Dirk Koetter received a significant pay raise and extension in 2006 following a disappointing 4-4 record in Pac-10 play and serious problems off the field. John Dougherty of the Phoenix New Times opined that Arizona State University should "Fire HIM!"

Dirk Koetter Fired!

November 26, 2006
The Arizona Republic is reporting that Dirk Koetter has been fired. The decision apparently was made by Lisa Love prior to the Sun Devils victory over the Wildcats. A formal announcement is expected to be made tonight at 7:30pm. Thumbs up to Lisa Love for making the right choice. Thumbs down to Lisa Love for giving him an enormous contract extension last season. You have some explaining to do.

November 19, 2006
If there's any positive to take from the UCLA game, it's that the 24-12 loss probably guarantees a search committee will be working full throttle by Monday to select Koetter's replacement. The offense put together another lackluster game, failing to score a single touchdown (in spite of making four trips into the red zone) and ruining a solid defensive performance.

Koetter continues to place the blame on his "young" wide receivers and the lack of an offensive weapon. Before the season, he was so confident in the abilities of Terry Richardson (Sr.), Jamaal Lewis (Sr.), Zach Miller (Jr.) and the rest of the receivers that he moved Rudy Burgess to defense. That move hasn't paid off.

The only speed Jamaal Lewis has demonstrated this season was on the 101 freeway in Scottsdale. He might as well be suspended for every game. Richardson can't run a solid route to save his life. Miller, unfortunately, is the victim of Rudy Carpenter's poor accuracy. But what does all of this say about Koetter's decision to take Burgess, a speedy and versatile player, and move him to defense? It's pretty disingenuous for Koetter to say the problem with Carpenter is that he doesn't have any offensive weapons.

So let the search for a new coach begin.

November 18, 2006
Mike Stoops has won more games against ranked opponents in three years at UofA than Dirk has won in six years at ASU (thanks to Steve for pointing this out). Stoops is on the verge of adding another impressive win to his resume, leading Oregon 37-10 with about 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Oregon pounded ASU earlier in the season, handing the Sun Devils a 48-13 loss in Tempe.

November 8, 2006
ASU started the season with dreams of being #1. Billboards proudly proclaimed "SUN DEVIL LAW #1—Wx13 = National Championship." Although we go into this week's game against Washington State with only a 5-4 record, and most likely won't reach those dreams of a national championship game, we are #1 in an important statistical category that undoubtedly makes Dirk Koetter giddy. ASU presently leads all of NCAA Division I-A with 82 penalties on the season. Keep up the great work and bring home this title, Dirk.

November 6, 2006
On October 8th, I called out Jamaal Lewis for his abysmal effort and performance this season. Jamaal Lewis previously had put himself out on a limb in the Keller-Carpenter fiasco. It seems his off-field problems have again caught up to him. Dirk Koetter hasn't publicly revealed his reasons for suspending Lewis indefinitely, but one has to wonder whether his late nights at Suede had something to do with it. Dirk Koetter put his neck out on the line this season for Rudy Carpenter, Rudy Carpenter's dad, and Jamaal Lewis. Smart move, Dirk.

On the field, the news isn't any better. Dirk Koetter added another Pac-10 loss to his already impressive record, getting pummeled 44-10 by Oregon State. Oregon State is the same team that got embarrassed by Boise State, 42-14, earlier in the season. Boise State's best football days came after Koetter's departure. Here's hoping the trend continues once Lisa Love sacks up and fires him.

I can't end this update without commenting on the masterful performance of Rudy Carpenter in Saturday's loss. Rudy and his dad must be relieved this game wasn't on TV, as Rudy Carpenter went 9 for 27, 124 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs. He also lost 23 yards on 4 sacks before he was introduced to the bench.

Thanks to all of you who continue to send e-mails to info@benchkoetter.com. The overwhelming majority of them are supportive, and I expect to anonymously post many of those e-mails to this site in the near future. With any luck, ASU will recognize it's time to put an end to Dirk Koetter's embarrassing tenure.

If you haven't done so already, check out www.firedirkkoetter.com.

October 8, 2006
JAMAAL LEWIS—What Happened to You?
I know there were off-field problems that led to your suspension for the first two games of the season, but you've been virtually absent in the three games since your return. Can we credit your play this season to karma? Or have the late nights at Suede affected your numbers?

September 30, 2006
ASU LAW #23—NOT IN OUR HOUSE!
Rudy Carpenter looked impressive against Oregon, passing for 33 yards on 6 of 19 , 0 TD, 1 INT in today's 48-13 loss. Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon had more passing yards in Oregon's first drive (34) than Carpenter had in the entire game (33). Carpenter looked terrible in the pocket, making bad throws, poor reads, and being sacked 6 times. When you subtract yards lost on sacks from his passing yards, Rudy Carpenter finished the game with 8 yards passing.

Not only is Dirk Koetter not the "offensive genius" the media proclaims him to be, but he lacks any ability to motivate his players in big games. His Pac-10 record at ASU is now 17-25, and he stands at 2-18 against ranked teams.

In the first big game of the season, ASU was thoroughly embarrassed by California. Dirk Koetter and his Sun Devils followed this up with an embarrassing performance to Oregon.

Lisa Love must hear the footsteps behind her, as she undoubtedly will be the first to fall for inexplicably and unnecessarily extending Koetter's contract until 2010, making it practically impossible to fire him now, or for several years to come. She has singularly impaired the ASU football program for many years—even beyond 2010. Current failures in the football program will haunt ASU for years. She foolishly extended ASU's football mediocrity into the indefinite future.

September 23, 2006
Dirk Koetter continued his impressive streak in California, improving to 0-11 in Pac-10 games against California schools since joining ASU in 2001. Rudy Carpenter scorched the California defense for 177 yards on 16-36 passing, with 2 TDs, 4 INTs (2 of those INTs returned for TDs), and 3 fumbles (1 lost). Carpenter accounted for all 5 of the team's turnovers. It was a team effort for ASU, as the team stuck it to Cal and held the Golden Bears to only 42 first-half points.

Dirk Koetter is now 2-17 at ASU when playing against ranked teams.

August 20, 2006
On Friday, August 18th, ASU head football coach Dirk Koetter named senior Sam Keller starting quarterback after a lengthy battle between Keller and sophomore Rudy Carpenter. Two days later, Koetter suddenly changed course and announced that Carpenter would be promoted to the starting position. In doing so, Koetter is turning his back on a quarterback who performed spectacularly prior to injuring his thumb.

In Keller's first start at ASU, he was named Sun Bowl MVP after completing 25 of 45 passes for 370 yards and 3 TDs. He built on this strong performance in 2005, with big games against LSU (35-56, 461 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs), Northwestern (20-31, 409 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs), and Oregon State (19-36, 365 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs). Had Koetter been able to put together a defense, Keller would have led ASU to a victory against USC after the team jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead.

Carpenter's impressive numbers came in starts against powerhouses Washington (1-7, Pac-10), Washington State (1-7, Pac-10), UCLA (6-2, Pac-10), Arizona (2-6, Pac-10), and Rutgers (4-3, Big East).

Keller presently is considering leaving the team as a result of Koetter's poor handling of this decision, and cannot be blamed for wanting to cut ties with a coach who has humiliated him.

Koetter holds a dismal 17-23 record (0.425) in the Pac-10, arguably making him the worst head coach in ASU history. His 0.425 Pac-10 winning percentage earns him last place, edging out Larry Marmie's mark of 12-16-1 (0.428). Koetter and Marmie are the only ASU coaches to have a losing record in Pac-10 play since ASU joined the conference.

In spite of Koetter's problems on the field, Lisa Love, ASU Vice President of Athletics, has opened ASU's checkbook to keep Koetter in Tempe for the foreseeable future. Following the 2005 season, Lisa Love raised Koetter's annual pay to $950,000 and provided him an extension through 2010.

Dirk Koetter has consistently made bad decisions at ASU, both on and off the football field. It is time for ASU to fire Koetter and take the program in a new direction.

This site is still under development. Those ASU fans who wish to comment on Dirk Koetter are encouraged to send an e-mail to info@benchkoetter.com. I hope to have more substantial content in the future.