TU-UCF: What the last six days tells you

This graphic illustrates the difference between Warren Ruggierio and Mike Uremovich

As a Temple fan who just watched a mediocre East Carolina team dismantle South Florida on Thursday night, I came away with one overwhelming prevailing feeling.

We’re fucked.

Excuse the language. If I had a Youtube or Facebook account, I would probably be kicked off the platform but I’m given a little more lattitde on my own site.

Put it this way: East Carolina needed a freak late score to beat that terrific powerhouse Charleston Southern, 31-28, and absolutely hammered a team that the Temple coaching staff had no clue how to stop. Honestly, before a few weeks ago, I did not know Charleston Southern had a football team but looking into its season so far, it has lost to Monmouth (41-14), Robert Morris (31-24) and the team that made Bobby Wallace famous, North Alabama (45-22). Monmouth lost to Princeton of the Ivy League.

I’m glad Temple doesn’t have Princeton on the schedule this season. It’s already too embarrassing and, if Dr. Jason Wingard doesn’t dismiss this staff between now and the end of the season, he’s culpable in bringing Temple down to that level.

Temple is 15-2 in painted end zone games; probably 15-3 after Saturday.

Everyone talks about how Temple’s defense, led by Jeff Knowles, could not stop USF but at least an equal blame has to got to Mike Uremovich’s offense. The Owls could only manage 34 plays and under 17 minutes of offense under Uremovich’s tutorship. That produced a whopping 14 points.

Meanwhile, against a better defense on the same day with approximately the same number of plays and minutes, Wake Forest scored 70 points on a good Army team.

No escaping the conclusion that University of Delaware grad Warren Ruggiero is a better offensive coach than Uremovich, who is only here because he is cozy with Rod Carey. Am I missing something here? Do you see any innovation or creativity in Temple’s offense? Why hasn’t Uremovich used a terrific high school quarterback, Trey Blair, to throw a halfback pass yet? Is he saving it for the bowl game? News flash: This team ain’t making a bowl. Why do we see Edward Saydee in there on first-and-goal from the 3 instead of the pile-driving Tavon Ruley?

More blame goes his way season-wise, at least from my perspective, than Knowles because he’s got too many weapons to be producing too few points. In Randle Jones and Jadan Blue, he’s got NFL receivers. In Ruley, he’s got a power back who should be gold in the red zone but is seldom used there. In Amad Anderson, he’s got a big-time productive wide receiver at Purdue who has about 1/10th of that production here. In Dwan Mathis, he has Temple’s first four-star quarterback since Kevin Harvey. In Kyle Dobbins, he made the only back who scored three touchdowns in a game for Temple disappear after that game.

Don’t get me started on the special teams coach. I haven’t seen a punt block or a return to the house since Geoff Collins was here.

As disappointing as 4-3 UCF is, there is no way a 3-4 Temple team isn’t more disappointing.

At least UCF is missing superstar quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

There is no similar excuse for Temple.

The wise guys in Vegas have UCF as “only” a 10.5 favorite.

The “wiser” guys in Philadelphia who have watched not only Temple against USF but ECU against that same team know better.

Temple’s coaches have no idea what they are doing but savvy Philadelphia football fans already knew that.

The Vegas wise guys evidently need another Saturday to convince them.

Picks this week: Going to use some underdogs to rebound from my only poor week. Going with unbeaten SMU (+1) to win at Houston, VIRGINIA TECH getting 4.5 at the fighting Geoff Collins’ (GT), NAVY getting 11 at Tulsa and ILLINOIS getting 2 over visiting Rutgers.

Last week: Won on Ohio State, lost in WMU, UMASS and NC STate bringing our record ATS to 18-14-1.

Sunday: Game Analysis

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9 thoughts on “TU-UCF: What the last six days tells you

  1. I watched a good bit of that ECU – UCF game while switching back and forth from there and the Green Bay – Arizona game. We have ECU in two weeks in Greenville. As you say, they beat up on a 1 and 5 team that beat us by 20. Once again it’s frustrating to be an Owl fan. Back to the bad old days, or so it seems. I keep waiting for news on coaching changes. But I guess we’ll have to wait until season’s end (if then). But, although I try to maintain a positive outlook, I am realistic – we are not a very good team, even though, again as you say. there is plenty of talent there. So what does that tell you? You know very well of course – really bad coaching. Changes needed sooner than later in order to turn things around. Preaching to the choir. Anyway, go Owls!

    • They are telling all of the big-time donors that Carey will be evaluated at the end of the season. KJ broke that story a week ago. Since he’s done that, a couple of other donors have reached out to me privately and told them Arthur Johnson called them and said the same thing. You’d have to be Stevie Wonder and keep Carey after evaluating him so far. The end of the seaosn won’t change anything. Do it now.

      • With 5 games left in the regular season (bowl invite highly unlikely), they will probably wait until sometime after the season ends. New AD and university president may feel it necessary to go that route. But then do it quickly and concentrate on recruiting with new coaches in place.

  2. 28 months in Afghanistan and 33 months in Iraq I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about despair.

    TUFB is in a seemingly perpetual state of despair. The BOT hoodwinked the TU stakeholders. They hired a great man, Wingard, who hired another great man, Johnson. Commitment, keys to the car? Nope!

    Classic, case study worthy.

  3. All TU Alumni should petition the PA Governor to replace the current BOT with trustees who are committed to academic and athletic excellence.

  4. Relax fellas. Johnson is still setting up his office. And Wingard isn’t interested in having to explain the multi-million-dollar payout owed to Carey IF he’s dismissed. This isn’t Texas.

    • Exactly my point, Carey stays. Persistent and perpetual state of despair continues.

      Meaningful change in this case should come top down, not bottom up. Imagine if the BOT forced Wingard to fire Carey. That is the type of BOT we need to be competitive in the classroom and on the field.

  5. Remember how the UConn AD waited until Jan 2 the other year to fire Diacco? Saved the school a lot of $ doing it (a month) later rather than earlier. Perhaps there’s some language in the contract making a later dismissal less costly?

    Perhaps the BOT is caught up with the turmoil for the local NFL and NBA teams therefore not tuned in to what’s happening in their own back yard.

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