Game Day: How Important is beating Buffalo?

When the time comes to say something meaningful at one of those post-game press conferences, Rod Carey seized the moment last week.

“It was a great win, but it wasn’t one-and-a-half wins,” Carey said.

That right there was the best quote of not only this season but the best quote of the last three seasons from a Temple head coach. Geoff Collins made a practice of saying words in those press conferences that really meant nothing.

Screenshot 2019-09-19 at 11.02.51 PM

Early games today …

Carey hit the nail on the head.

You have 12 regular-season football games and every single one means just as much as the last one or the next one.

The next one is this afternoon at Buffalo (3:30, ESPNU) and, as satisfying as the last one was over Maryland, it means the same as that one or next week’s one against visiting Georgia Tech.

In college football, they like to talk about “trap games” but, in a 12-game season, there should be none of those. The players work too hard the other 353 days of the year to throw one of a dozen away and Carey’s no-nonsense approach should serve Temple well.

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Nighttime TV lineup

Temple received seven points in the latest Top 25 poll and, if it beats Buffalo, it should receive more next week. That’s the way this thing should work although it didn’t work that way in the preseason poll. In that one, the Owls received two coaches votes and then beat Bucknell, 56-12. In the next one, they received zero coaches votes.

Huh?

A 56-12 win dropped them in the eyes of pollsters? Should they have beaten Bucknell 79-0?

That’s what it seems like.

Beating Maryland got people’s attention, especially after the Terps beat Syracuse, 63-20, the week prior. No one knows what the score will be but how impressive from a national standpoint would it be if Temple was able to beat Buffalo by the same 45-13 score Penn State beat it by three weeks ago? Then, how far does Temple rise in the national polls with that victory piggybacked on a weekend where Maryland beats Penn State and Temple beats Georgia Tech?

Those dominoes have to start falling this afternoon, though.

Today, Buffalo is all about keeping people’s attention and that’s why the Owls have to play with the same fierceness and tenacity on the road that they did a week ago at home.

Survive and advance. A win today is as important as a win last week, not half as good or twice as good.

This Carey guy seems to say some pretty astute things. Hopefully, the kids are listening.

Picks: Iowa State laying the 19 against visiting Louisiana Monroe, Indiana laying the 27 against visiting UConn, Old Dominion getting 30 at Virginia, Wisconsin laying the 3.5 at Michigan, SMU getting the 9.5 against visiting TCU. Record last week: 3-3 overall, 1-5 against the spread (also the season record).

Tomorrow: Game Analysis

 

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20 thoughts on “Game Day: How Important is beating Buffalo?

  1. I think that if TU and UCF can remain undefeated up to their game, it could be a Game Day game. ESPN always mentions the league and especially UCF. It could be the result of the contract the league signed with ESPN or it could be that they honestly believe UCF belongs in the playoffs if they run the table. Either way, it’s good for the league.

  2. I’m really liking the fact that Carey seems uninterested in being a celebrity. He just wants to coach football. A refreshing change from the schtick of Collins.

    • on the other hand, it would be nice if he did live engagements w/local media to promote the brand to help put more butts in the seats

      philly culture would embrace his frankness and blue-collar joe mannerism

  3. To answer the question in today’s title:
    Buffalo means everything.
    Losing to buffalo negates beating Maryland and would negate even a conference championship in the eyes of philly fans.

  4. Buffalo is playing the way MR Temple teams played. Run the ball, control the clock, dominate special teams, protect the football, and get off the field on defense.

  5. Guys all of a sudden can’t catch.

  6. Stop telling me how good Russo is. Just stop.

  7. Team got caught looking back at last week’s game and forward to next week’s game. Six dropped passes, Unbelievable.

  8. SMU is really good. Can’t put an automatic W by that game.

    • UCF is playing like a Top 10 team. SMU, Memphis, Cincy, and Tulane are all playing better than Temple (right now).

      Temple must improve every week to compete. First, special teams coaching by committee is not working. Bring back Foley or fix it.

      Second, protect and get the football. Stop giving it away and start taking it away.

      Beat Ga Tech, then fix two more things vs ECU.

  9. Russo is an INT machine.
    Every opposing DB can see where he’s throwing better than our WR’s can.
    He threw backbreaker after backbreaker today

  10. UCF’s coach blew his game by not kicking a chip shot field goal early in the 4th quarter. Instead of taking what he could , he went for the kill shot and missed. Franklin at PSU does that all of the time.

  11. Frustration and disappointment in abundance with this game. Quality MAC teams always seem to beat the Owls. But Mike’s picks were spot on. Congrats. Especially the Old Dominion game. UConn Is that bad.

    • I am a TEMPLE OWL thru and thru !!! Iplayed for the OWLS in the late 70’s,win or lose I am a OWL. This was a typical OWL heartbreak, win a big one and lose the one you should win after all the press.We have not proven anything after all the press clippings,we cannot just show up and think we can beat anyone!!!! OFFENSE F, SPECIAL TEAMS F AND DEFENSE F and if you view it any other way you have blinders on.I LOVE MY OWLS but they can break my heart. Will always be OWL!!! RUSSO TO MANY TURNOVERS, does he ever look at checkdown recievers?

      • Sit one out is the only way Russo will learn the importance of turnovers. Start and play Centeio vs Ga Tech.

        This team reminds me of the 2014 team that went 6-6. Walker threw 15 Ints running the ill-fated spread…,

        The 2019 schedule points to a 6-6 season and Russo is on track to throw 15 Ints running an ill-suited spread offense.

  12. Good thing Bradshaw got us out of the MAC. If you’re going to get your head beaten in, better it be in New Orleans, Dallas or Orlando rather than Buffalo, Ypsilanti and Bowling Green.

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