Wisconsin fans have had some rough years under Luke Fickell, but the era they'd love to forget is the Phil Longo era as offensive coordinator. What a mess, and he brought his disaster class to Sam Houston a couple of seasons ago, and he's been terrible there as the head coach. It hasn't been pretty at all.
In his two years as the Bearkats' head coach, he is 3-16. He currently sits on one win this season against Nicholls State, an FCS school. He's lost every other game, and his most recent game was about as embarrassing a performance as you can have. The score itself doesn't do it justice.
If you were just looking at the box score, you'd see 30-24 and think, well, at least the BearKats almost did it. But they really didn't; they were outplayed for the majority of that game, and the final touchdown was a bit of a padded stat.
Mind you, this was a 2-4 New Mexico State team coming in. So, if there's a team to beat, it feels like the Aggies. To make matters worse, there's only one game left on their schedule that ESPN Analytics says they are favored to win: Middle Tennessee at home.
Former Badger OC Phil Longo is on the verge of being fired if he keeps this up at Sam Houston
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That would let the team finish with a 2-10 record. Yikes. And yet, it's not a surprise at all to Wisconsin fans. Longo brought the same absurd plan that failed at Wisconsin to Sam Houston. If it failed at Wisconsin, what made him think it would work at Sam Houston? Who knows, but it hasn't, and it seems it's only getting worse.
Last season, the Bearkats finished with only two wins and are only projected to get the same amount this season. Yet, Phil Longo's Bearkats only have one win so far, and nothing is guaranteed. The New Mexico State Aggies game was one of the games fans thought the Sam Houston team could win. So, Middle Tennessee, which already has four wins, may also beat them, and Longo will go from two wins to one win.
There's also a chance he's fired long before that. Some Sam Houston fans are even hoping it happens this season. However, that feels unlikely, as there are only six days between the New Mexico State game and the next one against Missouri State, with travel to work in. So, it wouldn't be the right time, but who knows what the threshold for patience is down there.
What's his buyout, you ask? Well, we answered this earlier this season, but here is the information again: "According to Ravi Shankar of Pro Football and Sports Network (PFSN), Sam Houston has not publicly disclosed Longo’s buyout in his current contract. However, Longo earns $700,000 this season, with a $25,000 annual raise. Should Longo continue to coach until the end of his contract in August 2029, Longo’s salary will be $775,000."
We will ultimately see, but the struggle for Phil Longo continues long past Wisconsin.
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