06.27.24
by

Temple beating Oklahoma is a habit about to be broken

There is also a town named Temple in Pennsylvania.

If you need a reason to believe Temple might come up with a victory in late August at Oklahoma, providing some historical perspective might help.

Or not.

In the 1940s, a one-win Temple team beat the Sooners, 14-7, at Temple Stadium as a defensive back named Woodhouse made the decisive play, an interception.

After the victory over Penn State, national defensive player of the year Tyler Matakevich and his teammates made a pilgrimage to an old folks home in Blue Bell to present the late Mr. Woodhouse with the game ball.

Woodhouse was also the last living Temple player to participate in the 1941 win over Penn State, which was the last time the Owls beat the Nittany Lions.

Almost a generation later, in the middle of the John Chaney basketball era, Temple beat Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament in Florida.

The difference between those times and these times is what will be the ruination of college sports.

Then, there was such a thing called “student/athletes” and everyone–from the No. 1-ranked team in college football to the last-ranked team in college basketball–could only “pay” their players with room, board, books and tuition.

The playing field was completely level.

On that the last Friday night in August, please do not adjust your TV screens.

What you will be seeing is real.

Every time the Sooners get the ball, the field will be tilted down.

Every time the Owls get the ball, they will be playing upfield.

Welcome to the world of the NIL and transfer portal.

Oklahoma gets the all-star transfers from the P5 and G5, already proven players.

Temple gets the hopefuls from the JUCO ranks, guys who want to prove themselves.

The nation has noticed.

In May, the line opened at 39.5.

Now, it’s up to 40.5.

There is no reason to believe it will move downward, only upward, as Temple refuses to recruit any of the five big-time quarterbacks remaining in the portal.

Don’t ask me why Temple has refused to dip into the portal after picking up Evan Simon from Rutgers and Clifton McDowell from Montana. Maybe after McDowell left for the obscurity of McNeese State, Temple head coach Stan Drayton promised Simon the Owls were not interested in anyone else.

Temple fans should take no solace in the fact that the Owls were 36.5 underdogs to 1998 and beat Virginia Tech, 28-24, on the road.

Back then, the Tech players and the Temple players were getting paid the same.

The NIL isn’t dropping $4 million dollars on the Okie players to lose to a Temple team that might be getting a couple of players getting 100k at best.

If that.

Although that would be a delicious way to open the season, not only for Temple fans but for fans of every underdog team.

My prediction remains the same: 66-7, Okie, though nothing would please me more than to write an apologetic post on the first Saturday of September saying I was off by 60 points in the Temple direction.

Pretty hard for the new anti-football Temple President to drop football after a win over Oklahoma.

Monday: Screwed, blued and tattooed

11 thoughts on “Temple beating Oklahoma is a habit about to be broken”

  1. It will unfortunately be as painful to watch as last nights debate.

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  2. If Fry becomes new President at Temple, football is unfortunately done. Too many hurdles at this point, it will be a sad day for Temple. But I get the economics of it, no real support from students, meager alumni support, a conference that just doesn’t work for Temple. This is unfortunately a byproduct of all the changes to college athletics, it is never good to take away the opportunity for students to be student athletes, but it will come down to money and this will be the end of TU football. I’m sorry to say.

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    • Not only for Temple, but for about 60 of the 64 G5 schools. Don’t feel how it’s sustainable at this point. In fact, Temple loses money on all sports so there is some logic to the theory that Temple should drop all sports like NYU.

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  3. An addendum: Kind of interesting that the entire coaching staff, some with very high IQs, was so focused on recruiting 2025 players when there may not be a 2025 if they don’t kick ass in 2024. Begs this question: Are they really confident they are going to kick ass in 2024 or that they that unaware there may not be a 2025 given the backdrop of the BOT and the new POTUS (President of Temple University Shit)? My guess? They have no freaking clue about the larger picture.

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  4. The Tomato Family was walking down the street and junior tomato started to fall behind. Mr. Tomato stopped, turned, and yelled “ketchup!”.

    That is what happened to TUFB. They failed to keep up and became sauce. Don’t blame NIL. TUFB had a chance to follow Rutgers, Maryland, Louisville, Cincy, UCF, SMU, etc.,,

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  5. Mike, The more I read about Fry, the more I agree that D1 athletics at Temple may be a thing of the past. Enrollment way down, there is a need for change and athletics at TU don’t move the needle in terms of increasing enrollment. I think it would be a shame to eliminate all D1 sports, but unfortunately football is the easiest to drop. Drexel has had very good non-revenue producing teams, I think he would look to do the same at Temple. AD would be gone. Drop football, pump up the exact sports where Drexel has been successful. Not out of the question Temple takes in Lasalle at some point, Fry big on mergers and partnerships. Wingard got screwed, but with the steep and unsustainable enrollment drop even the most ardent “don’t cut my faculty position” professors have to understand the math. You can’t spend the same when you are down 22% in enrollment. Bad spot for Temple. They are not alone.

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    • post mortem..,

      how many schools will follow Fry? ESPN future special? What was the proximate cause of and time of death? (NIL has been ruled out) Not building the on-campus stadium is the leading candidate for the ‘time of death’.

      What will TU do with the E-O Complex? Soccer center of excellence?

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  7. Schools don’t have to drop football. It all depends on whether they want to keep it – the old fashioned way. Temple could get reasonable with their HC salary and LINC rental deal, get out of the AAC and go more to a local schedule and save on travel. Its all about choices.

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    • Yeah, would much rather play a regional schedule that includes PSU, Pitt, RU, Maryland, Cuse, BC, UConn, Del, UMass, WVA, Navy, Army. A couple of problems with that. If Navy and Army stay in the AAC, that won’t happen unless Temple stays in the AAC as well. Two, every single one of those teams (with the exception of UConn and Del) would demand a 2-1 with an indy Temple. Three, Temple tried going indy and it was a disaster. Need a super brainy coach like a Hardin to make it work and those coaches who are living now make five times Drayton’s hefty salary ($2.5 million per) is setting Temple back.

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