A matter of days ago, Ralph Friedgen's job seemed fairly secure, as far as the fans went. A solid 38% of you, fairly easily the majority of the bunch, felt that Friedgen had saved his job. Another 26% wanted only six wins, a distinct possibility with at least five more games to be played on the year. And Friedgen, who was a Nick Ferrara field goal away from being fired last year, looked safe.
But that might not be the case anymore after Maryland's last-minute loss to Miami. It's not that Maryland lost; it's the way they did it. The Terrapins gave up over 500 yards to a team missing its starting QB and RB. A third of their points came on the feet and hands of middle linebacker Alex Wujciak. They struggled to sustain drives and couldn't get TDs in the red zone. The biggest negative factor in the game came not from the players making mistakes, but instead from a variety of head-scratching coaching decisions, from a weird QB substitution policy to some strange conservative playcalling to below-average clock management. (Of course, it always goes back to the coaches regardless, but that's another matter).
Again, it wasn't a game that Maryland deserved to win, but had the coaching been better - particularly when it comes to subbing in Robinson and the playcalling - Maryland might escape with a chase-altering victory. Instead, they're still scrapping it out with N.C. State, FSU and, heck, even Clemson in the ACC Atlantic race.
Just here is a surprise, but as I feel obligated to remind everyone that Maryland's six wins came against an FCS team and FBS teams with a combined record of 15-20. Maryland hasn't played a ranked opponent all year and has lost in their only three games against truly good teams.
I definitely don't want this to turn into a weekly thing, and it won't be (if Maryland beats UVA, then nothing changes; if they lose, well, Maryland's staring down the barrel at four consecutive losses to end the year). But the question needs to be asked: did the performance of the coaching staff and team in general lower, in your mind, the job security of Ralph Friedge and James Franklin compared to whatever it was before the game? Essentially, would you answer the poll question of a week ago (linked above, and here) differently now than you did then?
Both "yes" and "no" are perfectly acceptable answers. Heck, even I'm taking the "no" side on this one (but then again, it was already low for me). But feel free (or please) justify your answer as we wait for basketball to arrive.