Had an “interest” in a couple of games on Saturday and one came through and one did not.

Both games showed me just how good Vegas is.

I took North Dakota State getting the 4.5 at New Mexico and New Mexico won by … wait for it … five points.

Before that, I took Michigan getting the 7.5 against visiting Indiana and the Hoosiers won by … wait for it …seven points.

After the debacles Temple football put on the field for the last three weeks, I “kinda sorta” figured Temple would be about a 9.5-point underdog heading into Saturday’s showdown at East Carolina.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised that the Owls posted a relatively close +5 number.

That doesn’t mean East Carolina is going to win 20-15 or 22-17 but the line is set to draw a roughly equal interest from both sides and the respect for Temple after losing to a putrid Charlotte team is impressive.

My feeling is that Temple played with a confidence–a “swag” if you will–against Rhode Island, Penn State, Toledo, Army and South Florida that did not exist in its two most recent games and that kind of play on defense has to return or we’re headed for 3-9.

Fortunately, this line says Vegas doesn’t believe that to be the case.

The Charlotte and UConn “efforts” have been an outlier.

Not that Vegas ever figures that into it but for Temple to play as well as it did against Toledo, USF and Army it must.

Vegas, though, looks at other factors.

One, the Jaxon Smolik quarterback experiment seems to be over. The Owls have gotten nothing out of Smolik since the Cherry and White game and, conversely, his replacement, Ajani Sheppard, has shown signs of becoming a superstar. When Smolik is in the game, he appears to be looking down for a reason to slide. When Sheppard is in the game, he’s looking up for a reason to take it to the house.

That’s the way a quarterback should lead.

Two, the injury report on lead back Sam Brown V is encouraging and, when Brown is on the field, there is no more talented running back in the American Conference than him.

Three, Hunter Smith has shown that he can be a home run threat and the more he plays and the less Keveun Mason plays, the better off the Owls will be. Smith was the lighting to Jay Ducker’s thunder a year ago and he can be that to Brown as well.

Got to think that the highly paid Temple football coaching staff has figured that out as well.

With Brown and Smith as the two-headed monster, that opens Sheppard up to do his thing and make players like JoJo Bermudez, Peter Clarke and Colin Chase even more explosive than they are.

That keeps the defense off the field but when the defense does return, it must find the “swag” or “Temple TUFF” play it had at USF particularly.

If so, Vegas’ confidence in the Owls will be rewarded with a five-point win instead of a five-point defeat. Got to think playing under the more demonstrative voice of Henry Baker vs. the soft-spoken countenance of Brian L. Smith will translate into a more confident defensive unit. This defense needs sacks, stripped fumbles, interceptions and tackles for losses and it needs to get them right now.

Temple TUFF has been missing for far too long. It must become more than an empty slogan and the defense specifically must get that message.

Friday: ECU Preview