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USC will regret hiring Steve Sarkisian over Chris Petersen

By Brenton Lillie

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USC made a bad coaching decision hiring Steve Sarkisian instead of Chris Petersen and it cost them dearly.

Late in the 2013 football season, the USC Trojans were looking for a new head coach. Lane Kiffin was no longer leading the football program, and the university elected not to promote respected interim head coach Ed Orgeron who went 6-2.

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During the selection process, USC athletic director Pat Haden interviewed then-Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, but ultimately decided Petersen was not a good fit for the glitz and glam of southern California. Haden instead chose then-Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian to rebuild a previously dominant Trojan program. Petersen would then take over the vacant Huskies’ job.

That was a mistake.

Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but even then the decision was a curious one. Petersen had a 92-12 record in eight seasons with Boise State and was the hottest coaching candidate in the nation. Sarkisian, meanwhile, went 34-29 in five years at Washington, guiding the Huskies to just one bowl win during his tenure and never finishing better than third in the division. Sarkisian posted a pedestrian 24-21 record in the Pac-12, and was looked at as mediocre, at best, by the rest of the nation.

Looking at old articles on Sarkisian’s hiring, it became clear Haden preferred Sarkisian due to his familiarity with the program. Haden thought that Sarkisian could have an immediate effect while other coaches might take longer to turn the program around.

The link back to the glory days of Pete Carroll and the juggernaut teams that terrorized the conference for half a decade played a big part. Haden was thinking about more than just a coach who could win football games. He wanted another rock star who would fit right in with the rest of Los Angeles. Petersen was clearly not that guy.

Petersen is someone who is not flamboyant or flashy. His teams win with defense and fundamentals. In 2014, Washington finished third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and the team sent three first round draft picks to the NFL. The team was second in rushing defense and fourth in rushing offense. Run the ball, play good defense, and do not beat yourself (Washington was third in turnover margin and fourth in fewest penalties).

That is a formula to win games, but maybe it would not be the way to get boosters to open up their wallets. These days, an athletic director often thinks about more than just hiring a quality coach. Boosters, donations, and the schmoozing games all have to be factored in. At least, they do if you are a private school in glamorous Los Angeles.

Sarkisian had a 12-6 record at USC, going 7-5 in the Pac-12. Petersen is 11-8, with a 5-6 conference record. USC had the best recruiting class in the country in 2014. Washington was 23rd, but it did not matter as USC lost 17-12 to Petersen and the Huskies last week despite being a 17-point favorite.

It became even more irrelevant when it was announced first that Sarkisian would be taking a leave of absence, and then one day later was fired. Petersen will continue to build a defensive powerhouse in the Pacific Northwest, while the Trojans will be looking for yet another head coach.

Oh, and one of the big names being bandied about to replace Sarkisian? Yep, it is the man who should have been there all along: Chris Petersen.

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