NCAA Football 2015

[katmai]

Thanks Grumbles, hadn't seen that site.

Glad to see Harbaugh hasn't lost the coaching touch, hope Michigan keeps him for more than three years

[katmai]

Linebacker Daelin Hayes, a five-star recruit, has pulled his commitment to USC in light of coach Steve Sarkisian's leave of absence for reported substance abuse.


Hayes is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Michigan, the No. 3 player at his position and the No. 13 player overall.

He was scheduled to wear No. 55 next year, the number famed USC linebacker Junior Seau wore for the Trojans.

[grumbler]

Thanks Grumbles, hadn't seen that site.

Glad to see Harbaugh hasn't lost the coaching touch, hope Michigan keeps him for more than three years

As someone commented on the MGoBlog board, "it's a lot more fun when the mindfuck is going the other way."  Harbaugh and Drevno have had a new formation or three for every game, and they seem to have anticipated every opponent's adjustments and prepared counters to them. 

But what is really impressive is how disciplined these players are, after eight years of hero ball (where players think they have to win games on their own, because the team won't).  Probably the best measure of that on defense is third down conversions.  Utah was 3 of 13, Oregon St 1 of 11, UNLV 5 of 15, BYU 4 of 15, Maryland 1 of 18, Northwestern 2 of 13.  The NCAA median is 40%.  Michigan is allowing less than 19%.  That's because everyone has bought into Harbaugh's conviction that, if everyone just does their own job well, the defense will strike home. 

And you have to remember that Harbaugh is more than just a Michigan alum.  He is an Ann Arbor kid.  His own kids are enrolled in the same elementary school he went to. His parents live next door.  He grew up wanting to be Bo Schembechler, whom he knew very well.  There's a true story that, when Harbaugh was like 10 years old, Bo came into his office to find Jim sitting at his desk, with his feet on the desktop.  Bo, of course, yells at Jim, demanding to know what he thinks he is doing, and Harbaugh replies that he is just seeing what it feels like, because someday he's going to be sitting at that desk for real.

I'm not concerned that Harbaugh is leaving any time soon.  Maybe after his parents pass, and his kids finish school, but Harbaugh and his wife have talked repeatedly about how they want their kids to grow up in Ann Arbor, and to have access to their grandparents.  We're talking ten years, minimum.  If Harbaugh wants to leave after ten years, I'll wish him well and will be confident that he'll leave the program in great shape.  He'll only leave even then for a really good NFL gig, though.

And I'll bet that, when he leaves, he will leave as the dean of B10 coaches.  OSU is the one who has to wonder how long their coach will be there.  Meyer has none of the glue that will keep Harbaugh at Michigan.

[katmai]

@A-Jude
Fair questions. Lots of rumors, but former UW players I've talked to say Sark's issues didn't show up in locker room

Rogervanoo @Rogervanoo
@A_Jude Adam did you get a sense of this at UW? Hard to believe it just showed up. Have you held back from writing about it?

[alfred russel]

Here's some stuff from 2013.  Take it for what it's worth, which isn't much other than to show that rumors did exist. http://hardcorehusky.com/forums/#/discussion/4114/the-official-sark-s-nights-on-the-town-thread

I believe every word there is the truth. Sark is a stud for picking up Erin Andrews. I see the winningness that Haden saw in him. However, getting other coaches to apply a plunger to his butthole while on the road allows me a glimpse into his sickness that Haden must have seen today.

[alfred russel]

Thanks Grumbles, hadn't seen that site.

Glad to see Harbaugh hasn't lost the coaching touch, hope Michigan keeps him for more than three years

As someone commented on the MGoBlog board, "it's a lot more fun when the mindfuck is going the other way."  Harbaugh and Drevno have had a new formation or three for every game, and they seem to have anticipated every opponent's adjustments and prepared counters to them. 

But what is really impressive is how disciplined these players are, after eight years of hero ball (where players think they have to win games on their own, because the team won't).  Probably the best measure of that on defense is third down conversions.  Utah was 3 of 13, Oregon St 1 of 11, UNLV 5 of 15, BYU 4 of 15, Maryland 1 of 18, Northwestern 2 of 13.  The NCAA median is 40%.  Michigan is allowing less than 19%.  That's because everyone has bought into Harbaugh's conviction that, if everyone just does their own job well, the defense will strike home. 

And you have to remember that Harbaugh is more than just a Michigan alum.  He is an Ann Arbor kid.  His own kids are enrolled in the same elementary school he went to. His parents live next door.  He grew up wanting to be Bo Schembechler, whom he knew very well.  There's a true story that, when Harbaugh was like 10 years old, Bo came into his office to find Jim sitting at his desk, with his feet on the desktop.  Bo, of course, yells at Jim, demanding to know what he thinks he is doing, and Harbaugh replies that he is just seeing what it feels like, because someday he's going to be sitting at that desk for real.

I'm not concerned that Harbaugh is leaving any time soon.  Maybe after his parents pass, and his kids finish school, but Harbaugh and his wife have talked repeatedly about how they want their kids to grow up in Ann Arbor, and to have access to their grandparents.  We're talking ten years, minimum.  If Harbaugh wants to leave after ten years, I'll wish him well and will be confident that he'll leave the program in great shape.  He'll only leave even then for a really good NFL gig, though.

And I'll bet that, when he leaves, he will leave as the dean of B10 coaches.  OSU is the one who has to wonder how long their coach will be there.  Meyer has none of the glue that will keep Harbaugh at Michigan.

This isn't good for Urban Meyer's heart.

[Admiral Yi]

You really want to save the toilet plunger for home games.

[grumbler]

Linebacker Daelin Hayes, a five-star recruit, has pulled his commitment to USC in light of coach Steve Sarkisian's leave of absence for reported substance abuse.


Hayes is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Michigan, the No. 3 player at his position and the No. 13 player overall.

He was scheduled to wear No. 55 next year, the number famed USC linebacker Junior Seau wore for the Trojans.

Unfortunately, due to reported home conditions (specifically, an abusive father) Hayes apparently needs to get out of the state, so isn't interested in Michigan (or, at least, his mother isn't).  He's going to end up at ND according to the tea leaf readers.  Good luck to him.  He's had a tough life (moved around so much he's only played something like 12 games his whole high school career) and deserves better.

[alfred russel]

You really want to save the toilet plunger for home games.

If you read the thread, the toilet plunger was used for road games because he didn't want to make his pool boy jealous.

[grumbler]

You really want to save the toilet plunger for home games.

If you read the thread, the toilet plunger was used for road games because he didn't want to make his pool boy jealous.

Was the pool boy gig before your ND gig, or just during the summer?

[sbr]

@A-Jude
Fair questions. Lots of rumors, but former UW players I've talked to say Sark's issues didn't show up in locker room

Rogervanoo @Rogervanoo
@A_Jude Adam did you get a sense of this at UW? Hard to believe it just showed up. Have you held back from writing about it?

I was just about to post that.  None of the other Seattle media members I follow have said anything.  Yet.

@InsideUSC is saying that coaches (and maybe players) think he was drunk on the sideline during the Arizona State game.

https://twitter.com/InsideUSC/status/653347087208153088

InsideUSC ‏@InsideUSC  3h3 hours ago
BREAKING: #USC assistants pulled Steve Sarkisian out of player huddle on sideline during Arizona State game. Believed he was not sober

EDIT:  Though the Seattle media is way to busy cutting themselves over the Seachickens choke job to worry about much else at the moment.

[alfred russel]

You really want to save the toilet plunger for home games.

If you read the thread, the toilet plunger was used for road games because he didn't want to make his pool boy jealous.

Was the pool boy gig before your ND gig, or just during the summer?

We had an intense and passionate physical relationship, but we never had vaginal sex. Sark told me in the eyes of god it was okay because only vaginal sex counted. This meant we could do everything because neither of us had a vagina. I knew what Sark told me was true because as a kid my priest told me the same thing.

[Admiral Yi]

That's pretty trippy Fredo.

Did you come out and tell him no one else was allowed to stick a toilet plunger up his ass?

[alfred russel]

That's pretty trippy Fredo.

Did you come out and tell him no one else was allowed to stick a toilet plunger up his ass?

I played along with the grumbler fantasy for a post, but you seem to be getting into it a bit too much. 

ND - USC line is up to ND -4.

[katmai]

LA Times story about Sark at UDUB

Documents, former players point to Steve Sarkisian's alcohol use at Washington

Steve Sarkisian's strange behavior in the days surrounding high-pressure, high-profile college football games isn't unique to his time at USC.

Some regarded the coach's conduct, specifically the use of alcohol, as an issue during his five seasons leading the University of Washington's program.

Sarkisian's lone court record in Washington state is a routine speeding ticket and he wasn't publicly disciplined by the university. But his actions raised concern among some of his players and others closely associated with Washington's program.

One former Huskies player said he smelled alcohol on Sarkisian at team meetings, an allegation that bears some resemblance to reports by USC players that their coach "didn't seem right" during a meeting Sunday morning, and statements by others close to the Trojans football program that he seemed unstable during a recent game at Arizona State.

After Sarkisian's outburst in August at USC's "Salute to Troy" event where he slurred his words, insulted opponents and added an expletive to the university's "Fight on!" rallying cry, The Times interviewed more than two dozen people knowledgeable about Sarkisian's time at Washington, and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents.

What emerged is a portrait of a man who favored Patron Silver tequila or Coors Light and frequented a handful of Seattle-area bars, typically accompanied by staff members, and didn't hesitate to drink — early — while traveling.

During a stop at a rib joint in Nashville in January 2013, for example, Sarkisian and three assistants ordered four shots of Patron Silver, four shots of an unspecified liquor and five beers. The coach cashed out at 11:53 a.m.

Some associated with Washington's football program remain unabashed supporters. But Sarkisian's use of alcohol became a running joke among some Washington players, some of whom spoke about the topic on the condition they not be named because of the personal nature of the issue.

One ex-player said that in 2009, Sarkisian's first season with the Huskies, the coach sometimes arrived at morning team meetings "smelling like booze and [with] eyes all red, like he's been on a bender."

Another former player said he smelled alcohol on Sarkisian during team meetings on "one or two" occasions and, other times, noted that the coach's eyes appeared to be bloodshot and glazed while he seemed unusually confrontational.

Two other former players said Sarkisian and other coaches regularly consumed alcohol in offices — one said the coach typically kept an 18-pack of Coors Light stashed near his desk — and that he appeared uncharacteristically loud and unsteady on some team flights.

After the August incident at USC, which Sarkisian blamed on inadvertently mixing alcohol and unspecified medication, some former Washington players didn't sound surprised.

"Coach Sark is still having fun at USC!" former Huskies tight end Michael Hartvigson wrote on Twitter at the time. He added the hashtag #ThingsHaventChanged.

Two of Sarkisian's highest-profile players at Washington, defensive lineman Danny Shelton and linebacker Shaq Thompson, both high NFL draft picks this year, joined in the social media quips.

Shelton tweeted a sarcastic #shocked hashtag in reference to the incident. Thompson responded with an emoji laughing and shedding tears.

"I would've made him run the stadium carrying a 6 pack since he wanna drink so much lol," Shelton tweeted.

The former players didn't respond to messages seeking further comment.

Despite several requests in September, USC didn't make Sarkisian available to speak with The Times about his alcohol use at Washington. Athletic Director Pat Haden said the university vetted Sarkisian extensively before hiring him as coach in December 2013.

Seattle sports radio host Dave Mahler, whose involvement in Washington's football program included hosting recruiting banquets and pregame and postgame shows, saw the August incident as part of a pattern.

"The idea that this was the first time that something like this happened for Steve Sarkisian ... it's not," Mahler said in August during his show on 950 KJR. "It's not the first time."

However, the host did not specifically say what he was referring to on air and declined to elaborate on the record to a reporter.

At least one incident during Sarkisian's time at Washington bore some similarity to what happened in August at USC.

At the Duchess Tavern in Seattle, Sarkisian jumped up on the bar, drink in hand, for a speech to dozens of former players at their annual alumni gathering the night before Washington's spring football game in 2012.

"[He] looked adrenalized, hollering what football coaches do to get their guys going," said Bill Resler, a longtime university professor who witnessed the event.

The gesture seemed to fit the moment at the neighborhood bar less than a mile from campus, but some people in the room wondered whether something more than the coach's usual enthusiasm fueled the display.

"You could tell he was in the moment, but he wouldn't have done that if he wasn't drinking," said a former player in attendance.

One of the event's organizers said Sarkisian didn't appear to be under the influence, but Resler wasn't so sure.

"When he got off the bar, he was unsteady, looked like he had been over-served, and sat down, looked a little embarrassed that he was in that state," Resler said.

When Sarkisian arrived at Washington after seven years as a USC assistant, he inherited a moribund program that was 0-12 in 2008 under straightlaced coach Tyrone Willingham. Sarkisian assembled a young, energetic staff that frequently implored the players to have fun.

More than 800 pages of receipts, hotel folios and expense reports obtained by The Times from Sarkisian's tenure at Washington show alcohol was a constant presence.

In 2011, for example, Sarkisian picked up a bill at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash., that included 83 beers and 12 shots of Grey Goose vodka. Twenty Washington coaches and their spouses are listed as attending.

During a one-night stay at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in May 2011 for a speaking engagement, Sarkisian's hotel folio shows room service delivered a $90 bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne and a chocolate amenity, then six beers.

At the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix for a Pac-12 Conference head coach meetings, Sarkisian ran up $106 in minibar charges in one day in May 2012 and spent more than $1,600 over two days at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa's pool bar in 2013.

Two receipts from Washington retreats in Indian Wells in 2012 and 2013 showed Sarkisian expensed $1,023 worth of alcohol at a restaurant. That included 91 shots of tequila, much of it Patron Silver. At least 16 people attended one of the gatherings; the attendance for the other wasn't clear.

Even some routine trips resulted in steep bar tabs, like a one-night recruiting visit by Sarkisian to Long Beach in 2010 that included $125.01 worth of unspecified beverages in one visit to the lobby bar and $104.01 in beverages at the same establishment a few months later. Another stay, this one at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in July 2011, resulted in a one-day beverage tab of $170.47.

Patrons and staff recognized Sarkisian at Seattle-area establishments such as The Ram near campus, Edgewater Hotel, 520 Bar and Grill, Roanoke Inn, Joey Bellevue as well as the Duchess. He was also said to be a frequent presence at two establishments that are now closed: Citrus and Joey Lake Union.

Two former Washington players said they encountered Sarkisian at the Edgewater on Seattle's waterfront during a 2011 concert by local musician Tess Henley.

One of the players, who worked as a bartender at another establishment, said they bumped into Sarkisian and a team staffer in the packed bar. The player described the coach as "clearly ... wasted." The other player said Sarkisian hugged him, offered to buy him a drink and was "definitely drunk."

The same player said Sarkisian drank "copious amounts of Patron" amounting to "between eight and 10 shots" over several hours during weekly visits to Citrus on Lake Union.

Others around the Washington program say they saw Sarkisian drink, but never in excess or in a setting they considered inappropriate.

Erik Wilson, a former reserve quarterback, described a father-son relationship with a coach he viewed as a role model.

"He was always in complete control," Wilson said, "and I have never seen nor heard him getting out of control."

A former director of Washington's club for letter winners, John Otness, traveled to public appearances and events with Sarkisian and never noticed any concerning conduct.

"We all knew he was a Trojan at heart, but he became a Husky and made our program tick when we didn't have a lot going on," Otness said. "I never felt he was doing something another coach wouldn't do.

There is one exception. Chris Petersen, who replaced Sarkisian as Washington's coach, won't do events that involve drinking, Otness said.

Resler, who thought Sarkisian was unsteady at the 2012 event, has taught at Washington for more than 35 years. He described Sarkisian as "a perfectly nice guy" and said he became a season-ticket holder because of the coach's commitment to young people and to revitalizing the Husky football program.

Still, Resler "wasn't surprised" by Sarkisian's incident in August.

"Someone who could get over-served [here]," Resler said, "could get over-served at any function."