Moorhead 2024 make or break season to keep job?

[Captain Kangaroo]

It would be so cool if the Zips beat OU on Saturday, and this thread dropped like a Kent quarterback. 

[UA1996MAENG]

14 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

It would be so cool if the Zips beat OU on Saturday, and this thread dropped like a Kent quarterback. 

Just drop the thread or hospitalize the thread?

[Captain Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, UA1996MAENG said:

Just drop the thread or hospitalize the thread?

Sports talk yutzes have made 40+ year careers discussing why XYZ team's backup QB should be playing, and why the incumbent coach should be fired. It's been going on here since maybe 2018? Man, I grow weary of it. I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

If the Zips could win a few games and steer our conversations towards the other stuff (what transpired on the field, recruiting, how we match up against the next week's opponent, etc.), I'd be a happy man.

[UA1996MAENG]

45 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Sports talk yutzes have made 40+ year careers discussing why XYZ team's backup QB should be playing, and why the incumbent coach should be fired. It's been going on here since maybe 2018? Man, I grow weary of it. I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

If the Zips could win a few games and steer our conversations towards the other stuff (what transpired on the field, recruiting, how we match up against the next week's opponent, etc.), I'd be a happy man.

Agreed...but that moment only comes once the wins come.  Until then we live in the in-between land of speculating on if we'll get there and under whom.

[kreed5120]

17 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

Agreed...but that moment only comes once the wins come.  Until then we live in the in-between land of speculating on if we'll get there and under whom.

If Akron found a coach that could consistently go 7-5 or 8-4, he'd probably get a statue outside of the stadium. Regardless of if he won MAC championships or not. The bar is that low at Akron.

Edited September 25 by kreed5120

[UA1996MAENG]

18 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

If Akron found a coach that could consistently go 7-5 or 8-4, he'd probably get a statue outside of the stadium. Regardless of if he won MAC championships or not. The bar is that low at Akron.

Four wins would probabaly get him at least a plaque in the Student Union.

[UA1996MAENG]

On 9/24/2024 at 3:42 PM, 72 Roo said:

This is so riddled with falsehoods it is close to comical. No one who witnessed Arth's programs would ever make these statements. Talk to the athletes, the support staff, the asst coaches, the administrators, they all spoke of a program floundering, one that was lost because Arth was. Of his ten coaching hires he had a total of 9 years of D1 coaching experience. He could not recruit in the MAC. He had a budget bigger than Moorhead had today. The enrollment decline had not hit athletics yet. His teams were terribly prepared for games and in the off-season. Guthrie cares about winning. He has told all the head coaches they must have a viable plan to be in the top three in the MAC. A quick look at athletics finances will show they have no money to buy out coaches. They weren't even willing to buy out Melissa Jackson last year, even though she was out-coached in every significant game and her record against the .500+ teams in the mAC was terrible. Moorhead needs to show the team is improving every week, which it has not. Yet we are where we realistically should be after four games. Firing him and his staff is stupidity extreme. They can coach and recruit. They present the best chance to turn around football. Please care enough to do research and spell his name correctly.

Is Moorehead under contract for two more years after this season or three? There certainly is no money for a buyout at UA, but it might be time for the AD start an unofficial search for Moorehead's replacment.  I don't like to play the role of Debbie Downer, but I think I've seen enough.  I did not expect a win against OU, but I did expect something more than we saw.  This team is regressing.  Where does the AD look now?  I thought Moorehead seemed like a good choice three years ago. Now it seems even he knows it's over for all intents and purposes.

[Head coach Huell Jackson]

17 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

Is Moorehead under contract for two more years after this season or three? There certainly is no money for a buyout at UA, but it might be time for the AD start an unofficial search for Moorehead's replacment.  I don't like to play the role of Debbie Downer, but I think I've seen enough.  I did not expect a win against OU, but I did expect something more than we saw.  This team is regressing.  Where does the AD look now?  I thought Moorehead seemed like a good choice three years ago. Now it seems even he knows it's over for all intents and purposes.

The AD is far too prideful to admit this hire did not work out and it's not all going according to the plan. He will not fire Moorhead, because he has one of the biggest Ego's you'll ever come in to contact with. Speaking from experience and ask anyone else in Athletics. 

[Hilltopper]

1 minute ago, Head coach Huell Jackson said:

The AD is far too prideful to admit this hire did not work out and it's not all going according to the plan. He will not fire Moorhead, because he has one of the biggest Ego's you'll ever come in to contact with. Speaking from experience and ask anyone else in Athletics. 

Unless you or someone you know has $1 million+ sitting around somewhere unused to fund a contract buyout, the HC is not going anywhere unless he decides to resign and forego the remainder of his contract. The rest of your post is a bunch BS. 

[UAZipster0305]

On 9/25/2024 at 2:27 PM, kreed5120 said:

If Akron found a coach that could consistently go 7-5 or 8-4, he'd probably get a statue outside of the stadium. Regardless of if he won MAC championships or not. The bar is that low at Akron.

I don't see a statue for Bowden for our an 8-5 season and our only bowl win ever.

[UA1996MAENG]

8 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

Unless you or someone you know has $1 million+ sitting around somewhere unused to fund a contract buyout, the HC is not going anywhere unless he decides to resign and forego the remainder of his contract. The rest of your post is a bunch BS. 

I agree there is no buyout coming, but the end of Moorehead's tenure is basically determined.  I don't see another win on the schedule.  Even Kent, which is a horrible program, was able to move the ball against EMU. 

[ZippyRulz]

I don't think an AD usually gets a chance to hire another FB coach if his previous hire didn't work out(?)

 

[LZIp]

1 hour ago, UAZipster0305 said:

I don't see a statue for Bowden for our an 8-5 season and our only bowl win ever.

key word in @kreed5120's statement is consistently. 

[Lee Adams]

1 hour ago, UA1996MAENG said:

Is Moorehead under contract for two more years after this season or three? There certainly is no money for a buyout at UA, but it might be time for the AD start an unofficial search for Moorehead's replacment.  I don't like to play the role of Debbie Downer, but I think I've seen enough.  I did not expect a win against OU, but I did expect something more than we saw.  This team is regressing.  Where does the AD look now?  I thought Moorehead seemed like a good choice three years ago. Now it seems even he knows it's over for all intents and purposes.

I apologize if I said this previously. But, does anyone know why Moorehead didn't go to Miami with Cristobal? Just wonderin'.

Edited September 30 by Lee Adams
Spell

[UA1996MAENG]

17 minutes ago, Lee Adams said:

I apologize if I said this previously. But, does anyone know why Moorehead didn't go to Miami with Cristobal? Just wonderin'.

At least one explanation is that Moorehead simply wanted to be a head coach again and was certainly a candidate about the time that Cristobol was being pursued by Miami at the end of his last season at Oregon.  

[Captain Kangaroo]

9 minutes ago, Lee Adams said:

I apologize if I said this previously. But, does anyone know why Moorehead didn't go to Miami with Cristobal? Just wonderin'.

I'll speculate it is the same reason he didn't pursue any of the other opportunities he had for a bigger payday as a P5 coordinator - 

 

• He wanted to watch is kids play football, something he couldn't do if he were a P5 coordinator anywhere but Pitt.
• He wanted to be close to his parents in the Pittsburgh area, who are getting up there in years
• He wanted to be a HC again
• He had good memories of Akron from the Brookhart era, and believed in Akron's potential. Unfortunately the wild spending of the Proenza era, and accompanying campus growth and improvements have disappeared. And Mike Thomas is no longer the supportive AD. We now have budget cuts and an Arby's A.

I like Joe, and I'm rooting hard for him. But 2-wins per year for three seasons ain't gonna cut it. 

[GP1]

26 minutes ago, Lee Adams said:

I apologize if I said this previously. But, does anyone know why Moorehead didn't go to Miami with Cristobal? Just wonderin'.

If this timeline is correct, Joe took the job at Akron before Mario took the job at Miami. Someone would have to confirm the timeline. 

https://www.si.com/college/oregon/football/early-oregon-offensive-coordinator-hotboard

 

[zippy-claws]

2 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

The rest of your post is a bunch BS. 

Whatever you say Ms. Guthrie!  Stick up for your MAN!

[egregiousbob]

2 hours ago, Head coach Huell Jackson said:

The AD is far too prideful to admit this hire did not work out and it's not all going according to the plan. He will not fire Moorhead, because he has one of the biggest Ego's you'll ever come in to contact with. Speaking from experience and ask anyone else in Athletics. 

I know a few other MAC ADs. They are amazed by his nonchalance regarding the nuts and bolts of running a successful department. He wants no input from anybody.

 

  

[kreed5120]

2 hours ago, UAZipster0305 said:

I don't see a statue for Bowden for our an 8-5 season and our only bowl win ever.

He had 7 or more wins in 2 out of his 7 seasons. That's not consistently winning 7+ games now is it?

[kreed5120]

35 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I'll speculate it is the same reason he didn't pursue any of the other opportunities he had for a bigger payday as a P5 coordinator - 

 

• He wanted to watch is kids play football, something he couldn't do if he were a P5 coordinator anywhere but Pitt.
• He wanted to be close to his parents in the Pittsburgh area, who are getting up there in years
• He wanted to be a HC again
• He had good memories of Akron from the Brookhart era, and believed in Akron's potential. Unfortunately the wild spending of the Proenza era, and accompanying campus growth and improvements have disappeared. And Mike Thomas is no longer the supportive AD. We now have budget cuts and an Arby's A.

I like Joe, and I'm rooting hard for him. But 2-wins per year for three seasons ain't gonna cut it. 

This is how I remember at the time as well. He had larger offers to be an OC elsewhere, but after having a health scare, realized family was more important than money. Especially since he's still making enough to live comfortably.

[Hilltopper]

29 minutes ago, zippy-claws said:

Whatever you say Ms. Guthrie!  Stick up for your MAN!

Lol  I'll stand by my record on this forum since the day it was created. It's one thing to second guess a decision made by the AD or any other person employed by UA past or present, but it's never ok to make baseless character assassinations.  But hey, ain't the internet great! 

[UAZipster0305]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

He had 7 or more wins in 2 out of his 7 seasons. That's not consistently winning 7+ games now is it?

At least 2+ of those seasons were in trying to turn around the program, and Bowden's success is still way better than any other coach has done since and arguably before. How many other Akron coach's at the D-1A level have had multiple 6+ win seasons?

 

Our MACC coach JD Brookhart was also run off because there are people here believe we can become Boise State who we as a university, athletics department, geographic region, etc., have nothing in common with. It's delusional because it does not accept that we will still have some down seasons, even with a solid coach. Bowden and Brookhart both got us to the top of the MAC, and that is what is realistic. They both should have been retained.

 

The revolving door of coaches, essentially playing roulette, is not going to get us to the top of the MAC. UA can no longer afford to be buying out a multi-million dollar contract every five years either.

Edited September 30 by UAZipster0305

[kreed5120]

13 minutes ago, UAZipster0305 said:

At least 2+ of those seasons were in trying to turn around the program, and Bowden's success is still way better than any other coach has done since and arguably before. How many other Akron coach's at the D-1A level have had multiple 6+ win seasons?

 

Our MACC coach JD Brookheart was also run off because there are people here believe we can become Boise State who we as a university, athletics department, geographic region, etc., have nothing in common with. It's delusional because it does not accept that we will still have some down seasons, even with a solid coach. Bowden and Brookheart both got us to the top of the MAC, and that is what is realistic. They both should have been retained.

 

The revolving door of coaches, essentially playing roulette, is not going to get us to the top of the MAC. UA can no longer afford to be buying out a multi-million dollar contract every five years either.

 

This isn't a Bowden thread. One winning season in a 7 year tenure isn't going to get you statue at any school. Even at a school that has been the laughing stock of FBS for ~30 years.

 

I'm not going to engage this discussion any further as it's irrelevant to this thread and discussing a coach that isn't even at Akron anymore is a waste of my time.

 

Edit: Also, I'm not calling for Moorhead's job this season.

Edited September 30 by kreed5120

[UAZipster0305]

50 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

This isn't a Bowden thread. One winning season in a 7 year tenure isn't going to get you statue at any school. Even at a school that has been the laughing stock of FBS for ~30 years.

 

I'm not going to engage this discussion any further as it's irrelevant to this thread and discussing a coach that isn't even at Akron anymore is a waste of my time.

 

Edit: Also, I'm not calling for Moorhead's job this season.

I'm sorry that's upsetting to you, and I say that sincerely. The lack of success is painful for anyone who is a passionate supporter of UA, which obviously includes you and anyone else on this forum.

 

However, discussion of the past is certainly relevant to the future because we keep doing the same thing over, expecting different results. We are not learning or evolving in a positive way. It's insane.

 

I want to see Coach Moorhead succeed but so far he has not. Due to experiences from the past and the fact that UA cannot afford to buy out more contracts, he should not be replaced until either he leaves on his own choosing or his contract expires. Had we done that with two prior coaches, the program and UA as a whole may be in more favorable conditions.

Edited September 30 by UAZipster0305