Don't write off Solich yet

Sporting News, The, Dec 30, 2002 by Tom Dienhart

Got a question for Dienhart? Drop him a line at tdienhart@sportingnews. com, and check his mailbag each Friday at www.sportingnews.com/cfootball/ voices/tom--dienhart.

M@IL BONDING

TOM DIENHART ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Do you see Southern California contending for the Pac-10 title next year?

Robbie Louis, Raleigh, N.C.

Robbie: It will be tough for USC to contend, and if it does, I think the defense will have to lead the way. That unit was formidable this season despite numerous injuries. The 2003 defense will be led by the line, featuring tackles Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson and ends Kenechi Udeze and Omar Nazel. Linebacker Matt Grootegoed also will be back, but the secondary will miss the savvy and leadership of safety Troy Polamalu.

The offense is where most of rehab work must be done. Coordinator Norm Chow will have a good line to work with, but the key will be the development of the skill players, especially at the quarterback spot vacated by Carson Palmer. Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel, Billy Hart and Brandon Hance will compete for the job. The return of receiver Mike Williams will assist the new quarterback in a big way, and Hershel Dennis might be a great runner.

But in the end, a team from the Northwest--Washington looks good--likely will win the conference.

SPEED READS

* UCLA deserves kudos for hiring Karl Dorrell, a rising young black coach, to lead its program. It would have been bigger news if Alabama, which hired Mike Price from Washington State, had hired a black head coach, The SEC is the only BCS league that has yet to hire a minority head coach. Such a move at its bell-wether program would have sent a strong message of change nationwide.

* Speaking of Price, it makes no sense for Wazzu to let him coach the Cougars in the Rose Bowl. Yes, he has done a lot for the program, but Price is turning his back on the school. It should let new coach Bill Doba start building toward what could be a big 2003.

* Michigan State botched its hiring of Louisville coach John L. Smith. It had been without a coach since dumping Bobby Williams on November 4; couldn't it have a few more hours before word of the hiring was leaked during the Cardinals' GMAC Bowl game? Don't think it didn't have an impact on the effort given by the Louisville players in a 38-15 loss to Marshall.

INSIDE DISH

By TOM DIENHART

Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham has a beef with how N.C. State, the Irish's opponent in the Gator Bowl, substitutes players. At times after the Wolfpack breaks its huddle, three or four players rush off the field and are replaced. It's an attempt to create a personnel mismatch in hopes of striking a big play. It's perfectly within the rules--it wouldn't be if more than 11 players were in the huddle and then some dashed off--but Willingham thinks it isn't good sportsmanship.... The hiring of Florida defensive coordinator John Thompson as East Carolina coach left some folks wanting. It was thought the Pirates could attract a proven head coach to replace Steve Logan, who resigned, but ECU wanted a defensive guy who brimmed with enthusiasm, and Thompson fits the bill. Others considered were Tennessee running backs coach Woody McCorvey, South Carolina defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, LSU assistant head coach/linebackers coach Kirk Doll, N.C. State assistant head coach/receivers coach John "Doc" Holliday and Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads.... With Thompson gone, Florida coach Ron Zook is looking for a new coordinator. Zook likely will look outside his staff to fill the post. The position has become a premier steppingstone to head coaching spots, as evidenced by former Gators coordinators Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Bob Pruett (Marshall). Whoever gets the job, don't expect Florida's multiple 4-3 defensive look, which was crafted by Zook, to change.... Minnesota's president has advised the school's regents to look into constructing an on-campus stadium for its use only. The recommendation came after talks between the university and the Minnesota Vikings on a proposed shared stadium on campus hit an impasse. The teams have shared the Metrodome since 1982. ... Kentucky wants to move quickly in replacing Guy Morriss, who left to coach Baylor. The hot names are Southern California offensive coordinator Norm Chow and New Orleans Saints assistant Mike Riley, who worked previously with Kentucky A.D. Mitch Barnhart at Oregon State. ... More news has emerged about QB Craig Ochs' transfer from Colorado to Montana, which caught many off guard. In addition to a general dissatisfaction with the staff, Ochs says he was upset that coach Gary Barnett interrupted a team prayer session led by Ochs during two-a-days. He thought Barnett was rude and insensitive, and the episode played a big part in his decision to bolt Boulder.... Wisconsin will be the next Big Ten school to convert from artificial turf to grass, and it could happen as soon as next season. The key will be whether renovations to the lower level of Camp Randall Stadium can be finished without harming the surface. If not, the switch won't happen until 2004. Once Wisconsin makes the move, the only Big Ten schools with a fake surface will be Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana.... By severing its tie with the Big East in favor of one with the Big Ten, the Music City Bowl hoped to draw bigger crowds for its game with an SEC foe. But ticket sales have lagged for the Minnesota-Arkansas matchup, meaning the bowl will lose money for a second year in a row. Another concern is that to retain NCAA certification, bowls must average in attendance the larger of either 25,000 or 70 percent of it stadium capacity in a three-year span. The game won't meet that mark (46,900) this year, but bowl officials think things will be fine in the future.