, 5-3 Big XII)
L 27 - 31 Dec 31, 2009 (31)

While all this is going on, Ken Wilson is running around somewhere.  Maybe the anonymous tipster got the coaches names mixed up?  My fingers are crossed.