It’s hard to say whether Barry Lunney Jr. has been given the greatest opportunity of all time, or the worst.
Hunter Yurachek did the obvious by elevating Lunney to interim head coach after firing Chad Morris one day after the loss to Western Kentucky. Lunney, the team’s tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, will serve as head coach for two games.
Meanwhile, Yurachek, the athletics director, will contemplate his biggest hire, to name the next football coach.
Yes, it could be Lunney, but it will take a miracle. Lunney had an open date to regroup the 2-8 Razorbacks for a six-day stretch that includes a trip to No. 1 LSU then a date in Little Rock with Missouri.
As far as what has been seen of Lunney in the last two weeks, the verdict has to be so far, so good. But as a friend and I discussed basketball coach Eric Musselman at halftime of the Texas Southern game Tuesday night, it’s been all good. Neither Musselman – nor Lunney – have lost one game yet.
Musselman has fixed the defense, the same thing that ails the football team. I don’t know that naming Lunney as interim coach can fix the Arkansas football defense.
I was reminded this week while working on a special project about the 50-year anniversary of the 1969 football team what defense is all about. It’s playing as one unit with total trust of your teammate.
That was highlighted in a 30-minute phone visit with Mike Boschetti, the right outside linebacker for the great ’69 defense that included a double handful of All-SWC players and a few All-Americans. Boschetti and his linebacker teammates Cliff Powell and Lynn Garner all would make All-SWC during their Arkansas time.
I asked Boschetti what made that group of linebackers special and he gave a little glimpse of what holds back the 2019 Razorbacks.
“I get frustrated watching this team,” Boschetti said. “Because I see them do things that would get my teammates in trouble with our defensive coaches, Charley Coffey and Harold Horton. We’d get yelled at for playing that way.
“You see a linebacker or a lineman who is supposed to play a gap with pressure on the outside shoulder of the blocker. The back is in that gap, and gives a head fake to the other gap and the player jumps to that gap, gets blocked and leaves a gaping hole. The backs goes through it.
“Again, you have to play your gap. You have to do your job. I see it over and over. Our bunch had one saying, ‘Do your job.’ I did my job. I played my technique and did my job. I knew on the other side, Garner was doing the same. I knew Cliff was doing the same in the middle. I knew Rick Kersey inside me was doing his job at end. I knew Bruce James was doing his job.
“It’s total trust. Yes, we had ability, but we played within our scheme and we did our job.”
That’s how that defense slowed that Texas juggernaut. They lost, 15-14, in the Big Shootout, but they blanked that great Wishbone offense for three quarters. The Longhorns had not been shut out in a half in two seasons.
It’s unlikely Lunney can fix that, but he can provide stability as interim coach. How he does that is with smooth confidence.
Lunney has had three or four speaking chances with the media through Wednesday night’s statewide radio show with host Chuck Barrett. He still exudes that simple stated confidence that was evident in 1992 when then-interim coach Joe Kines elevated him to starting quarterback before the trip to No. 4 Tennessee for a massive upset.
There wasn’t a lot of time late in that season to sit for a long visit, but I got those chances beginning in the spring when it was clear he was the best over Mike Cherry, another highly regarded quarterback recruit that season.
What you noticed was an ability to quietly talk on any subject. There was an inner confidence probably instilled by his dad, the great high school coach by the same name. If you spend any time with Barry Lunney Sr. you get why it’s easy to talk to his son. They are different, yet the same.
Both are smooth in an interview and can take a simple question and deliver a 500-word answer. Barry Jr. did that as a player.
The thing he has to do to be successful in these two games is to somehow get that smooth confidence plugged into KJ Jefferson, the true freshman quarterback likely to start at LSU.
Bill Montgomery had the same confidence with the ’69 team. So did Quinn Grovey, Clint Stoerner and other great Arkansas quarterbacks.
Some have confused it with cockiness, but I always thought if a quarterback didn’t have some of that, they probably don’t need to be playing quarterback.
Barrett provided the perfect story that illustrates that inner confidence in Lunney.
In the spring of 1996, Lunney dabbled in baseball, sometimes pitching and sometimes playing first base. He wasn’t anything special on the baseball field, but he’d just proven he had it all with the 1995 football team. He ran Danny Ford’s option attack to perfection, taking hits and completing all the various passes needed. He’d rarely make a mistake in leading the Hogs to the SEC title game.
The football team got SWC West championship rings in the spring and some in administration also got one. Kevin Trainor, the sports information assistant for football and the lead man in baseball, popped onto the bus for a baseball trip. He was walking down the aisle, sporting his new ring.
From the second row came a hand to grab Trainor’s hand – the one with the title ring.
“You are welcome,” Lunney is supposed to have said.
There were chuckles all around. Trainor confirmed that story to me the next fall.
Lunney probably wouldn’t do that these days. Oh, but I’d like to see him get a chance sometime to lead the Razorbacks back to the SEC title game. He could do it.
But the trip to Baton Rouge is not like the one to Knoxville in 1992. Johnny Majors was losing his grip at Tennessee. In fact, that loss to Arkansas began the meltdown that would eventually put his offensive line coach, Phil Fulmer, in the head job.
The Vols were not near what they had been in previous seasons. They had few weapons on offense and were poor in the kicking game. That was proven true when Orlando Watters returned a punt for a touchdown to spark a rally that turned into a victory when Todd Wright booted a field goal in the final seconds.
It was a scary moment for the young publisher of Hawgs Illustrated. I had been on the job for less than six months. The first game of my time at the magazine’s helm was the loss to The Citadel.
By the Tennessee game, I’d learned the most important part of my job, to get pictures to our operation, at that time in Tulsa, Okla., where several like magazines were published. I had secured two rolls of chrome slide film from the game from a student photographer, Walt Beazley. I had to take those undeveloped cans of film to the airport as soon as the interviews were done.
The drill in those days was to pay $25 for gate-to-gate service. There was an American Airlines flight from Knoxville to Tulsa. I handed it to a flight attendant. She handed it to a colleague when she walked off the plane in the Tulsa airport.
Then, the film was taken to a lab that offered overnight processing. I got a call at 7 a.m. Sunday to tell me what our shooter got. Oh, boy, there was a shot of Wright being carried off the field, along with shots of Lunney throwing passes. We had our cover and our centerspread. Boom! Life was good.
It was soon after that I had the courage to buy the magazine from the publisher who hired me in the spring of 1992. And, the horrible first game of The Citadel loss was soon forgotten.
Well, it was forgotten until the last two years when Morris was losing to the likes of Colorado State, North Texas, San Jose State and Western Kentucky. None are as bad as The Citadel, but collectively they’re worse. Four losses of that magnitude – along with a string of seven 30-point losses - prompted a change.
Kines probably had a better chance to get the Arkansas job than Lunney does. Kines lost too many and he probably doomed himself by hiring the perfect replacement, the idle coach with the national title on his resume, Ford.
Frank Broyles might have considered Kines more if Ford wasn’t the man doing the consulting and available on a daily basis to visit with Broyles. It was perhaps a two-month job interview. Kines probably saw it coming long before anyone else.
Kines did have one big advantage over Lunney: experience as a coordinator. You have to go back to Lunney’s days as a high school offensive coordinator for his dad at Bentonville to see that on his resume. He was also a co-coordinator for Fitz Hill at San Jose State early in his career.
Oh, you say he’s a special teams coordinator? Yes, but that’s not like running the offense or the defense. That’s the logical next step for Lunney.
I’d hope the next Arkansas coach, if it’s not Lunney, sees that as a possibility. Lunney is ready to coordinate an offense.
It won’t be in these last two games. Joe Craddock will be running the offense. Lunney confirmed that several times in two weeks.
But what Lunney will be doing is handling the sideline communication with the quarterbacks. He’s good at that. He is a great communicator. He knows the quarterback position. Never mind that he’s been a tight ends coach under Bret Bielema and Morris, there is the gift of talking to a quarterback that only a great former quarterback knows.
And, Lunney was a great one. He did what quarterbacks must do, protect the football and move the chains. His numbers were never wonderful, just good. He is in the UA record books in several places, including fourth on the all-time list for most passes without throwing an interception. That came in his first two seasons when he went 123 throws between picks.
Think about that: a player in his first and second year in the SEC going that many throws between interceptions. Well, every quarterback Morris put on the field seemed to throw one almost immediately.
The ultimate job for the quarterback – and the only way an upset happens Saturday night in Baton Rouge – is for the Hogs to avoid turnovers. They must force a few, too.
Lunney will lean on senior linebacker De’Jon Harris, a New Orleans-area product and the leader of the defense, and maybe the team. It’s a special night for Harris. In fact, he’s glad it’s a night game in Tiger Stadium, the ultimate tough environment.
Harris is probably my favorite on this team. He’s been front and center for two years as the losses mounted, taking the blame and encouraging his teammates to hang tough. Sometimes they have, sometimes they have wilted. Harris keeps playing hard and cleaning up their mistakes as the top tackler on the team over the last four seasons.
Harris has 352 career tackles at Arkansas, eighth on the all-time list. With two big games, he could pass three or four more. He’s had 19 games with double-digit tackles. He’s exactly 20 behind fourth-place Sam Olajubutu (372). The all-time leader is Tony Bua with 408. Harris would need to average 15 in the last two games to catch No. 2 Jerry Franklin (382).
Harris told Lunney that ultimate night environment is what he wanted, a special setting with all the trimmings for a great upset. That’s not his words, but my turn on them.
That will be a tough task. As inexperienced as Jefferson is, LSU’s Joe Burrow operates on the other end of the spectrum. He is Montgomery-like smooth, a reference to the 1968-70 quarterback for the Razorbacks who played with Boschetti.
Tall, strong and able to run, Burrow takes what the defense offers and it’s a sure bet the Hogs will offer a bunch. An open date isn’t going to be what fixes the problems with the Arkansas defense. They are too slow in the secondary and probably at linebacker. And, the ends make the exact mistakes Boschetti brought up. They lose their leverage and are blocked.
Mataio Soli, Zach Williams, Eric Gregory and Collin Clay are the freshman ends that have been abused this season. They are talented, just playing too soon.
Freshmen can win in the SEC. Lunney proved that in 1992. But what most don’t recall is that there weren’t many other freshmen playing with him when the Hogs upset Tennessee in Knoxville. They will be all over the field for the Hogs this time.
That’s what makes this the ultimate opportunity for Lunney. If he does lead a great win, he’s the guy for Yurachek. That’s not likely, but there’s always a chance.
The line has been nearly 45 points all week. It’s the highest line I can recall covering the Razorbacks.
If not Lunney, then who is Yurachek thinking about? I’ll use those thoughts for my top 10 keys to victory this week. My brain hurts when I try to find 10 keys to victory for the actual game. Ask just before the kickoff at 6 p.m. Saturday and maybe there are a few that I can cite. For now, let’s talk coaching search.
Coaching Search
If you talk to those who understand the mechanics of big-time college football, they will tell you that hiring a head football coach is not much different than finding a top chief executive officer.
The No. 1 requirement is to find a leader. Yes, he needs football coaching skill, too.
But the top challenge for Yurachek as he looks to fill opening for the Arkansas football program: find the ultimate leader.
The model at Arkansas isn’t to look at Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma or any other Power 5 program that is rolling.
It’s to look at Arkansas. That starts and ends with Broyles, the only Arkansas coach to win a national championship.
Leadership was his skill. He knew how to organize, hire, motivate and recruit. He led in every way and had his hand in every aspect. Yet, he delegated, as leaders must. But he knew his people could handle the task, or he replaced them, swiftly.
I’m not talking so much about Broyles the athletics director, the position Yurachek holds. I’m talking Broyles the football coach. You could argue that both Ken Hatfield and Houston Nutt had some of those leadership skills. They had success winning conference and divisional championships, respectively, too.
That’s what Yurachek needs to find, someone with Broyles-like skills as a leader.
One thing to understand: it’s a massive task, leading an SEC program like Arkansas. Hiring a staff – and that’s not just coaches – is a huge task. Assembling every piece from operations, recruiting, analysts and molding them into a well-oiled machine is important. Then, that coach must lead in a detailed and organized way.
Some of the names I’ve heard thrown around in first 24 hours after Morris was fired – and still two weeks later — don’t seem to fit that task.
How about Mike Leach from Washington State? He’s a different cat. He might fit best in an outpost kind of place like the WSU campus. He fought with his bosses at Texas Tech, probably the reason he’s been unable to land something except with the Cougars.
Leach beats to a different drum. He rarely has staff meetings.
He would be fun to cover as a reporter, but it’s anyone’s guess whether he could make it work at Arkansas.
Can he coach? You bet, but it’s with an unconventional leadership style to say the least.
What about Lane Kiffin, winning at Florida Atlantic? He just trounced Florida International, coached by UA alum Butch Davis, no doubt disqualifying Davis.
Kiffin probably would come, as would Leach. He’s another interesting cat. He’s had the right training, but he’s stumbled at both Tennessee and Southern Cal, not to mention the Oakland Raiders. He didn’t get along with Al Davis or Nick Saban, although who does?
I’ve heard Nutt suggested. And, just to make sure, no, he’s not called me, nor has anyone from his camp. I don’t think he’s a serious contender. Too many oppose his return.
The one positive for Nutt is that he’s been there and done that. And, just for those who didn’t like his offensive style, he’s come across to the spread concepts. He’d probably run something that looked remarkably like the Gus Malzahn offense.
And, what about Malzahn? He might be available if the Tigers lose to Alabama next week. Auburn would give him away, so to speak. But, they are probably going to keep defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Steele is the best coach at Auburn now, not Malzahn. By the way, I think Auburn will beat Alabama.
Steele is an interesting idea. Could you hire Steele as head coach? His training is maybe the best in the SEC. He’s worked for Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne and Saban. He played for Majors at Tennessee.
Steele has been a head coach, a horrible four-year stay at Baylor ending in 2002. The Bears went 1-10, 2-9, 3-8 and 3-9. His Big 12 record was 1-31. He may not want another head coach fling.
But the key is to hire a head coach who can hire coaches like Steele, or Malzahn’s offensive line coach, J. B. Grimes. Grimes had multiple stints at Arkansas and is a top-notch tactical and technical coach.
That brings us to another name surfacing in the Arkansas hunt. Sam Pittman, the Georgia O-line coach, is said to be interested. His former players wrote a letter to Yurachek. Pittman was superb as a recruiter and coach at Arkansas under Bielema.
But he has no experience that would suggest that he could flourish as anything but an O-line coach. Perhaps he could hire a top staff. You’d think his first move would be to reunite with Jim Chaney, the offensive coordinator at Tennessee.
Pittman would bring a physical nature that has been missing the last four years at Arkansas. He’d want tough practices that produced tough teams.
But it’s anyone’s guess as to what he could do as far as overall leadership of a program. It’s a massive job, but he is a massive person with a personality that matches.
Some put Mike Norvell from Memphis as the early favorite for the job. He might fit, but is said not to be interested. He interviewed once and probably won’t do it in a formal setting a second time. He’s got the offensive mind and has more credibility than Morris. Can he lead in the SEC? Maybe he can. That’s the key question. Arkansas is different than Memphis, in visibility and overall program size.
It’s much different from Appalachian State, too, where Eliah Drinkwitz is rolling with victories over North Carolina and South Carolina. Drinkwitz is from Alma and spent much of his early coaching years in Arkansas.
I don’t have the one slam-dunk answer. Probably no one does.
It’s an expensive proposition. Another massive buyout with a promise of five years will be required to get anyone that has any present job security. That would include any of the Power 5 head coaches I see on most every fan’s wish list.
There are some who would not wow anyone who might do a great job. Of course, I can relate to anyone who aches for Nutt to be given another chance. I wouldn’t do that if I was Yurachek.
I won’t go with you on Bobby Petrino, either. He had his second chance at Louisville and failed miserably. Yes, he’s apologized to Arkansas fans, but I don’t know if he matches what I’d want as a leader and head coach.
Sometimes you have to make a reach hire, but it’s unlikely that Yurachek has the clout less than two years into his current job to make such a hire, unless the Razorback Foundation is short on cash.
That could be the case. It’s hard to imagine there is lots of extra cash with the number of empty seats I’ve seen in the stadium the last two years. I am aware that there have been some sales of foundation-owned land in the last few months. Maybe that’s provided some security for hiring a new coach.
None of this should paint a dire picture. Arkansas will emerge with a successful football program. I’m convinced that it can be done, even in the SEC West.
I think Musselman can be successful as the Arkansas basketball coach, just as Dave Van Horn is in baseball. Musselman has already proven he can coach defense. The Hogs play great defense. The list of those who have won at Arkansas in other sports is long.
Just a few current coaches who have won SEC championships: Lance Harter, women’s track; Colby Hale, soccer; Shauna Taylor, women’s golf; Brad McMakin, men’s golf; and Chris Bucknam, men’s track.
Obviously, the Hogs are not near winning in the SEC West in football. But those who think they can’t are wrong.
It’s not going to be easy, but that’s also what makes it so much fun when you do. I remember those days.
There are plenty who will want to give it a try, starting with Barry Lunney Jr. on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.