T minus 1 week: Are you ready for some BOWL football?


I want to see a crowd this big at RFK Tuesday night, wearing all Cherry and White.


Free tickets

ESPN’s Harry Mayes (left) will give away free trips (transportation and tickets) to the Eagle Bank Bowl. Listen at 12:45 and call in to 97.5 The Fan
Tuesday and Wednesday

By Mike Gibson

I had to laugh when I read in the Atlantic City Press this week that “this UCLA team might be better than the Cal team Temple faced in the Garden State Bowl.”
It was written by someone who did nothing to support her claim other than throw that opinion out there.
I wondered if she was going to use one fact to back it up but, instead, she went onto the next random baseless thought.
First of all, I respect this UCLA team.
I’ve read up on this UCLA team.
To paraphrase Lloyd Bensten, I knew Cal 1979 and you, UCLA 2009, are no Cal 1979.
This UCLA team is good, but the Cal team the Owls beat in the Garden State Bowl was better.
That Cal team was 25 points away from being unbeaten prior to facing Temple.
That’s not many points.
This UCLA team is 83 points away from an unbeaten season.
That Cal team beat three teams with six or more wins.
That Cal team lost to then No. 1 USC (and eventual Rose Bowl champ) by just 10 points.
This UCLA team while good, doesn’t have those kinds of credentials.
Still, this is a huge challenge for the Owls and the best team they will face since the Penn State game. That didn’t go well because the Owls got atrocious quarterback play in that game. Other than Vaughn Charlton hitting James Nixon in the hands for what should have been a 70-yard touchdown, they got no (zero, nada) plays from the quaterback position in that game. Heck, even against Eastern Michigan (Eastern Michigan, for cripes sake) they were 1 for 9 on third downs. That all comes back to the quarterback position and making plays.
You’ve got to get more from your quarterback to win games against a quality team.
I think these Owls will have to get exceptional quarterback play to beat this team.

Cal Bears 1979
9/8 @ *Arizona State (6-6) W 17 9
9/15 @ *Arizona (6-5-1) W 10 7
9/22 vs. San Jose State (6-4-1) W 13 10
9/29 vs. Michigan (8-4) L 10 14
10/6 @ *Oregon (6-5) L 14 19
10/13 vs. *Oregon State (1-10) W 45 0
10/20 @ *UCLA (5-6) L 27 28
10/27 vs. *Southern California (11-0-1) L 14 24
11/3 vs. *Washington (9-3) L 24 28
11/10 @ *Washington State (3-8) W 45 13
11/17 @ *Stanford (5-5-1) W 21 14
12/15 vs. Temple (10-2) L 17 28 @ East Rutherford, NJ Garden State Bowl
6-6-0
UCLA Bruins 2009
Sep. 5 San Diego St. W 33-14
Sep. 12 at Tennessee W 19-15
Sep. 19 Kansas State W 23-9
Oct. 3 at Stanford L 16-24
Oct. 10 Oregon L 10-24
Oct. 17 California L 26-45
Oct. 24 at Arizona L 13-27
Oct. 31 at Oregon State L 19-26
Nov. 7 Washington W 24-23
Nov. 14 at Wash. St. W 43-7
Nov. 21 Arizona State W 23-13
Nov. 28 at USC L 7-28
Dec. 29 vs. Temple 4:30pm

They have before.

I think Chester Stewart gave them exceptional quarterback play in the Akron game when he and Bernard Pierce helped put up 56 points.
Stewart’s handoffs established Pierce as a big-time threat, then he played off the fear of Pierce with play-action passes all over the field to Temple’s other playmakers.
Make no mistake about it.
Temple’s got other playmakers.
James Nixon. Joey Jones. Jason Harper. Evan Rodriguez. Steve Manieri. Michael Campbell. Delano Green.
All these guys (with the possible exception of Manieri, sorry Steve) can do special things with the ball after the catch if the Owls are able to complete the intermediate and long passes.
They’ll need something like that. Not the 56 points, but that kind of QB play to win this game. Spread the ball around and hit the play-action passes. Keep moving the ball around the field, not just relying on Pierce. Don’t use Pierce on the first two downs and put yourself in situations where everybody in the stadium knows you are going to throw the ball on third.
These are simple, basic football idioms that offensive coordinator Matt Rhule proved he could master at Akron.
The Akron game gave Rhule a workable template of an offensive game plan. The Owls used it effectively in a 47-13 win over Kent State, but were forced away from it when Pierce got injured.
I’d like to see Rhule go back with the very same game plan he used against Akron. By establishing Pierce, then spreading the ball around, you make Pierce that much more effective when you go back to him.
But to say this UCLA team is or “might be” better than that California team is pulling something out of your backside that has no resemblance to the facts.
That Cal team had six wins.
This UCLA team has six wins.
That Temple team had nine wins.
This Temple team has nine wins.
The similarities with this game and that one ends right there.
The opportunity for Temple to gain respect nationally with a win on the field and a good showing in the stands is the same and that’s important enough.

One thought on “T minus 1 week: Are you ready for some BOWL football?

  1. Why is this USC fan on a Temple blog? Well I'm an alum of USC and tomorrow with my two young boys we are going to the game dressed in our Cardinal & Gold rooting for the Temple Owls to destroy the Ruins of the PX conference. We were also at the USC-UCLA game on 11/28 and here is our quick take on the RuinsOffense > QB's stink; can't pass worth a lick; receivers are no better than serviceable at best; running game has Moline as the bruising back but no speed and another kid (forget the name) who's a lot quicker but puts the ball on the ground a bit and he did just that in the Colesium. Their OL is probably in the bottom 1/3rd of the PX conference. Defense > This is a good defensive team especially the front 7; Brian Price is one of the best DL in the country; stop him and your doing well but good luck with that; Reggie Carter; although a head case is a very good athletic LB; their back four is nothing special but the front 7 makes them look a lot better than they are as the front 7 get a lot of pressure and the backers play good coverage. ST > they have one heck of a kicker so beware of that in a close game; punting wise the P is supposed to be good but he was horrific against us. Coaching > You all know about the weasel Rick Neuheisal but Norm Chow the OC won two MNC's at USC and then went to the Titans in a rift with Pete Carroll and went to U-G-L-Y when the weasel was brought on board; He's a great oc but he hasn't done a thing with the UCLA's QB who ALL stink; defensively that staff is doing something right as they do have a good amount of talent and use it to get the best out of their abilitiesFans.. if you find any in the stadium; odds are they are jack asses.. at least the ones we always run into in So cal areWhy are we going to this game besides to root for Temple? Well, as you are well aware USC had a miserable year and went to the Emerald bowl where they Beat BC 24-13 Sunday evening.. and it just wasn't cost efficient to make the trip.. so this is our bowl gameGo Owls

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