The fallout from Washington’s 17-12 victory Thursday night over USC in Los Angeles is landing squarely on the back of Trojans’ coach Steve Sarkisian.
Whether its gifs, memes or good ol’ fashioned columns from national writers, there has been no shortage of anti-Sark, web-based vitriol. And it’s clear that the national perception is that Sark’s seat has moved from toasty to extra crispy. You can see his postgame news conference here.
Here’s a sampling of what some folks are saying.
Dan Wolken of USA Today calls Sarkisian’s time at USC a “failed regime” and is advocating for Philadelphia Eagles coach and former Oregon skipper Chip Kelly to make his glorious return to Pac-12 football.
Writes Wolken:
Picked to win the Pac-12 Conference and stocked with talent that should go 10-2 by accident, Sarkisian has proven himself to be incapable of this job, on and off the field. Whether USC has the stomach to make a coaching change right now – in Sarkisian’s second season – is unclear … if Kelly could dominate the Pac-12 at Oregon, there is no ceiling on what he could do at USC.
Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports said a change at USC is inevitable and that the Trojans are exactly where they were at this point when Lane Kiffin was the head coach.
Writes Mandel:
Sark After Dark is going to get canceled at some point … Normally we wouldn’t be talking about a second-year coach’s job security, but Sarkisian invited extra-heavy skepticism with his drunken speech at a preseason banquet and subsequent admission he would be seeking unspecified treatment. USC really needed to get off to a hot start. Instead it’s done the exact opposite.
Finally Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated says that athletic director Pat Haden got it wrong by hiring Sarkisian in the first place.
Writes Thamel:
Haden’s ill-fated decision making was on full display on Thursday night. And while this loss doesn’t mark the end of Sarkisian’s time at USC, it marks a definitive point where people can start speculating about the end.
And now, a little something for the Washington fans. Enjoy this Brayden Lenius catch again. And again, and again…
Whether its gifs, memes or good ol’ fashioned columns from national writers, there has been no shortage of anti-Sark, web-based vitriol. And it’s clear that the national perception is that Sark’s seat has moved from toasty to extra crispy. You can see his postgame news conference here.
Here’s a sampling of what some folks are saying.
Dan Wolken of USA Today calls Sarkisian’s time at USC a “failed regime” and is advocating for Philadelphia Eagles coach and former Oregon skipper Chip Kelly to make his glorious return to Pac-12 football.
Writes Wolken:
Picked to win the Pac-12 Conference and stocked with talent that should go 10-2 by accident, Sarkisian has proven himself to be incapable of this job, on and off the field. Whether USC has the stomach to make a coaching change right now – in Sarkisian’s second season – is unclear … if Kelly could dominate the Pac-12 at Oregon, there is no ceiling on what he could do at USC.
Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports said a change at USC is inevitable and that the Trojans are exactly where they were at this point when Lane Kiffin was the head coach.
Writes Mandel:
Sark After Dark is going to get canceled at some point … Normally we wouldn’t be talking about a second-year coach’s job security, but Sarkisian invited extra-heavy skepticism with his drunken speech at a preseason banquet and subsequent admission he would be seeking unspecified treatment. USC really needed to get off to a hot start. Instead it’s done the exact opposite.
Finally Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated says that athletic director Pat Haden got it wrong by hiring Sarkisian in the first place.
Writes Thamel:
Haden’s ill-fated decision making was on full display on Thursday night. And while this loss doesn’t mark the end of Sarkisian’s time at USC, it marks a definitive point where people can start speculating about the end.
And now, a little something for the Washington fans. Enjoy this Brayden Lenius catch again. And again, and again…
