Rapid Fire: SDSU, Marshall, WKU Updates

“Rapid Fire” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on multiple coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on no less than three jobs…

San Diego State

Chuck Long’s third straight losing season will be in the books following Saturday’s Nevada-Las Vegas game, and then San Diego State’s football coach says he will consider changes he must make before 2009. He declined to identify the moves or say whether he’s considering staff changes. But he knows he “can’t stand pat” after the Aztecs fell to 1-10 overall and 0-7 in the Mountain West Conference with a seventh straight loss Saturday against Utah, 63-14. “I know fans are looking for hope —- something to cling to,” Long said. “I have to give them that. I have to look at that. Changes will happen to give the Aztecs’ faithful hope. “Everything is on the table. I need to give it careful thought and research. There has to be significant change. I have some ideas floating around, but we’ll work on that after the UNLV game.” Long, who took over in 2006 with a five-year contract, described his task “as a race against time” to turn around a program. “The university wants to sell tickets, but the program needs time to develop,” Long said. “We’re certainly not there yet.” – North County Times

Marshall

Snyder looked like a man who had been beaten down physically and emotionally Saturday night, when Central Florida dominated Marshall from start to finish to snap a four-game losing streak with a 30-16 road win in miserable conditions that were supposed to favor the home team. He had a grimace on his face and a hint of tears in his eyes, like he simultaneously received a gut shot from a boxer and sad news from a friend. Maybe he knows (or was told) this season will be his last. Other college coaches, including some who have been much more successful than him, already have been fired this year. Snyder was pelted with rain and boos Saturday. The student section started a “Fire Snyder” chant early in the game… There are Snyder supporters who want to give him another season because next season is the final year in his five-year plan. He deserves to reap the rewards of his recruiting efforts, they say. It is an understandable argument, but one has to wonder whether next season would be nothing more than a repeat of this season and the previous three. Snyder’s teams don’t win on the road (3-20 record away from Edwards Stadium, including a neutral-site victory over Tulane in 2005). They don’t show up against top-tier competition (0-11 record against Bowl Championship Series opponents, who have outscored Marshall 390-124). They only beat teams with losing records or from lower levels (of his 16 victories, only five were against teams with winning records before that game and three were against Division I-AA opponents). Marshall’s motto before Snyder was, “We play for championships.” Marshall’s motto with Snyder has become, “We play for a chance to win at the end.” Thundering Herd fans and players deserve better. The questions are, can Snyder provide it and will he get another chance to prove he can? – Daily Mail

Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky football coach David Elson says the coaching staff and not the players are the reason for a school-record nine losses this season. Elson says the coaches need to do a better job of putting players in the position to make plays. Elson says the players are “playing their hearts out” but the coaches aren’t preparing them well enough. – KFVS