2021 Temple football: Best WRs, OL in G5

On a team most neutral observers have listed down in the 100s, it’s been pretty clear for awhile that Temple two of the best units not only in the AAC but in all of G5 football.

Specifically, offensive line and wide receivers.

Despite finishing 1-6, the offensive line allowed a league-low 1.7 sacks per game in 2020. It returns four starters and a junior college All-American comes in to replace the oft-injured Vince Picozzi, who was the other starter. Really, if you count tight end David Martin-Robinson (and you should) the line returns five starters not only from 2020 but from the 2019 regular season when they finished 8-4. They proved to be good run-blockers more during the 2019 season than the 2020.

Pretty impressive but not as impressive as the wide receiver group, led by Temple’s all-time leading single-season record-holder Jadan Blue. As good as Blue is (and he’s an NFL player), Randle Jones on the other side is slightly faster and has been called a “flat-out stud” by head coach Rod Carey.

There’s plenty of depth, too, with a productive Power 5 portal transfer in Purdue’s Amad Anderson Jr. Anderson caught 36 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns for Purdue in a couple of seasons and, with Blue and Jones, should get a lot of single-coverage opportunities. (Hell, you can’t double-cover a single Temple receiver because that opens things up for the other two.)

What does this mean for the team’s bottom line?

Not much if the defense and special teams can’t be fixed.

That’s something that Carey should be placing a priority right now during two weeks of practice in the Bronx.

Still, good defense or no, when the Owls have the ball there is a chance … a chance .. that they can turn the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard into an adding machine.

If so, the season could be more exciting than the experts say and that something is better than nothing.

Friday: Some areas of concern

Monday: Camp surprises

Friday (8/20); Rutgers fans

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5 thoughts on “2021 Temple football: Best WRs, OL in G5

  1. Somewhat off subject of this post, but an interesting article posted today on The Athletic concerning Penn State’s new approach to recruiting the Philadelphia area. No surprise that Carey and Temple not even mentioned in the article but they did focus on the efforts that Rutgers and Georgia (!) are making on recruiting Philly. The last article The Athletic did on recruiting in Pennsylvania contained quotes from several high school coaches that were not positive on the current HC. One coach made a point to mention what a great job Matt Rhule did recruiting locally when he was here.

  2. Why are my comments disappearing?

    • I looked into the queue and these are the only comments I have from you. No more, no less:

      Mike Stepinski
      19 days ago
      User Info
      What would Geoff Collins do?
      In reply to:I’ll believe it when I see it. G5 teams have been rumored to join the P5 for over a decade now and nothing has happened.
      No Mike, G5 teams are not joining P5 teams, but P5 teams will be joining the G5 soon enough.

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      Dave
      Dave
      19 days ago
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      What would Geoff Collins do?
      GT is Collins dream job. I hope it works out for him.

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      Mike Gibson
      Mike Gibson
      19 days ago·templefootballforever.wordpress.com
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      What would Geoff Collins do?
      In reply to:Mike, where are you. Conference realignment is upon us and I don’t know of the AAC will be relegated to MAC status or if we’ll merge with WVU and Iowa State. Thoughts?
      I’ll believe it when I see it. G5 teams have been rumored to join the P5 for over a decade now and nothing has happened.

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      Mike Stepinski
      Mike Stepinski
      20 days ago
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      What would Geoff Collins do?
      Mike, where are you. Conference realignment is upon us and I don’t know of the AAC will be relegated to MAC status or if we’ll merge with WVU and Iowa State. Thoughts?

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      LBlaze
      LBlaze
      22 days ago·templefootballforever.wordpress.com/2021/07/19/what-would-geoff-collins-do/#comments
      User Info
      What would Geoff Collins do?
      Houston Chronicle writer reporting Tex and OU have approached SEC to join the league.

      From another site: “Needless to say, this would be a game changer for college football. The Big 12 would likely cease to exist, its other members absorbed somehow by the Big Ten, ACC and Pac 12 to create a new Power Four. Already the dominant conference in the sport, the gulf between the SEC and the rest would grow even wider.”

      When asked about this at SEC Media Days, commissioner Sankey really didn’t deny, only repeated it was a writer’s declaration.

      Getting back to your thread subject, this would create a lot more hot seats and spike the temperature on those already there.

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      Mike Stepinski
      Mike Stepinski
      22 days ago
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      What would Geoff Collins do?
      Mike, Texas and Oklahoma will not renew their media rights with the BIG12, will the AAC be poached again, or will we merge with them?

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