About a year or so before I matriculated down the road from Northeast Philadelphia to Temple University, Joanne A. Epps was a teenager working in the bookstore at Temple University.

That was a long damn time ago.

She worked and sweated and studied her way from pretty close to the bottom to the top of the university as the school’s 13th President.

She embodied what Temple was all about. Upward mobility.

I’m sure if she worked in the bookstore two years later I would have talked to her then but I don’t remember. My guess is that she was on to the next thing by then. I didn’t really meet her until one of those alumni pre-game tent functions during the Matt Rhule Era and she asked me a ton of questions about Temple football and I hopefully supplied some answers that made sense. She was particularly interested when I told her I wrote every single member of the Board of Trustees and asked for Bobby Wallace to be fired instead of the nuclear option (dropping the program) they considered back then. I included a letter sent to me from a then current football player, Chris Harris. Temple’s BOT decided to part ways with Wallace, join a new league and hire a real head coach: Al Golden, who proved to be as perfect for Temple as he was imperfect for Miami.

President Epps was a true Temple football fan, loved the school and even before her death hit the radio and TV the other day my phone text messages blew up with the sad news that she passed away unexpectedly (and shockingly because I assumed she was in great heath).

In my mind, there couldn’t have been better choice to succeed Jason Wingard as President of Temple. She was Temple through and through, loved the school, loved the students, loved the alumni, loved the teams. If you were an alum like me, she wanted to hear your whole story and I’m sure I bored her with mine but she listened. (My advice to the BOT: Ditch the national search nonsense and pick a Temple person as the next President.)

In the Catholic Faith, you need three miracles to become a Saint and Epps must’ve have talked to The Really Big Guy to Provide Miracle No. 1. Tropical Storm 16 is about to pass only 13 miles south of Lincoln Financial Field by tomorrow’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the No. 20-ranked Miami Hurricanes.

True story. Before she passed this wasn’t even in the forecast. Every single bettor will tell you there is nothing that erases a talent disadvantage than bad weather.

Second miracle?

An Owls’ win over Miami because as much as I would like to believe the Owls have a chance tomorrow I really don’t and it all stems from the Rutgers’ loss. If this team let Kyle Monangai run over them (and they did) in the fourth quarter of a 36-7 loss, I don’t see them stopping better running backs from Miami. Miami beat Texas A&M and the other Miami and both are probably better teams than Rutgers.

So Temple winning is really out of the question.

Or is it?

Unless The Really Big Guy says “JoAnn that was a really good life. You need a favor?”

“Thanks for the Tropical Storm, God, but could you do one more thing?”

“You got it JE.”

“Make Miami fumble as many times as East Carolina did in 2014.”

This was how many times East Carolina fumbled.

God: “I’ll do my best.”

We still don’t know what the third miracle might be but Miami losing only to Temple this season would certainly qualify. Temple losing only to Rutgers would be a bonus miracle. I will be there in the flesh and she will be there in spirit.

We know she’s a Saint and we’re giving her credit for Miracle No. 1.

Nos. 2 and 3 yet to be determined.

Sunday: Game Analysis