Rodriguez falling on hard times at Michigan

Oct 15, 2008 - 6:40 PM By Jim Ralabate PA SportsTicker College Football Editor

(C) 2008 PA SPORTSTICKER, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

---------------------------------------------------

As K.C. Lopata's chip shot sailed wide of the uprights, Rich Rodriguez knew right then and there that he was going to have a rough week.

After all, Michigan had just lost to Toledo - that's right, Toledo - to fall to 2-4 in its first season under Rodriguez.

Last Saturday's 13-10 defeat to the Rockets, capped by Lopata's missed 26-yard field goal, was Michigan's first loss ever to a MAC team.

More importantly, the Wolverines are off to their worst six-game start since 1967 and are in danger of not playing in a bowl game for the first time in 34 years.

Those certainly are not the results expected of Rodriguez, who suddenly finds himself in the uncomfortable situation of preaching patience to a fan base and alumni group accustomed to finishing near the top - not the bottom - of the Big Ten Conference.

"Everybody says you have to be patient, so we're being patient," Rodriguez said. "But at the same time, we want results, too.

"I think (being patient) is difficult, very difficult. Because by nature I know most coaches aren't very patient. I'm not, so that's a hard thing."

If Rodriguez thinks he's having a hard time, perhaps he should refrain from reading the local newspapers, turning on the radio or surfing through web sites related to the Wolverines.

While Rodriguez repeatedly has uttered the mantra, "stay the course," it appears as if a sizable chunk of Michigan supporters are ready to jump ship just six games into his tenure with the Wolverines.

The boos in the Big House have cascaded down at an alarming pace this season, while Internet junkies already have constructed web sites dedicated to getting Rodriguez fired.

Even former Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards displayed his displeasure with the new regime by wearing a Penn State shirt during a nationally-televised interview held less than a week before the Wolverines play the Nittany Lions.

Aside from the overall dissatisfaction with the losses, the majority of the pointed criticism has been directed at Rodriguez's newly implemented spread offense, which currently ranks 109th out of 119 teams in the FBS.

"I think it's fair for everybody to question (the offense)," Rodriguez said. "They're going to question everything I do. I think they've questioned everything I've done since I've been here."

At least Rodriguez has the support of Michigan AD Bill Martin, who offered a vote of confidence this week while also requesting that fans remain patient.

In Rodriguez's defense, Michigan is not at all equipped to run the spread offense. The majority of the roster is comprised of players recruited by former coach Lloyd Carr, who used a pro-style set, and the Wolverines returned just three offensive starters from last year.

However, Rodriguez claims that the Wolverines have been showing signs of progress.

"We think we've got the right guys on the field based on how they've practiced, based on how they've performed in games," he said.

Rodriguez also is extremely optimistic regarding the recruiting situation at Michigan, which currently has the seventh-best incoming class for 2009, according to Rivals.com.

Add that talent to an offense which currently has eight starters who are either freshmen or sophomores, and Rodriguez feels Michigan is not far away from returning to national prominence.

"As I told our team, there's a lot of positive things that are happening that maybe everybody's not seeing," he said. "All they see is the games on Saturday.

"Unfortunately, that hasn't been real positive at times. The other things, as far as building a program, the steps you have to have to have a top-10 program for the future is done. It's just that it's not showing on the field right now."

ON THE HOT SEAT: Speaking of criticized coaches, Tommy Bowden became the first to lose his job this season.

The hammer finally fell Monday at Clemson, where Bowden "stepped down" as the Tigers' head coach midway through his 10th year at the school.

A popular preseason pick to win the ACC and possibly contend for a national title, Clemson got off to a disappointing 3-3 start in what turned out to be the Tigers' latest - and last - disappointing run under Bowden.

Although the Tigers certainly underachieved, here's another way to look at it: If a 3-3 record is ground for termination, what chance do Tyrone Willingham or Greg Robinson have of keeping their respective jobs?

Willingham is in the midst of his fourth straight losing season at Washington, which owns an 11-30 record since he arrived in Seattle.

The situation is even more dire for Robinson, who owns an 8-33 record at Syracuse - a school that reportedly already is eying Lane Kiffin as its new head coach.

But the coach arguably in the most danger of losing his job in-season is Phillip Fulmer, who has guided Tennessee to its worst start in 17 years.

Winless in the SEC and owners of a 2-4 overall record, the Volunteers need to win four of their last six games to avoid missing a bowl for the second time in the last 20 years.

"Everybody in the world is going to talk about me," Fulmer said after last week's 26-14 loss to Georgia. "I'm going to look them in the eye and say, 'I'm not quitting.' We've kicked butt before. We're getting ours kicked now. It will cycle back around."

THE BAD, THE WORSE AND THE UGLY: Every week, PA SportsTicker will sort and rank the worst five teams in the country. Only BCS conference schools are eligible for this prestigious list.

There were not many changes in this week's poll, except for a flip-flop at the top. Here are the bottom five football teams, listed in reverse order:

5. Rutgers (1-5). How low has Greg Schiano's stock dropped this season? In their five games - all losses - against FBS teams this year, the Scarlet Knights have managed a total of 67 points for an average of 13.4 per contest. Rutgers needs to go 5-1 the rest of the way just to become bowl eligible.

4. Texas A&M (2-4). For the second straight week, the Aggies scored some late touchdowns to make the final score close. But they remained winless in the Big 12 courtesy of a 44-30 home loss to Kansas State, which posted its first win against a BCS conference opponent. Texas A&M boasts one of the most dreadful defenses in the country and has allowed 100 points in its last two games.

3. Washington (0-5). At least the Huskies did not lose last week - they had a bye. But they still are the only BCS conference team without a win this season. That does not figure to change this week, as they host a talented Oregon State team.

2. Syracuse (1-5). Unfortunately for the Orange, their hard-fought 17-6 loss at West Virginia has dropped them from the No. 1 spot in the rankings. Syracuse simply has too many close losses to warrant the title of "Worst Team in the Country."

1. Washington State (1-6). The Cougars climbed to the top spot courtesy of another stellar outing in a 66-13 loss to Oregon State. It marked the third time this season that Washington State allowed an opponent to eclipse the 60-point mark. The Cougars have been outscored by a combined margin of 307-63 in their six losses this year. That figure likely will not improve this weekend against USC, a 42-point favorite.

WEEKLY WEIS WATCH: Yes, Notre Dame lost a tough one last week at North Carolina, which rallied for a 29-24 win.

But Charlie Weis was impressed by how his young team responded to the loss.

"When you lose a game and you go into the locker room and see your team as visibly disappointed as I saw them, probably as disappointed as I've seen the team since 2005 (against) USC, you know that they care," he said.

The Fighting Irish played well on the road against a talented and ranked UNC squad. But Weis' boys clearly still are not ready to win a road game against a big-time opponent.

"They expected to win and they didn't win, which is the only reason for them to be in the tank the way they were," Weis said. "And when your team's starting to act like that and starting to think like that and starting to feel like that, you've turned a corner in the right direction."

EXTRA POINTS: Congratulations to Tim Brewster and Minnesota, which became bowl eligible with their win over Illinois last week. That's a major step for a program that went 1-11 last season. ... North Carolina will have a hard time winning the ACC Coastal Division without star WR Brandon Tate, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels (5-1, 1-1 ACC) already lost to Virginia Tech this season, meaning they essentially are two games behind the first-place Hokies (5-1, 2-0) in the division. ... It is not a given that Auburn will receive a bowl berth this season. The Tigers (4-3) have five games remaining - three on the road and one at home against Georgia. Even if it goes 2-3 over that stretch, Auburn will be hard-pressed to receive a bowl bid out of the SEC with a 6-6 record.

Question or comment? E-mail james.ralabate@pa-sportsticker.com.