FORT WORTH, Texas _ When a football coach gets a new job, it is not unusual for his desk to be cleaned out quickly before boarding the next flight out of town.
San Diego State special teams coordinator Bobby Hauck was hired Dec. 1 as head football coach at Montana, and Hauck has been working two jobs ever since.
It was important to Hauck to finish the season with the Aztecs _ joining them in Saturday afternoon's Armed Forces Bowl against Army _ and SDSU head coach Rocky Long was happy to oblige.
"Coach wants to win this bowl game and I felt obligated to help if he would let me do it," Hauck said. "He was all for that, which I was grateful for that.
"And I like this group of players and coaches, so the chance to go out right, coach one more game with them and have some fun doing it was invaluable."
Hauck's presence has been invaluable the past three years for SDSU's special teams, which have led the nation in kickoff returns for a touchdown (nine). Both Rashaad Penny and Juwan Washington have kickoff return TDs this season, making SDSU and Kansas State the only FBS teams with two different players who have done so.
That is the most visible result of what Hauck's special teams have done, but it is the focus he brings to the area that has produced the results.
Hauck is returning to his roots in Montana. He was born there, graduated from the university and coached the Grizzlies to an 80-17 record from 2003-09 in a previous stint as head coach.
Finishing up things with SDSU while getting things started in Montana has been complicated the past three weeks by the NCAA's new early signing period. The Grizzlies signed 15 players on Wednesday when the signing period opened.
"The recruiting part has been fast-paced," Hauck said. "You can get flights out of here and there are some kids in Southern California to see, so I've been getting ready for practice, doing practice here and then getting to homes (of recruits) at night."
None of the recruits who signed with the Grizzlies were players who had been targeted by SDSU.
There is the possibility of one or two members of SDSU's coaching staff following Hauck to Montana, however. Salaries for the FCS school are lower than those in similar positions at SDSU, so any coach who leaves would likely do so to boost his career trajectory rather than his financial situation.
Hauck retained several members of the current Montana staff. He said interviewing any SDSU assistants will not be done until the season is over.
"We're going to wait until after the bowl game and then talk," Hauck said. "I haven't talked to any of them and that's out of respect (to Long). We've been focused and want to win this game."
