The Listerine Bowl: It’s Not Bucknell

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The late great Arthur Ashe once said it best: “You are only as good as your last game.”

I don’t know if Ashe said it first, but some versions of it have been quoted by players and coaches since and I have not found anyone who said it before Ashe.

The last game Temple football played was a 56-27 loss to Duke in the Independence Bowl. That was not Temple football by any means for a number of reasons and left a lingering feeling of bad breath on the mouths of anyone who cares anything about the program.

It’s like having that taste and not being able to find a bottle of Listerine in any store and living with it. The Owls do not play football again until August against Bucknell but does anyone really believe knocking the snot out of the Bison will do anything to eliminate the memory of Duke?

I certainly don’t and you can make that reason No. 1,267 why playing Bucknell is a bad idea for Temple and, really, playing any FCS opponent is a bad idea for a league trying to establish a football identity like the AAC. Temple probably should have scheduled a P5 road game for its opener, but that’s a debate for a different day.

Moving back to the Temple aspect of this argument, that’s why it’ll be a long time to wash out the taste of Duke. Maybe three weeks later.

You can talk “take-this-one-game-at-a-time” thing all you want but that’s for the coaches and the players.

For the fans, it’s different and should be.

That’s why Temple fans have to circle Sept. 14, 2019 on their calendar. A fired-up Maryland team comes to town to try to take revenge on the Owls for suffering a 35-14 embarrassment. Beat a Big 10 team in consecutive seasons and that will show me something. Remember the last time Maryland came to town it was fired up to win after a 38-7 loss to Temple in 2011 (one of the Terps said “we took last year personal”) and beat the Owls, 36-27. So beating a P5 team in revenge mode and we will finally be able to get the taste of Duke out of our mouths.

It was a particularly bitter pill to swallow because Duke’s best player, the highest-rated NFL prospect on both teams, decided to play with his brothers one last time and the two highest-rated Temple players said “nah, I’m good” and were seen more than once laughing on the sidelines as their brothers got pounded.

Not a good look to take into the offseason.

Now, Temple goes forward at full strength and should be back to the Temple football we all know and love by mid-September.

At least that should be the plan.

Listerine shots for all in the post-game tailgate.

Sunday: A Contrast of Styles

Tuesday: The 2020 Draft and Temple

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6 thoughts on “The Listerine Bowl: It’s Not Bucknell

  1. Ga Tech will get smoked in the ACC this year and next…, They had an identity which was difficult to prepare for and unique to the ACC.

    Temple, not long ago, had an identity which was difficult to prepare for and unique to the AAC.

    The start of the 2019 TUFB will be compelling. The start of the Carey era has been meh…,

    The burning question centers around identity. Who will we be?

    • Don’t believe that the Carey era has started yet. It is only when the games begin does a coaching era commence because it’s wins and losses that define an era. I agree with you about the uniqueness of the offense Rhule and Addazio ran and have stated that many times previously.

  2. If those 2 TU guys had played, would it have made up the difference of the 4 TD loss to Duke? Somehow I don’t think so. It was the crappy coaching dabacle of the staff being torn apart (again) and poor game-day coaching. Obviously the D was horrendous – somehow any remnants of “mayhem” dissapated into thin air. Thanks so much Collins on so many levels. Damn I hope we kick GT’s ass!

    • 27-14 lead we go to rock to close it out with a steady diet of runs. Armstead has that kind of talent. We had nobody in the run game that matches that. No way Jones sees the ball enough to put up 28 points let alone 57. No way of proving that theory now.

  3. I agree we should not be playing fcs teams like Bucknell. Perhaps a few can make the argument they are a regional school ( I don’t buy it) with that said, why are we playing FCS Idaho in 2020? Even the worst reached arguments can not justify that game on the schedule.

    • Look, your mind is made up on the Temple guys who didn’t play, your opinion and you’re entitled to it; but don’t paint Jones to be some selfless soldier. He played because he needed to put more tape out against a defense with some pro talent. If he doesn’t put up a stinker in the reg season finale against Wake, he wouldn’t have played against Temple.

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