Sherrill under fire at State

By By Tony Krausz / assistants sports editor
Oct. 1, 2003
STARKVILLE Mired in a nine-game losing streak, dating back to last season, Jackie Sherrill is hearing the calls to end his tenure with Mississippi State University.
In his 13th season with the program, Sherrill has watched his team get off to MSU's worst start since 1968. The 41-6 thrashing at the hands of LSU last Saturday gave the Bulldogs a 0-4 record.
As MSU continues to spiral downwards, fans have began expressing their displeasure with the winningest coach in school history.
One fan held up a sign that read "Eliminate Sherrill's Paycheck Now," during the ESPN2 televised game against LSU, and the firejackiesherrill.com Web site is up and running.
The embattled coach also knows he has supporters at the university and inside the Bulldogs' fan base.
Sherrill is fourth among active Division I-A coaches in victories (178), and he led MSU to three straight bowl games from 1998-2000.
With each loss that piles up, Sherrill is peppered with questions about his plans for the future.
When pressed about possibly resigning during the season or if he thought he would return next year, Sherrill declined to answer.
That's a no-win question,'' said the 25-year veteran head coach, who also had stints at Texas A&M and Pittsburgh.
Sherrill's future is a question that will have to addressed eventually.
He is under contract through 2004, but the team has only won six of its last 27 games.
The loss to LSU was the program's most lopsided this season, and the Bulldogs have fallen to Tulane, Houston and Oregon by a combined 18 points.
MSU has held only one lead this season, a seven-point advantage over Tulane entering the fourth quarter on Sept. 13. The Green Wave rallied for 17 points to win 31-28.
Sherrill has rebuilt the Bulldogs into contenders before. After a 3-8 in 1995, MSU notched a 38-21 record the following five years.
But as the Bulldogs continue to lose, it looks less likely Sherrill will be able to rebuild for a second time.
Everybody, no matter who you are, would say you'd like to go out on top,'' Sherrill said. Sometimes you don't get to make that choice.''