Usually in this space on Monday after a Temple football game we’d slot it for reviewing some things from the past game.

Bleep that.

That was Howard the Owls were playing and there is not much to learn from that game. Our May 23d post predicted the score of every single Temple game and, if the result of the first two games are any indication, we sold Temple a little bit short.

We had the Owls beating UMass (24-10) and Howard (48-7) and the Owls beat our expectations by 18 points in the first game and seven points in the second. We also had Oklahoma beating the Owls, 34-14, so if the Owls split the difference and are, say, a dozen points better that game finishes 34-26.

The trick now is to shave even more points off that differential and if the TU offense shows the Sooners wrinkles it hasn’t shown so far that could do it. Temple has been pretty vanilla on offense so far but what new OC Tyler Walker has done that is so impressive is a lot of pre-snap reads that cause the defense confusion.

Emphasis on trick.

Here are 5 plays that could fool Oklahoma:

One, the throwback pass _ WR Kajiya Hollawayne is a former top-rated QB recruit at UCLA. We assume he can still throw the ball. Simon throws backward to Hollawayne who finds a streaking JoJo Bermudez down the sideline for six. The Sooners are an over pursuing defense and the pass to Hollawayne suckers the other corner just enough that Bermudez can get behind him. (We gave this suggestion to Matt Rhule before the SMU game one year when we mentioned to him that he has a Big 33 MVP QB who had not thrown the ball in his career up to that point. Rhule had WR Jalen Fitzpatrick throw a 95-yard touchdown pass on a double-reverse in that game.)

Two, the shovel pass _ One of Wayne Hardin’s staples was the shovel pass, faking a handoff usually to a fullback (Henry Hynoski, Mark Bright), then dropping back to pass and then shoveling the ball ahead on a pass against a defense going for the QB. Temple doesn’t have a fullback but does have an effective between-the-tackles runner in Jay Ducker and a shovel pass to him might earn him a touchdown.

Three, the tight end jump pass _ Al Golden pulled this one out at the Fake Miami (Ohio) with Chester Stewart dropping back and jumping while throwing a TD pass to Evan Rodriguez.

Four, the fake field goal _ If you are Temple playing a P4 like Oklahoma, at least once you have to roll the dice for six instead of setting for three. Temple had a successful one at Houston (see video above).

The Fake QB sneak_ Facing a 3d and 1 at midfield in the 2008 Navy game, QB Adam DiMichele feigned a QB sneak and deftly hit Bruce Francis for a touchdown pass. Obviously, this is a 3d and 1 type call or maybe even more ballsy as a 4th and 1 call.

Friday: Oklahoma Preview

Late Saturday Night: TU-Oklahoma Analysis