By Mike Gibson
In about six weeks, Al Golden will be on the job as Temple University’s head football coach for a year.
In the time since Dec. 6, Golden has said and done all the right things.
He’s talked about changing the culture of losing, about pounding that rock until it cracks, about even coaching the pre-game warmups.
In less than two months, he’s recruited the top incoming football class in the MAC.
All signs so far that this current class, which includes North Catholic superstar Daryl Robinson, will be off the charts as far as recent MAC recruiting classes go.
Now Robinson is recruiting fellow Philadelphia superstars for the Owls.
All good signs.
At some point, though, Al Golden is going to have to do what he’s been brought in to do:
Win games.
This would be as good a week to start as any against a Bowling Green team that scored 70 points _ twice _ against recent Bobby Wallace teams.
If fact, anything less than a win against Bowling Green is unacceptable.
Consecutive 62-0 losses to Louisville and Minnesota were eye-openers, especially in light of North Dakota State’s ability to take Minnesota into overtime.
North …. FREAKING … Dakota … FREAKING … State.
Giving up 63 points to Clemson was another stomach-turner.
Yet a 28-17 loss to Kent seemed to show some progress because the Owls were toe-to-toe for the most part with one of the MAC’s best teams.
Bowling Green, on the other hand, lost to Kent, 38-3.

Bowling Green, like the Owls, took Buffalo to overtime.
The Owls, unlike Bowling Green, were short six key players in the loss at Buffalo, while Bowling Green did not have equivalent personnel shortages in an overtime win over Buffalo.
The Owls are back at full strength for the first time all season.
That SHOULD be bad news for Bowling Green.
It’s up to Al Golden and his staff to deliver that news.
At some point, you’ve got to win.
At some point, you’ve got to stop dropping third-down passes.

At some point, you’ve got to put your best talent in position to win the game for you. One way would be using Tim Brown on punt returns, too, giving him the space to do what he does best.
At some point, you’ve got to stop receivers from running free through your secondary like roaches in a ghetto kitchen.
It’s up to Al to formulate a game plan to win this week against Bowling Green.
A bold game plan, much like the one against Kent State.
Two tight ends, power-I, use Tim Brown’s talents to move the chains and shorten the game. Use Brown’s running ability to set up Adam DiMichele play-action passes to Travis Shelton and Mike Holley downfield.
On defense, Mark D’Onofrio has to come up with a gambling-style game plan that utilizes the Owls’ strength _ their front seven _ and protects the weak back four.
Blitzes, particularly from the blind side, and up the middle to create protection problems for the Bowling Green quarterback.
The best defense is putting the other guy’s quarterback on his ass _ or, as Jim Rome says, his ARSE _ and it’s high time the Owls adopt that philosophy as the core of their defensive approach.
Use the speed of the young linebackers to smack the quarterback around and, hopefully, come up with the ball a time or two.
Philly-style football. Only a win would open eyes in a cynical and skeptical Philadelphia.
At some point, Al, you’ve got to win.
This week, in front of a Homecoming Day crowd, would be an acceptable place to start.