BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
JERRY KILL CONSIDERS himself something of a Mr. Fix-It for programs in need of a serious overhaul, the college football equivalent of an HGTV host who must convince an overwhelmed couple that the crumbling mess they just took out a mortgage to buy can, with a little hard work and the right crew of contractors, become a dream home. He's renovated places like Northern Illinois and Minnesota before, and he likes the reputation.
Still, when Kill took the job of head coach at woeful New Mexico State last year, it didn't seem like a renovation job. More like a dare.
"I had coaches tell me I was crazy," Kill said.
The concern was well-founded. In the previous 60 years, the Aggies made it to exactly one bowl game. The budget, facilities and fan engagement were abysmal. The team was bad -- going 3-9 or worse nine times since 2008 -- and recruiting to New Mexico was difficult. There were plans to join Conference USA, but at the moment, New Mexico State was muddling through as an independent.
"I was told there's no way to win there, and this was the worst program in the country," Kill said. "I thought, 'Hey, those are the kinds of challenges I like.'"
At its heart, the joy of watching bad college football is rooted in the same passion that drove Kill to take the New Mexico State job. For Kill, turning abject failure into something approaching coherence is actually fun. That's more or less the same reason so many fans tune in for Tuesday night MAC-tion or Pac-12 After Dark. There's joy in finding something awful and sticking with it long enough to see what happens next because, particularly in college football, the possibilities seem endless. And if, against all odds, something magical does happen, we can say we knew it all along.
Kill's dream home is still in the early stages of construction, but the job has been unquestionably rewarding. Walls are starting to go up. The foundation has been laid, and he's starting the frame. He can see the progress.
"Everybody wants to see an underdog get going," Kill said. "And they'll watch to see if it can be sustained. You know, it takes a little time to build a house, and we're planning to build a big one."
www.espn.com
Go Gophers!!
JERRY KILL CONSIDERS himself something of a Mr. Fix-It for programs in need of a serious overhaul, the college football equivalent of an HGTV host who must convince an overwhelmed couple that the crumbling mess they just took out a mortgage to buy can, with a little hard work and the right crew of contractors, become a dream home. He's renovated places like Northern Illinois and Minnesota before, and he likes the reputation.
Still, when Kill took the job of head coach at woeful New Mexico State last year, it didn't seem like a renovation job. More like a dare.
"I had coaches tell me I was crazy," Kill said.
The concern was well-founded. In the previous 60 years, the Aggies made it to exactly one bowl game. The budget, facilities and fan engagement were abysmal. The team was bad -- going 3-9 or worse nine times since 2008 -- and recruiting to New Mexico was difficult. There were plans to join Conference USA, but at the moment, New Mexico State was muddling through as an independent.
"I was told there's no way to win there, and this was the worst program in the country," Kill said. "I thought, 'Hey, those are the kinds of challenges I like.'"
At its heart, the joy of watching bad college football is rooted in the same passion that drove Kill to take the New Mexico State job. For Kill, turning abject failure into something approaching coherence is actually fun. That's more or less the same reason so many fans tune in for Tuesday night MAC-tion or Pac-12 After Dark. There's joy in finding something awful and sticking with it long enough to see what happens next because, particularly in college football, the possibilities seem endless. And if, against all odds, something magical does happen, we can say we knew it all along.
Kill's dream home is still in the early stages of construction, but the job has been unquestionably rewarding. Walls are starting to go up. The foundation has been laid, and he's starting the frame. He can see the progress.
"Everybody wants to see an underdog get going," Kill said. "And they'll watch to see if it can be sustained. You know, it takes a little time to build a house, and we're planning to build a big one."
Unlikely turnarounds, keeping the faith and the enduring appeal of bad college football
Bad college football is something akin to cult classic movies of the "so bad they're good" variety, and nothing is better than when a 2-10 team turns it around the next year.
www.espn.com
Go Gophers!!
