We never thought we'd type anything putting John Mackovic and Dirk Koetter in the same sentence, but the last time we remember anything close to a player revolt against a sitting coach came when the robot known as John Mackovic lost complete control of his Arizona squad in 2003.
The thorny individualism of the American West must be to blame, since Arizona State allegedly had a player revolt of its own this past weekend. Sam Keller, who had originally been named the starter at qb by coach Dirk Koetter, has now been excused from practice for two days as he "explores his options." According to two sources close to the uni, that means leaving the program altogether. Rudy Carpenter will start at qb.
The situation came to a crux in a player meeting between Koetter and his players after he named Keller as starter. "I screwed up," was the quote Koetter gave reporters after Keller's announcement.
Read more about it here courtesy of the East Valley Tribune, which beat the big boys to the story in lightning fashion.
Cacti... apparently bad for team chemistry.