How about restoring the T for Temple U tradition?

The 2024 team could learn a lot from the 2016 team and this is how the players sung T for Temple U after a big win over USF that year. This is a tradition both home and away after every Temple win.

Since I haven’t been around for many wins over the last three years and missed this year’s Utah State game in person, decided to saunter on down to hear the team sing “T for Temple U” after the 20-10 win over Tulsa on Saturday.

After football wins for as long as I can remember, the team breaks out into a loud “T for Temple U” rendition joining the band after the alma mater.

The alma mater is the B side.

Here is Temple running back Montel Harris leading the 2012 team in a post-game rendition of “T for Temple U” in front of the Temple band who made to to Army that day. Harris had 351 yards and 7 touchdowns in that game.

T for Temple U is the A side.

I should have known better.

The team dutifully hung around to hear the school band sing the alma mater and swung to and fro but when the band fired up T for Temple U the team rushed off into the locker room.

Geez, got to stick around to sing T for Temple U with the band and fans.

Heck, even in road games, the players themselves sang the song “A Cappella” and the fans sung along.

When did that change?

The most important part of this video is from the 2:04 mark on. Notice the players getting into it.

I know it’s a little thing, but someone has got to tell Stan Drayton to keep the troops around for the most enjoyable post-game tradition at Temple.

Two songs, not one. The second song is the most important one. The alma mater is the appetizer. T for Temple U is the main course. Don’t go to a 5-star restaurant, pick at the salad and get up and leave.

Maybe getting out of the habit of winning got them out of that habit of celebrating but both habits are something that need to bridge the current and the past. Drayton needs to get with his leadership council tomorrow and mention, hey guys, we plan to win Saturday and, after winning, let’s enjoy the experience with the fans who bother to make the trip.

Another crazy thing about Saturday was the stupid white helmets. They look horrible and are not Temple helmets. Besides the odd look, they have numbers on them and that’s department of redundancy redundant. The players have the numbers on the front and back of their jerseys. They don’t need numbers on the helmet. Also Saturday was the day that the school honored the 1979 Garden State Bowl champions.

How about playing that game wearing the same exact uniforms, including the iconic Cherry “TEMPLE” helmets?

Would that have been too much to ask?

No.

For now, though, I’ll settle for restoring the long tradition of the football team singing T for Temple U with the fans and not just inside the locker room afterward.

Friday: ECU Preview

9 thoughts on “How about restoring the T for Temple U tradition?

  1. Put “TEMPLE” back on the helmets and get grounded again in tradition. Did you see the Illinois helmets last weekend? https://uni-watch.com/2024/10/16/illinois-football-to-debut-throwbacks-and-incredible-faux-leather-helmets-saturday-vs-michigan/

    It is safe to say after two plus seasons Drayton is not it. Unfortunately it’s not for us to say. What says TU?

    It would be refreshing to hear TU publically state their goals and expectations for TUFB.

    So Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain said in a statement. “Will poured his heart and soul into this program and into shaping these young men. Unfortunately, the results on the field didn’t align with our shared goals and expectations.”

    Hapless and disheartening equals the AD and BOT.

  2. Have to agree that so far Drayton is not it. Really think with a HC who knew what he was doing this could be a 4 win team right now. As far as tradition in addition to the uniform look how about going back to a 2 back set with a fullback and halfback. Not sure if he’s ever played the role but Littleton certainly has the size with Worthy and Smith your halfbacks. This team needs to establish an identity, that is if it’s still taking the field in 2 years.

    • Wouldn’t be surprised if the 351 Harris had on that day in 2012 surpassed the entire total on the ground this season. I’ll look it up when I get home. Being able to run the football is Temple’s historical identity post-Al Golden and pre-Carey.

    • It’s not us, or our opinions. It is fact.

      Through 7 games this season, TUFB is last in the AAC in rushing, and second to last in stopping the run.

      https://theamerican.org/stats.aspx?path=football&year=2024

      After 31 games at Temple, the career RB coach is last in the conference in his “area of expertise”.

      Beyond crisis, this is an identity disaster.

      Now, for opinion. Without outside assistance, Drayton would be challenged to scheme a successful running game against ‘Nova, Delaware, or Monmouth.

      • I looked it up. We have exactly one rushing touchdown this year and it took the seventh game to do it. Meanwhile, in the Montel Harris game (a single day) Harris had 7 touchdowns on the ground and Matty Brown had two more. So on a day when one guy scored 7 touchdowns, the second guy doubled the entire 2024 Temple team total in the first quarter of one game. Temple has 639 rushing yards this year vs. Harris’ 351 in one game. That’s embarrassing.

  3. It even worse than most realize, or care to admit. TU was last in the conference in rushing for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons.

    Now, the career RB coach turned HC has his team last in the conference in rushing through 7 games in 2024.

    You take over the team and ask yourself, “where do I start?”

    How about starting with your so-called area of expertise? Easy, right?

    The above facts should be professionally embarrassing, and offer ample evidence for immediate dismissal. The paid performance doesn’t align with the provided resume.

  4. Plus, very young offensive line so I would think flipping the run pass ratio from Saturday’s game would make it easier for the young o-line to develop and mature rather than having them drop back 47 times.

    • Best coach on the team is the offensive line coach, Chris Wiesehan. He had great offensive lines under Collins and Rhule here. It’s not the coaching in this particular instance. It’s the talent that Drayton and his director of recruiting and player personnel is able to recruit at the position. It can’t be the strength coaches (although the current Duke strength coach, David Feeley, who was here was among several great ones previously here) because the defensive line is strong enough and they lift the same weights. It’s a lack of talent at the OL position.

      ‘The best job in college football’: Strength coach David Feeley shapes muscles and culture in the weight room – The Chronicle

      • I would say it is recruiting on the portal side is where Drayton and his director of player personnel really fall down. 5 of the 7 offensive linemen who played against Tulsa where redshirt freshman or sophomores. Several of those players were rated at least 3 star and had G5 and some P4 interest, primarily recruited by Wiesehan and Woods. On the flip side the non high school/portal “recruits” except for Mains seem to be primarily Juco players. To me Mains are the kind of offensive linemen that should be the portal focus, P4 backups, G5 players and top FCS players. The young kids especially o-line take a couple of years to develop so integrate a couple of guys coming off of FBS/top FCS rosters to provide a level of maturity. Juco skill players like Worthy are one thing but not linemen. You mentioned the d-line, well most of those transfers were from P4 programs or other G5 and you can see the difference

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