Show Should McBride Be At The Helm Should Should McBride be at the helm BY CARTER OSBORN Contributing Writer Over the past eleven seasons seasons fans of the Crimson and White all of us have seen the Utah program take a aC C roller coaster ride under their Jolly old football Coach The fact is Ron McBride is a very J. J good football coach Hes He's just not a very good Head football coach Every 3 years or so the Utes will have a season to tobe tobe tobe be somewhat proud of something something something some some- thing they can build on Then the inevitable happens Almost as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow the Utes will find a way to tank the next two seasons diminishing diminishing diminishing dimin dimin- any ounce of momentum momentum momentum momen momen- tum they could carry over 0 1 Jo z IW aM a y Cliff liff Russell Photo courtesy of the U of U Athletic Department J n from one successful year to the next If you look at other Division 1 programs trying to become powerhouse teams they seem to have the ability to reload when the annual problem of player graduation presents itself They find a away away away way to use past success as the fo foundation for improvement in the future They motivate their team to not be totally satisfied with what they've accomplished but that they need to get better Ron McBride has clearly not been able to do this resulting in an inconsistency that has Ute alumni and fans finding other things to do on game day Now one can make the argument that Ron McBride took a program which year after year was the dweller bottom-dweller of the old WAC and molded it into a team averaging around 7 1 wins a year Not bad but definitely not good One can also make the argument that the Utes are having one of their better years with a record of 6 2 through week nine of the sea sea- son Nevertheless history will repeat itself The Utes will go to a bowl game this year end up with 9 wins talk about a banner year for the coming season and end up falling flat on their face in th the year 02 Count on it Im I'm almost as sure as that as Rick Majerus will eat at least sixteen sixteen sixteen six six- teen pieces of pizza tonight Its It's a no A prime example would be last years year's 2000 season The 99 Utes had a great year Powered by an offense led by tailback Mike Anderson and inside linebacker linebacker linebacker line line- backer leading a stingy defense the Utes pounded their way to a 9 9 3 3 record capped off by a victory over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl The following season brought lofty to the Utes due to the overwhelming number of returning starters from the year before As Ute fans began to get pumped for the season which included teams like Arizona Washington State Air Force Colorado c. c State and hated rival BYU all scheduled to visit Rice Eccles Stadium the anticipation grew strong season Pre-season magazines magazines magazines mag mag- picked the Utes as a top 25 team that would successfully successfully successfully suc suc- defend their Mountain West Conference title ABC included the Utes vs Air Force game to be televised televised televised tele tele- nationally with the father of college football his highness Keith Jackson in the house to call the game Oh how we should have known better The Utes blasted o out t of the gates firing off 4 strait losses Waita minute did I Continued Page 11 I. I U of U continued r say losses Oh that's right Were We're talking about a Ron McBride coached team What did we expect The fact is Ron McBride doesn't have his teams ready to play mentally Ive I've had the good fortune fortun of attending games in some of the most storied stadiums there are from places like Husky Stadium in Seattle to toBen toBen toBen Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the Swamp in Gainesville The coaches of those teams have their players wanting to obliterate obliterate obliterate erate someone when they charge the field The Utes slowly jog out of their locker room into a seat stadium stadium um with 45 people in it looking looking looking look look- ing as if their asking themselves themselves themselves them them- selves Is it game time already That is a direct reflection of their leaders leader's inability to get them fired up Its It's time for Athletic Director Chris Hill to make a change In every other program across the country the formula for forthe forthe forthe the Head football coach to be fired is inconsistency and empty seats That is exactly what Ron McBride has accomplished in his eleven years on the hill Let him go Chris let him go goA |