Temple: Worst special teams in history

Whether he wants to admit it or not, Rod Carey cannot say his special teams by delegation produced better results than any of Ed Foley’s special teams at Temple.

If someone gave Rod Carey a blueprint to destroy Temple football on the day he was hired, it would be this:

“Hey, Rod. How about firing the best special teams coach in the country and giving the defense an extra coach on the field?”

“Yeah, Joe (or Fran or Pat), that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.”

Some time later, Carey had this conversation with Ed Foley:

“Sorry, Ed. Gonna have to move you upstairs. We need another defensive coach on the field.”

Ed: “Fuck that. I’m outta here.”

Carey: “See ya.”

With Dwan Mathis throwing the ball into the ground on 3d and 17, it might be time to get behind Justin Lynch. In over 40 years of watching Temple football, I’ve never seen a Temple quarterback give up like Mathis did Friday night.

Since then, Temple has has been a national embarrassment on special teams. That’s a nice way of putting it. Probably a better way would be the Owls suck royally.

That certainly wasn’t the reason for Temple’s 52-3 loss at Cincinnati on Friday night but it definitely was the reason why the Owls gave up 14 early points that they could absolutely not afford if they were to have any confidence going forward.

In a potential blowout game, you need some early confidence and Temple got none of that.

In a 61-14 opening-day loss to Rutgers, Jadan Blue routinely let the ball go over his head on the 30 and allowed it to bounce inside the 5. Blue, my favorite CURRENT Temple player, showed absolutely no interest in advancing the ball and that’s his job.

Against Cincy, he muffed a punt that led to six.

That got him pulled.

Love the guy, but it should no longer be his job.

His replacement, Amad Anderson, muffed another one a short time later than led to another Cincy six.

When you are a 29.5-point underdog, can’t make those plays.

Why doesn’t Cincy muff punts? Why didn’t Temple under Matt Rhule?

Those were not plays Ed Foley’s special teams made.

Foley’s teams routinely returned punts for touchdowns and blocked the bad guys’ kicks for touchdowns the other way.

Again, not the reason for a loss but certainly the reason that it wasn’t a 31-3 loss or even more cosmetic. Those 14 points in terms of the Owls’ confidence in winning were worth much more, say, 28 points.

Temple fans deserve to have a kind of team that locks down the “most easy” of the three phases of the game and Rod Carey in his capacity as CEO has failed to do that nor has he shown any interest in fixing it. Special teams are 1/3d of the game. Carey thinks they are 1/10th.

Hopefully, new AD Arthur Johnson was taking notes in Cincinnati on Friday night. If not, he will get an earful from Temple fans once the team plane lands in Philadelphia.

Monday: Listen and Learn

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12 thoughts on “Temple: Worst special teams in history

  1. ROD Carey has turned Temple Tuff into Temple Puff (powder puff) this team doesn’t any mental or physical fortitude, this coach has turned the program back to the early 90s and he should be fired Monday morning, get this cancer out ASAP. please

    • Arthur Johnson and Jason Wingard, the message is simply this: SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY. Buy this clown out and get either Al Golden or Gabe Infante in here. There is no time to waste.

  2. Carey must go back to the MAC. He is obviously “in over his head” in the American. Cincy’s going elsewhere is the only saving grace for Temple. He must go, AD Johnson.

  3. First Temple team I ever saw that just quit, this includes the Wallace and Dickerson teams. They stopped tackling, running patterns and the QB just threw the ball into the ground. Disgraceful. How much longer can this go on? Let’s hope the new AD took copious notes.

  4. Ideas on HC such as: hire a G. Infanti type for say 1.2 mil now.
    Remove Carey from any power in Football, he’ll stay around around as he will not move off his $2 mil salary.
    Get good lawyers to read his contract, maybe there is a small loophole where he is not to be HC exclusively.
    Then no matter what, isolate and carefully remove Carey’s presence and influence, ASAP.
    Do not invite Carey to any Christmas or Halloween party and send no cards.

    A new HC at 1.2 mil is not a bad price to save the schools Football.

  5. Coach must go!! I fear if a change isn’t made the portal transfer door is going to wide open!! Losing so badly in the three losses is not the way to gain RESECT!!! Please give these young men a chance at getting Temple Football Respectable again!! Wins are great, but against Akron and Wagner isn’t doing it!!!

  6. There are so many problems!! I hope AJ and JW move fast. How many blowout losses is this under Carey? Too many! Special teams absolutely sucks. The offense runs the same handful of plays over and over like the jet sweep, the inaccurate deep ball and the run right up the gut. And the most nauseating part was AGAIN watching Rod/Uremovich not instill any sense of urgency at the end of the half to get back into the game. They were satisfied rolling over and being down 2 TDs rather than trying to narrow the gap. It was disgusting and embarrassing to watch.

  7. The only positive note from game was the 55-yard field goal by freshman Rory Bell. It was the longest field goal by a Temple kicker since Don Bitterlich hit from 56 yards against Akron in 1975. (Temple head coach that season was Wayne Harden.)

  8. And what is it with so many first down sideways passes (to the left or right) that are usually incomplete starting many series off with 2nd and 10? Another blowout, not even competitive. Some speak of starting Infante out at 1.2 mil salary – that’s where they should have started Carey and with certain expectations that must be fulfilled and no guarantees. A most horrible contract from Temple’s standpoint. DON”T DO IT AGAIN!

  9. And BTW, the Inqi makes sure they headline Temple’s blowout losses but nothing last week of a nice win over Memphis (at least not on the Inqi computer site). And boy am I glad I didn’t bother to go to the game.

  10. First, Inky sports is a shell of their former self and that’s being kind. More important is we have talked for 3 years about lack of attention to special teams, a sign you need a change is when there is no improvement. It’s beyond comprehension how Carey’s special teams continues to be an absolute disgrace. This guy is 0-7 in bowl games, that’s almost impossible. Doesn’t have any personality to relate to players, no charisma, no leadership on top of the fact that he is not a D1 head football coach. Look at the talent we have lost in portal, look back to players joking on bench during UNC bowl game route, look at the Cincy game where it looked like some players gave up-Wingard is a smart man, great hire. He needs to convince BOT to make an in season change. This Rod Carey era is over.
    Gabe interim and then if Navy fires Ken Niemaultolo_hire him immediately.
    C E SPEED can’t take this much longer, not enough miller lites in the world to make me watch rod Carey coach again.

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