On the surface, the Temple at Tulsa football game is just another game between two losing teams playing out the string in disappointing seasons.
Upon closer inspection, though, history is at stake because it will probably provide the first answer to this question ever:
Can a dumpster fire win a college football game?
Because, based not only on the developments of this week but of the last two seasons, that’s just what Temple football has become under Rod Carey.
It has nothing to do with the wonderful kids still committed to playing for Temple nor the current administration or the fans.
It has everything to do with the CEO on the football side, Rod Carey, who has chosen to protect his NIU carpetbagging coaching cabal over advancing the program he is handsomely paid to protect.
Let’s review what has happened.
One of the top five quarterbacks in Temple history in terms of winning percentage chose to leave the program to be a backup at a Big 10 school rather than continue to play for coach Carey. A backup quarterback at an SEC school picked Temple but had his fill of Carey in less than one season and has chosen to sit out next year (2022) rather than play for Carey.
A running back from Florida who was expected to be a starter, Iverson Clement, provided evidence of coaching abuse from the current Temple strength coach. He also published text messages proving Carey lied about Iverson “leaving” the team and proved Clement’s claim that he was “kicked off” the team.
If Carey lied about that, and he did, what else has Carey lied about?
My guess is plenty.
I wish Lew Katz, the chairman of the BOT’s athletic committee, and George Moore, the school’s ex-chief university counsel, were still alive because they would probably be able to find cause to fire Carey right now. Those two men loved Temple and would have not allowed Carey to get even this far.
The team’s best running back from 2019, Ra’Mahn Davis, backed up Clement and said the same thing happened to him. The father of the team’s best linebacker from last year, Isaiah Graham-Mobley, said his son loved Temple and would have remained there had it not been for Carey. So we have the team’s two best quarterbacks from the last two years leaving, the best linebacker leaving, the best wide receiver (Jadan Blue) leaving, the best offensive lineman (Vince Picozzi) leaving, the best pass rushers of the past two years (Quincy Roche and Arnold Ebekitie) leaving, the team’s two best corners (Christian Braswell and Linwood Crump) leaving, among many, many others who, if there, no doubt would have helped the Owls pummel Tulsa.
Now it’s essentially a game with the 2019 and 2020 Temple backups being asked to beat the 2021 Tulsa starters thanks to the fact that Carey has the personality of a wet washrag in addition to being an enabler of a horrible culture.
That, plus the fact that this coaching staff has shown zero ingenuity in three years, no desire to block or return punts, no halfback passes, no double reverses, no shovel passes, etc., etc., etc. that might mix up an otherwise drab game plan.
Dumpster fire indeed.
Ironically, the person who should have left a long time ago, Carey, boarded a plane for Tulsa today and will be on the sidelines ostensibly trying to lead the Owls to a victory on Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN+).
Ostensibly means apparently or purportedly but not actually.
That’s the best word to describe Carey’s presence on the sidelines tomorrow.
Check that, as Harry Donahue might say.
There’s one better word.
Pyromaniac.
Picks this week: Stuck in neutral (2-2) for three straight weeks so only used the few games that stuck out like a sore thumb. Jumped on RU getting 18 at Penn State (I have a feeling that game is going to be 10 or less), MINNESOTA giving 6.5 at Indiana, and LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE getting 5.5 at Liberty. (If I was really ambitious, would also pick Memphis getting the 9.5 at Houston, UAB getting 5.5 at UTSA and SDSU laying the 10.5 at UNLV but not as confident in those as the first three.)
Update: The strategy of picking only three games worked to break our 2-2 rut of the prior three weeks. RU let us down against Penn State but Louisiana-Lafayette not only covered at Liberty but won outright and Minnesota covered the meager 6.5 at Indiana to go 2-1 bringing our seasonal record to a more than respectable 26-21-1.
Update: Won last week on ODU and Rutgers and lost on Troy and UCF bringing our season ATS record to 24-20-1. The Troy and UCF losses cost us $2,678.97 (really, 10 bucks).
Sunday: Game Analysis
Tuesday: Hopefully coverage of the press conference to fire Rod Carey
Temple Football Forever 
…what’s happening right now at TU is why when a handful of their posters were coming to the Rutgers board 2-3 years ago to try to rub our noses in it when we were going through the throes of the Ash era I just shook my head; outside of maybe 5-10 programs we’re pretty much all 1 bad hire away from falling off the proverbial cliff. Collins wasn’t recruiting well and as you’ve said Mike the 2019 Military Bowl was a pretty big red flag that there were issues with Carey, who has been so similar to Ash it’s almost scary.
Joe P.
…and this is also why I thought the “tampering” claims were ridiculous, even prior to the most recent events. Multiple players/starters transferring to multiple schools with their family members criticizing the staff for ‘playing favorites’ at least in my opinion is a pretty clear indication that the problem is coming from within.
Joe P.
The Temple Basketball team was disgracefully beaten last night by almost 30 against Clemson. Clemson has been picked widely to be at the bottom of the pack in the ACC this season. Perhaps Carey can take Aaron McKie along with him when he is dismissed at the end of the year.
The state of athletics at Temple is embarrassing as it has ever been. It is either put up or shut up time.
McKie might have played for Chaney but, personality-wise, he’s a lot closer to Carey than he is to JC. Still waiting for a firey Chaney type roaming the sidelines on the Temple side.
Seems like if the allegations listed here are true there should be some legal way to throw Carey and his contract into his self-made dumpster fire. It’s just hard to believe that such gross negligence and abusiveness would not cancel the contract. It’s so aggravating to see that these coaches can get everything handed to them guaranteed but there is no way for the school to say “not only didn’t you hold up your part of the bargain, but you went far beyond just being incompetent. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” THERE’S GOTTA BE A WAY TO UNDUE HIS CONTRACT WHEN THINGS GO THIS BAD! And hate to say but the transfer portal in situations like this is a good thing so the kids can escape.
Update: TU will fire Carey, most likely before the end of the season.
NO, ZERO progress made on OCS. I’m out $$$ until they obtain a building permit.
I like the first sentence update. Can’t have this man walk in ahead of the team for the Navy game.
Carey has, since taking over as coach, (definitely masquerading as one), has caused the destruction of a once-proud college football program, (do we still remember the conference championship in 2016?). I was there, and it is a distant memory, at best. As long as he is coach, I will NOT be a member of the Owl Club, and I have informed AD Johnson of my decision. I hope that Aaron McKie follows him out the exit door. Jack Enco, Class of 1975.
Don’t blame you, Jack. When I was sitting in the stadium watching us go toe-to-toe with No. 9 Notre Dame (with just as many if not more people in the stadium rooting for Temple), the one thing the fans around me agreed is that we can’t go back to the old days, that we’ve got to keep this momentum going. Well, we went back to the old days.
Carey is bad, just awful but he and McKie are symptoms. The BoT is the root cause of the disease. Responsibility and accountability? Where does the buck stop?
“We made very poor decisions in hiring Carey and McKie. We accept responsibility for our misdeeds and will write personal checks to ease the financial burden on this great institution. Always hold us accountable for our actions.”
Can you imagine the BoT releasing such a refreshing statement?
What’s the vision and strategy for TU Athletics?
The BoT is failing Temple University.
I’ve been hearing and reading about an OCS since my days ad an undergrad (late 70s) and we don’t seem any closer now than we were then. Until tho BOT decides to play some serious politics this project won’t move forward. Plus our new President needs to get some schooling on how things work in the city.
I do like your update
I urge all TU Stakeholders to write, txt, call, contact, etc., these people. Let them know in no uncertain terms they are failing TU Athletics. Request they right their wrongs or resign.
https://secretary.temple.edu/trustees