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Posted on 11/01/2006 9:15:48 AM PST by MikefromOhio
Michigan State has called a press conference for 1:30 ET Wednesday to discuss its football coaching situation.
The Spartans started the season 3-0 under head coach John L. Smith, but have gone just 1-5 since. That slump started with a 40-37 loss to Notre Dame in which Michigan State squandered a 16-point fourth quarter lead.
That was followed by a 23-20 home loss to Illinois, a team now 2-7 on the season. Blowout losses to Big Ten powers Michigan and Ohio State came next before a stunning comeback in a 41-38 win at Northwestern.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
Anyway, it appears that John L. Smith is out at Michigan State.
Nick Saban might be available soon.
LOL
nah it'll be Steve Mariucci.
Buh Bye, John L.
The stunning comeback from Nortwestern only delayed this press conference by a week. It would have happened sooner if they lost to the Wildcats.
Yeah right, as if he'll ever darken our doorsteps again after walking out on his team just before a bowl game.
A reall clASS act, that Nick-o.
Heck, for that matter George Perless is still in town...
yeah....
I figured that before the complete collapse to Indiana, they were just going to fire him after the season.
LOL
well Matt Millen will be available here soon too :)
Mariucci would make the most sense.
yeah....they've been talking about him for a couple months now (since the ND loss).
Never know, they might go with a up and coming CUSA or WAC coach....
I can't wait for the UM/OSU game this year. As an MSU fan I'm not really into the rivalry, but with #1 and #2, it should be one helluva game.
BEAT MICHIGAN!
They are better off announcing it now, like UF did with Zook, it clears up the uncertainty for recruits. Let Smith finish out the year if he wants, or name an interim coach from the staff, but make it clear that MSU will bring in a big-name coach in the off-season.
I hope so :)
Yeah....
of course firing him early allows them to start contacting other coaches now.
Yeah, it'll be Mariucci, that way he and Izzo can become even better buddies!
Maybe Smith can get a job on the Iowa State football staff.
Mediocrity is often answered with contract extensions over there.
yeah...
Actually Smith was a pretty good coach for Louisville. He more or less built that program from the scrap heap.
With three games remaining in another disappointing season, Michigan State has decided that John L. Smith will not return to coach the 2007 season.
University president Lou Anna K. Simon is expected to make the announcement at a 1:30 p.m. ET news conference on campus.
Smith will coach the Spartans through the end of this season, including a bowl game. Michigan State, 4-5 this season, must win two of its three remaining games against Purdue, Minnesota and Penn State, to qualify for a postseason invitation.
The university will buy out the remaining two years on his contract. His annual salary is $1.35 million. However, Smith's buyout clause is $1.5 million.
"Coach Smith deserves to coach the rest of this season because he will coach with his heart, just like he always has," Joel Ferguson, Vice Chairperson of Michigan State's Board of Trustees, told ESPN's Joe Schad. "We have respect for him and we hope he takes us to a bowl game. What we need here is more players. What we need is better recruits. We don't make excuses. What we need is more depth and more players."
Smith turned around a moribund program in 2003, his first season, taking the Spartans to an 8-5 record and an Alamo Bowl berth. However, that has been his only winning season. His last three teams have been dogged by inconsistency. The Spartans record under Smith is 22-23, including 0-4 marks against Michigan and Ohio State.
The Spartans started the 2006 season 3-0 under Smith, but have gone just 1-5 since. That slump started with a 40-37 loss to Notre Dame on Sep. 23 in which Michigan State squandered a 16-point fourth quarter lead.
That was followed by a 23-20 homecoming loss on Sept. 30 to Illinois, a team that had not won a Big Ten game since 2004. Blowout losses to conference powers Michigan and Ohio State came next before a stunning comeback in a 41-38 win at Northwestern on Oct. 21, a game they trailed 38-3 in the third quarter.
Most recently, the Spartans were drubbed 46-21 at Indiana last Saturday. Michigan State took a 7-0 lead before the Hoosiers scored 46 consecutive points.
It'll never happen, but I would love to see Paul Johnson of the USNA get picked as the new HC.
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