Should Fresno State coach Pat Hill start getting antsy? Should he be ticked?
At least two opposing coaches in the past three weeks have made NFL references while talking about his star RB Ryan Mathews. (Mathews is the No. 2 rusher in the country with 148 yards per game.)
The Honolulu Advertiser reported the following in today's notes:
"UH associate head coach Rich Miano likens Mathews to LaDainian Tomlinson, a former UH opponent. Actually, because of injuries, Mathews did not play against the Warriors as a freshman and sophomore. "He has everything," Miano said. "He has great vision. He has great speed (sub-4.5 in the 40). He breaks tackles. If he goes out after this year, he's an NFL first-day player. We won't play a better back this year."
Before the Cincinnati game, UC coach Brian Kelly said: "He ranks up with some of the players in the NFL."
Both comments were made while gushing about Mathews' ability, but could they also be subtle nudges of encouragement? Maybe not, but both teams play Fresno State next year, so both could benefit from Mathews' absence.
A short related story: When I was a student journalist covering University of Maryland basketball, I asked Terrapins coach Gary Williams what he would do if he were Georgia Tech player Chris Bosh: stay in school or leave early for the NBA? Williams said he couldn't really answer the question. If he answered "stay in school," he would be in support of facing him several more times. If he responded "leave early," he was encouraging a rival team's player to skip town, essentially hurting a rival program.
I felt I learned a lesson that day: opposing coaches shouldn't comment on whether an opposing player should stay in school or head to the pro level. It's a conflict of interest.
While neither coach in this situation has suggested Mathews should go, the mere mention of the NFL could be a suggestion. Would Hill be sensitive to think this way? Possibly. Would Hill be crazy to feel a little nervous about Mathews returning next year? Not at all.
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