Game Week: The Bully in the China Shop

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I’ve been against our great university playing Bucknell in football.

Basketball, yes.

Football, no.

I was against it when it was first announced and urged several times for the university to swap the game out for a more appropriate foe.

squirrel

Yet, the game remained on the schedule and, as one editor of a Temple sports website likes to say, “it is what it is.”

It is the next game on the schedule and it must not only be won but dominated. With all of this talk about bullying in schools today, my school is forced into the role of a bully (by its own administration) and it is not a good look. This has all the makings of a body bag game and we haven’t seen that since eight Rutgers players were carted off the field in a 20-17 loss to Temple in Piscataway (2002). This one doesn’t figure to be anywhere near as competitive as that one was nor should it be. I know a lot of people will be bringing up Villanova but Villanova is able to recruit the kinds of athletes Bucknell is unable to recruit and Temple now, unlike then, has a competent head coach who has no history of losing to FCS teams.

I would enjoy much more a trip to Penn State and the hope for an upset there on Saturday than the knowledge that Temple is going to probably hurt someone pretty bad at home.

What does Temple gain from beating Bucknell, 82-28, in a repeat of the 1966 game? Other than a statue of a boot, nothing.

That, and the fact summer (by far the best of the four seasons IMHO) is over, is the bad news.

bucknell

The good news is that football season is back and that’s not a bad consolation. Seeing our beloved Owls in a rare August game is another bonus. 

If there is any other good news, we will finally get a chance to see Rod Carey’s Temple team hit someone–they still have tackling to the ground in college football, right?–and Owl fans will get to see if there is any rust by the lack of tackling in the spring and summer.

The important thing is getting ready for Maryland in a few weeks and beating Georgia Tech on the way to an AAC title run.

If all of those things happen and the Owls finish unbeaten, playing and beating Bucknell might be worth it but I doubt it.

Friday: Game Day Minus-1

Sunday: Game Analysis and a return to the three-post weekly schedule

 

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15 thoughts on “Game Week: The Bully in the China Shop

  1. I remember reading about that game in the Inky. I lived far from Philly then. I seem to remember a headline, something like, “Temple Runs Wild, beats Bucknell 82-28. We beat them again the next season in a much closer game, and I think that was the end of a very long series until this year. I totally agree with you that this game should not have been scheduled, a real head scratching decision. I would much rather we had a another game against Villanova, a real grudge match. This one will be like a live scrimmage. I am going to the game since I do recall many years past, watching those big kids from mining country sock it to us.

  2. Both teams would be better off making believe they played instead of actually doing it. that way neither team suffers injuries and BU gets paid. The Owls have to play another worthless game when they play Idaho,

    • Don’t understand why Kraft is so stubborn keeping these contracts with teams like stony brook, bucknell and Idaho. They can easily be bought out and temple can make more money on the back end.

  3. It’s not only Temple, but almost every team in the AAC plays a tuneup game during the season.
    Memphis, who are back to back AAC West champs, play both Southern University and South Alabama ,in the first three weeks of the season .
    Penn State also plays two tuneup games , i nthe first three weeks of the season.

    • I’m all for the end of tuneup games in a league that is trying to become a power one. Tuneup games are Ok if u are the sec. Gotta schedule and beat p5 teams on the regular. It’s hard to do but greatness is never easy. Greatness should quit playing the bucknells of the world, though

  4. A few surprises on the first depth chart. Is Kwenko injured?

  5. Number 9 ??? Hi Mike, Ernie here saying hello to ‘ youze guy’s and the new football season. The Nbr 9 is not assigned on the Roster as I see it today. I wonder if coach will give that nbr (9) ou) per each game as a reward weekly ?
    Maybe it goes to QB … just guessing here.
    Single digit is a good and interesting thing to do. Beats the $ Money Down BS.

  6. I’m watching Clemson GT and as expected, Patenfraud and Geoff are running that stupid naked backfield offense and getting his qb killed.

    • Unreal how bad he is. 4th and 1 on the plus side, shotgun. Turnover on downs.

      4 shots from the plus 1. Shotgun 3 times. Pick in EZ on 4th.

      He is brutally awful.

  7. Cinncy’s showing why they’ve been picked to win the conference. They have road clearing linemen and a great back in Warren who schooled TU last season.

    • They just lucked out via replay. They have been trying to give UCLA a chance here in the last few minutes.

      • Yeah, I heard the whistle “after” the UCLA guy picked up the ball. Clearly, but with the pile of bodies and inconclusive angles, they could not overturn it. Looked to me like the ball came out of Warren’s hand just before it hit the ground. Home cooking. I wish we had a stadium like that.

  8. I just wished we had a stadium…..,

    Tulane, Cincy, and UCF all looked great in home openers.

    All three teams clearly have it going on.., great stadiums, fans, back to back top ranked recruiting classes, etc., etc.,

    We need to destroy Bucknell. Go Owls

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