Herman vs. Fuente: Just call it the Hot Coaching Candidates Bowl
The same way NFL scouts flock to big games like last week’s Alabama-LSU game, athletic directors from around the country will have their eyes on Saturday night’s Memphis-Houston game.
The coaches will be main attraction when the Tigers and Cougars meet at 7 p.m. Saturday in Houston. Memphis coach Justin Fuente and Houston coach Tom Herman are two of the hottest names in coaching and have been linked to jobs across the country, including the one at South Carolina.
“I’m never going to comment on other jobs other than to say that my wife and my family are extremely happy here at Houston,” Herman said this week. “Any time that happens it’s a testament to the people we have here at Houston. It really has no bearing on anything we do on a day-to-day basis.”
That won’t stop plenty the speculation from swirling around the game. Herman is in his first year at Houston and has the Cougars at 9-0 and ranked No. 16 in the country. Fuente’s team is 8-1 and ranked No. 25 in the country. Both schools are in the American Athletic Conference’s West division.
Herman and Fuente have crossed paths before but not as adversaries. Herman visited with Fuente and TCU’s offensive staff when Fuente was the Horned Frogs’ offensive coordinator prior to taking the Memphis job. Both coaches have a background as offensive coaches, but that distinction is not their most important similarity, Herman believes.
“I think in today’s day and age, you have to be a great recruiter,” Herman said. “You win with talent. There is no secret offense or secret defense. You win with really good players and I think Justin has done a really good job of recruiting there to Memphis. You’ve got to be a champion for your program too, especially at places like Memphis and Houston.”
Memphis lost for the first time in 15 games last week, falling 45-20 to Navy. Fuente is now 25-21 in four seasons with the Tigers.
“It is a reminder of how fragile those things are and how close the line is,” he said of last weekend’s loss. “There is a difference between winning a close game and losing by twenty. I think our guys understand that and I think they are going to do a good job preparing for Houston. I do not think their mindset is going to be an issue. We should be able to focus and get rid of that bad feeling the team has after losing.”
Fuente’s Tigers are 6.5-point underdogs in the game.
“I do not know if it is tough for me to turn the page. I pride myself on doing a pretty good job of that whether we win or lose,” Fuente said. “I do not like the fact we did not win. It bothers me. But as far as getting ready for the next game, I have been in this business long enough and if you dwell on whatever happened in the past, good or bad, it is going to bite you. It does not mean you do not learn from it. You take teaching points out of it and then you move forward.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 4:28 PM.