Temple-Tulsa: Some reason for optimism

For about six weeks, give or take a bye week, the nation hated the Temple Owls.

We’re seeing something new this week.

The nation doesn’t hate Temple anymore.

They are neutral.

Baby steps.

For the first time this season, Temple is not an underdog in a football game. It is not a favorite, but it is not an underdog.

As you can see by the above graphic, Temple opened as a “pick-em” against Tulsa in Saturday’s 2 p.m. Homecoming Game. Tulsa might get a -1 in the next day or so, but I’m expecting Temple to settle in as a 1- or 2-point favorite by kickoff.

There are a couple of reasons for that.

Temple is notoriously good in Homecoming Games over the last 15 years or so. The Owls beat a ranked Memphis team twice on Homecoming, including in Rod Carey’s Farewell tour. Two years ago, Temple extended an unbeaten Rutgers team to the end, falling, 16-14, before a crowd of 34,654 mostly Temple fans.

Some past Temple Homecoming Crowds .. .

Homecoming is the one time of the year where the “Prodigal Son” Temple fan returns for a game. They might not even like football, but it’s the No. 1 thing Temple does to network its 360,000 Temple alumni. They can’t get that kind of a crowd at a basketball game or a chemistry class or a Temple Hall of Fame ceremony.

They do get a big crowd at Homecoming.

The other element is that the Owls do look better. They hung with a UConn team that destroyed Buffalo, 47-3, and Buffalo beat MAC powerhouse Toledo, 30-15, on Saturday. They gave Army a much better game than Tulsa did, trailing by “only” 28-14 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Does it mean they will beat Tulsa? Err, no. But should they beat Tulsa?

Hell yes for their sake and for everybody who works at the E-O’s sakes.

Temple was 0-6 in Matt Rhule’s first season but did draw this significant pre-game tailgate crowd. They beat Army that day.

There is no new President at Buffalo or Toledo examining the future of the sport nor should it.

Temple, on the other hand, for its 45-29 win over Utah State and competing with UConn is still 1-5 and the bottom line has to get better.

Saturday in front of a lot of Temple eyes is a good place to start.

Now is the time for Stan Drayton and the Owls to win back a good portion of those fans. If they are sufficiently entertained, and get to enjoy a win, that will carry a lot of weight with the new President who comes aboard on Nov. 1.

If the Owls lose, though, those Prodigal Sons and Daughters won’t be looking back on the most recent Homecoming as a fond memory.

Friday: Tulsa Preview

2 thoughts on “Temple-Tulsa: Some reason for optimism

  1. I’ll be there on Saturday – go owls baby

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