Holt struggles to adjust from winner to loser

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — A year ago, Nick Holt was helping coach Southern Cal to a share of the national football championship.

Now he is the head coach at Idaho, coping with big losses, the slaying of one of his starters and a threat to drop the program back to Division 1-AA.

For Holt, 42, it has been a journey from football royalty to the ranks of the football challenged, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

”I've been preparing myself for this opportunity,” the former linebacker at Pacific said. ”There's a lot more responsibility, a lot more to worry about.”

Chief among his worries is Idaho's record — 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the Sun Belt Conference — heading into Saturday's game against Louisiana-Lafayette (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt). In Holt's three seasons as linebackers coach at Southern Cal, the Trojans lost just nine times. He could reach that total this year.

Holt was hired after the once-proud Vandals program went 11-35 under Tom Cable.

He was handed a big rebuilding job. The Vandals have been outscored 233-91 so far, and are playing 17 true freshman, highest total in the nation.

”I think we are making good progress,” Holt said. ”Everything that could have gone negatively has gone wrong. We are overcoming everything.”

Asked to describe Holt, junior quarterback Mike Harrington noted that he was a linebacker in college and is now a head coach.

”That's two intense pieces of the puzzle,” Harrington said. ”He's an intense guy.”

Harrington had his best game in Idaho's sole win, 45-41, at Eastern Michigan. That game was witnessed by his brother, Joey, quarterback for the Detroit Lions.

”That was my first win as a starter and coach Holt's first win as head coach,” Harrington said. ”It was awesome.”

Safety Simon Stewart said Holt has brought a new intensity to the Vandals, particularly in practice. The fast-paced two-hour practices leave players exhausted, but they are more upbeat than in the past, said Stewart, a senior.

”He's going to turn it around,” Stewart said.

The state's flagship university, Idaho has been overshadowed in recent years by the rise to national power of archrival Boise State. The Broncos pasted the Vandals 65-7 in the season opener.

But that was far from the season's low point.

The night after a 49-8 loss to Washington State on Sept. 18, starting cornerback Eric McMillan was shot to death in his apartment. Two Seattle brothers have been arrested, but no motive has been established.

”You never think you will have tragedies like we have had in the first year,” Holt said.

The players have maintained McMillan's locker and many have tattoos with his number.

”Time is the best healer,” he said. ”They are comforted knowing Eric is with them.”

But the investigation and court case remains a constant distraction.

”They have been subpoenaing a lot of people,” said Stewart, one of McMillan's best friends on the team. Police ”are at practice all the time.”

The weekend after the shooting, the Vandals lost 48-10 at Oregon.

They rebounded to beat Eastern Michigan before losing 16-14 last week to Louisiana-Monroe.

That loss was described by Holt as ”the worst football I've ever seen. Ever.”

A few days later he was more upbeat.

”We could easily be 3-3 and we are not,” Holt said. ”We could be 2-0 in conference and we are not.”

Holt insists he does not regret leaving Southern Cal, which remains undefeated and ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25.

”The only thing I miss about USC is the coaches and players and great, great, great boosters they have,” Holt said.

”I never try to go backwards. Never,” Holt added. ”I enjoy being a head coach.”

Holt was hired at Idaho in part because of his long ties to the program. He spent 1990-97 in Moscow as assistant under John L. Smith and Chris Tormey. His wife, Julie, was women's basketball coach at Idaho for four seasons. She is now raising the couple's two children and has no plans to resume her coaching career, Holt said.

He believes good things are on the horizon for the Vandals.

Next year they move to the Western Athletic Conference, a league that makes more geographic sense than the far-flung Sun Belt.

The move to Division 1-A has been tough for the Vandals, who are located in a remote town of about 20,000 people. They struggle to draw enough fans to meet I-A requirements, schedule numerous road games against tough opponents to pay the bills, and face constant criticism from university staff and alumni over the costs.

Recently, an advisory panel voiced concerns about the financial burden the higher division puts on the financially troubled school and brought up the idea of dropping to Division I-AA to save money. But UI President Tim White reaffirmed the school's commitment to Division 1-A.

Idaho recently opened a new weight room and will have new locker rooms in another month. He would also like to see the 16,000-seat Kibbie Dome, a drab aircraft-hanger of a stadium, replaced with a new 30,000-seat stadium.

”Then it's a great job,” Holt said.