Author Archives: Mike Gibson

12.06.14
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Plenty to Play For, Just Not a Bowl

Sadly, the final gameday of the season.

Sadly, the final gameday of the season.

There are a lot of people who live in a fantasy world who believe that a team without a significant fan base and no bowl tie-in is going to somehow magically appear in a bowl if it becomes qualified because of things like TV ratings and conference affiliations.

Count me out of that group.

There’s plenty to play for, though, tonight when Temple travels to Tulane (7:30).  The game is on a real ESPN network (the duece), not ESPN3 or ESPN News or ESPNU so there will be a significant potential audience out there. The Owls will be playing to avoid a third-straight losing season and that is important.

The fact that Temple has done nothing about an abysmal punt return game is symptomatic of a larger overall leadership problem.

The fact that Temple has done nothing about an abysmal punt return game is symptomatic of a larger overall leadership problem.

There is just not a bowl game on the line.

Temple is not going to a bowl game with a win on Saturday, even if it is a 63-point effort like the one it had three years ago in West Point. Temple’s elimination game was two weeks ago, not today, and the Owls rolled out an uninspired offensive game plan against Cincinnati that belied that sense of urgency. Forget the calls for a play-action passing game and some semblance of a running game. Why didn’t Temple even TRY to use a slippery punt returner like Nate L. Smith instead of John Christopher to at least artificially pump some juice into the team?

Temple got zero yards from its punt return game … again.  It got nothing from its run game … again.

Those are two things fans should hope at least are addressed tonight.

Temple’s bowl chances might have been dashed before the season even started when American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco “sold” the rights to the conference’s sixth bowl tie-in to none other than CUSA. It was a monumental blunder.

The irony of this is dripping.  Temple’s 8-4 team did not get into a bowl because the MAC had too few tie-ins and its 6-6 team will not get into a bowl because conferences like the MAC and CUSA have too many. This kind of stuff happens only to Temple. You cannot make this stuff up. Temple’s major reason for leaving the MAC was getting more opportunities for a bowl and now the conference they go to sell a bowl where Temple would have appeared.

Any Temple fans up for a couple of winter days in the Bahamas? Sorry, we sold that bowl.

In the same category was UCF’s miracle win over ECU on Thursday night. Temple had a slight chance of backing into the fifth tie-in if Memphis moved up to a BCS game but, for that to happen, Memphis would have had to win the league outright and Fresno State would have had to knock Boise State out in the Mountain West title game. A head-scratching UCF Hail Mary allowed UCF to share the title with Memphis and eliminated even that sliver of Temple hope.

So, in a sense, Temple was beaten again by a Hail Mary pass, leaving winning tonight and at least some momentum into next season as the best the Owls can reasonably hope to accomplish.

Even given that, only a backroom Hail Mary in a smoke-filled room on Bowl Selection Sunday can extend this season beyond today and those kind of plays never go Temple’s way.

12.04.14
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Throwback Thursday: Temple vs. Tulane

Programs for this Saturday's game will probably go for higher than 25 cents.

Programs for this Saturday’s game will probably go for higher than 25 cents.

After Tulane came back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Temple, 20-14, in the first Sugar Bowl, then Temple head coach Pop Warner said:

“We lost to a fine squad,” Warner said, “but our boys presented themselves well. Perhaps someday we will return.”

Like MacArthur said, “we have returned” even though it is 80 years later against the same opponent in the same town with either a lot or nothing on the line.

drop3

It’s not quite the Sugar Bowl, but it’s a few blocks away and will have all the limelight that comes with Saturday night nationally televised ESPN2 game. Even if the Owls are able to beat Tulane—and they have dropped from a 4.5 favorite to open to a 3-point favorite today—they are far from a lock to make a bowl game. The Owls have to hope 19-point favorite Oklahoma takes care of business against Oklahoma State in a rivalry game (3:30) earlier that afternoon and teams like Ohio, Middle Tennessee and UAB-Birmingham are passed over. It is not an ideal situation, especially when two analysts came on College Football Gameday making a pitch for UAB Birmingham being a great bowl story since it is dropping football.

Yulman Stadium ... site of the "Sugar Bowl" rematch.

Yulman Stadium … site of the “Sugar Bowl” rematch.

Temple, though, simply has to do something it has not done for weeks—take care of business. We’ve tried all season to give the Owls a roadmap to get things done but the Owls’ inexperienced coaching staff has been too stubborn in a belief of a flawed “process” to change. We don’t expect any change now, but still would like to the Owls attempt to establish the run behind a blocking fullback and a quick and talented tailback like Jahad Thomas, then throw off play-action. P.J. Walker has been struggling in the 3-4 wide sets and it only makes sense to provide him with some sort of max protect scheme so he can at least have time to fake to a running back and look down the field.

Common sense does not appear to be on the horizon, though, based on the process of the past few weeks. Tulane plays a nine-man front and would be susceptible to play-action, but to expect that now would be too much to ask. So get your popcorn ready and sit back expect to see 3-4 wide receivers attack a nine-man front and hope Temple’s defense can overcome that kind of convoluted gameplan.

As Terrell Owens might say, “It’s gonna be a show” but the entertainment value could be questionable.

Pop Warner would probably be turning over in his grave, perhaps muttering something about how he would have never hired an offensive coordinator from Tennessee-Chattanooga.

12.02.14
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The Road Less Traveled

Tommy Tuberville (left) coached is an outstanding head coach.

Tommy Tuberville (left) is an outstanding head coach and we’ll just leave it at that.

The only good news for Temple football this week is that AAC rivals Tulsa and SMU are about to hire assistant coaches. UConn did last year.

They might turn out to be great hires. They might turn out to be busts. That’s exactly the point. Since those guys have no history of making final decisions CEOs are supposed to make, like timeouts during the heat of battle, we do not know if they will turn out to be Vince Lombardi or Mike Gottfried.

We warned Matt Rhule what Tuberville would do when Temple went empty backfield. Apparently, he didn't get the memo.

We warned Matt Rhule what Tuberville would do when Temple went empty backfield. Apparently, he didn’t get the memo. Tuberville’s jailhouse blitz against an empty backfield resulted in a fumble that led to one of two Cincy touchdowns.

Cincinnati football was once where Temple football is now. In fact, it was much worse. Despite the loss on Saturday and four games prior to that, Temple STILL holds a 9-7-1 all-time lead in the series.

Now, though, Cincinnati it is in a much better place. A good exercise today would be examining just how the Bearcats got where they are now, from struggling to draw 10,000 a game in a pro football town to averaging over 30,000 and winning three of the last four titles in the history of the old Big East Conference and having enough of their own funds and fans to build their own state-of-the-art stadium.

Temple used to regularly kick Cincinnati's ass.

Temple used to regularly kick Cincinnati’s ass.

At some point, the athletic administration decided to take the guessing game out of the coaching hiring—forgive my use of this word– process. They decided to say “bleep it, we’re just going to hire the best head coach available.”

And it’s been a spectacularly successful strategy. From Brian Kelly to Butch Jones to Tommy Tuberville, all Cincinnati has done is hire guys who have won someplace else as a head coach before on a similar FBS level. It might result in a quicker turnover rate than an institution would want, but the tradeoff of wins and championships is more than worth it and kids, being as resilient as they are, have a knack of getting over the number of coaching changes if the result is more winning.

If Tommy Tuberville moves on, chances are Cincinnati will just go out and get the best FBS head coach available and, while the players might cry for five minutes, the school will be laughing all the way to the bank.

In the AAC today, it apparently is the road less traveled but the one with the promise of far fewer potholes ahead. It might be a lesson Temple has to learn in three years, if the program is still here by then.

bothered

11.30.14
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Truth Hurts: There Will Be No Bowl

Tommy Tuberville coolly counted down the seconds with his glove to call timeout at the appropriate times to beat Temple yesterday, a stark contrast to his counterpart.

Tommy Tuberville coolly counted down the seconds with his glove to call timeout at the appropriate times to beat Temple yesterday, a stark contrast to his counterpart.

That old saying that “the truth hurts” came in the press conference after Temple’s 14-6 loss to Cincinnati and it was offered up in helpings in this Thanksgiving Day leftover:

“Every game there are different reasons why you win or you lose. I put this game squarely on me,” Temple head coach Matt Rhule said. “Mismanagement of the clock, mismanagement of timeouts, timeouts down the stretch that we had to use early on for ridiculous reasons that the head coach is responsible for. That hurt us. We didn’t have a chance to stop the clock or keep that game going despite the really heroic effort from those guys on defense. As I told the team, that’s on me. There’s nobody else you can point at.”

He’e right, for one of the few times this season. Really, though, was anyone surprised?

"Every game there are different reasons why you win or you lose. I put this game squarely on me. Mismanagement of the clock, mismanagement of timeouts, timeouts down the stretch that we had to use early on for ridiculous reasons that the head coach is responsible for ..."

“Every game there are different reasons why you win or you lose. I put this game squarely on me. Mismanagement of the clock, mismanagement of timeouts, timeouts down the stretch that we had to use early on for ridiculous reasons that the head coach is responsible for …”

This guy uses timeouts like they are eight in each half, not three, and it has been going on like this for almost two full years now. Timeouts for things that should have been taken care of during the week in that $17 million practice facility Temple University paid money for by paid professionals who Temple University is paying good money to do those jobs. St. Joseph’s Prep, a team that practices a few blocks away 17th and Thompson’s Brady Athletic Field, gets those things done during the week and is flawless on gameday because of it but Temple does not and is not.

This game was over long before it should have because those paid professionals are not doing the jobs they are paid to do and, because of that–win or no win over Tulane–there will be no bowl. Temple is limping to the end of the season, much like the 2010 team limped to an 8-4 record that nobody wanted. The numbers are just not good for Temple. There CURRENTLY are 80 teams bowl eligible for 76 slots and there will be more eligible teams after next week.

There is a very real chance that even with a win over Tulane–and that’s not a given due to the fact that this coaching staff refuses to use a blocking fullback to even TRY to jump-start an anemic running game–no one will want this team, either.

Fans left the game with five minutes left because they knew there was no way Temple could stop the clock  due to the incompetence of the coaching staff.  By the time they got to the parking lot, the game was on several televisions and those fans could see a clear image of Cincinnati Tommy Tuberville counting down 3 … 2 … 1 … with his gloves and then pointing to the official to call a timeout.

That was a telling image. A paid professional clearly in control of the situation, with the paid professional on the other side of the field acting like a turkey with his head cut off.

11.21.14
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Denial: A Broken Water Main at 10th and Diamond

That old saying that “Denial is More than a River in Egypt” apparently extends all the way to 10th and Diamond and that’s at least 10 long blocks from nearly any body of water, unless you are counting broken water mains.

At least that’s my most disappointing takeaway from Matt Rhule’s post-game comments after the Penn State loss above in the latest edition of Matt Rhule Weekly, especially the remarks about P.J. Walker’s play.

Rhule said P.J. is going to have to stop throwing interceptions and that’s reasonable but I really have to ask if Rhule is seeing the same things on the interceptions I am and a lot of Temple fans are—a guy who has to duck out of a rush like Houdini out of a straitjacket just in time see every receiver covered. The poor kid is just trying to make a play on most of those interceptions because he’s getting no separation and plenty of pressure.

Putting this on P.J. is really a heavy dose of denial by Rhule, even though he also adds in the qualifier “it’s on us as coaches, too.”  Yet the coaches have done nothing to make things easier for the most talented quarterback who has come to North Philadelphia since Adam DiMichele.

Harvard checking in, hopefully head coach Tim Murphy who completed an unbeaten season on Saturday.

Harvard checking in, hopefully head coach Tim Murphy who completed an unbeaten season on Saturday.

If he thinks things are going to get better if P.J. “just stops throwing interceptions” then he’s only kidding himself. There is a much larger issue here.

This whole offense is a cluster-bleep disaster delivered to Philadelphia by FedEx direct from Chattanooga, the last stop of his current OC. A trifecta of no running game, no wide receiver separation and no quarterback protection.

These problems are not insurmountable and that’s where Rhule should step in and assert his authority. Establish the run with the left side of the offensive line, behind future NFL tackle Dion Dawkins and future NFL center Kyle Friend. Give P.J. a blocking fullback, both to help in the run and pass protection. (Yes, I know Kenny Harper is on crutches, but if he can’t go, Marc Tyson can do the job.) Make P.J. a little more comfortable by featuring old state championship high school teammate Jahad Thomas—in federal witness protection since 157 rushing yards against Tulsa–as the tailback behind those blocks and someone to dump a screen pass off to in times of trouble.

Stop with the empty backfields and the three wides, four if you split out the tight end like Marcus Satterfield has been doing since ECU. Bring Colin Thompson, who blocks like a really good offensive lineman, in for max protect and to flare out for easy peezy outlet passes. (If you don’t know what those are, see Chester Stewart to Evan Rodriguez, Maryland game, 2011.) Use plenty of play-action, sticking the ball into Jahad’s belly and pulling it out, to bring the linebackers and safeties up in run support and give the receivers a better chance to get open. ROLL P.J. OUT AWAY FROM THE RUSH, where he’s made some of his best throws this season.

Tommy Tuberville is a damn good coach. Here’s an easy prediction to make: Every time Temple goes into an empty backfield, Tuberville will send more rushers than Temple can block and the end result will not be pretty. So maybe the Owls should never show the empty backfield look. Tuberville has Temple film. He’s salivating at the prospect of sending his best linebacker, ironically named Nick Temple, through the A gap, for sacks and tipped balls. Every time Temple goes “dog stare” into an empty backfield, Tuberville knows what defense to call.

Yes, P.J. Walker has to stop throwing interceptions but Rhule—not Satterfield, since he’s the CEO—has to at least give him more help. There’s no Robbie Anderson anymore and Temple cannot be running the same Robbie Anderson offense, especially in these last two most important games of the season.

It hasn’t worked for 10 games and that should be more than enough of a sample to dictate real change.

11.19.14
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Two Weeks to Get Something (Different) Done

This is what Temple fans have been seeing all year, no separation between the wr (left) and the corner.

This is what Temple fans have been seeing all year, no separation between the wr (left) and the defender.

When it comes to people saying intelligent things, it’s hard to beat what Albert Einstein once said about the definition of insanity being doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.

If Temple loses out, and I think the chances of that happening are about even right now, that quote will be the story of the season—at least on the offensive side of the ball. For 10 games, the Owls have gotten no wide receiver separation and no quarterback protection from their three- and four-wide receiver sets, yet go through the “process” of sticking with those ill-advised formations in the hopes the process eventually clicks. Newflash: It’s not going to click.

In this photo, the left side of the Owl line is doing a good job blocking, but things break down on the right for P.J. when one guy cannot hold his block. Why not establish the run first to the left, then give P.J. time to throw with play action? Mystifying.

In this photo, the left side of the Owl line is doing a good job blocking, but things break down on the right for P.J. when one guy cannot hold his block. Why not establish the run first to the left, then give P.J. time to throw with play action? Mystifying. P.J. has no time and is sacked by No. 91.

After 10 games of futility, I do not see this process leading to different results. Two weeks to try something different. Max protect for a beleaguered—yet very talented—quarterback and give him some time to throw down the field. Establish at least a semblance of running. Throw off play action to give the receivers a chance at separation. Make some of the LBs and safeties come up to support the run and then dump the ball over their heads to for big run-after-catch opportunities.

Almost two weeks to get something done. Something different, not more insanity in Games 11 and 12 that we saw in 1-10.

Albert Einstein would no doubt approve.

In this photo, Temple rushes so few players against Hackenburg, 6 PSU blockers can occupy 3 Temple rushers. Ugh. Must be part of the "process." The passive approach on defense opened up the "A" gap for No. 22 and he has a big gain on this play.

In this photo, Temple rushes so few players against Hackenburg, 6 PSU blockers can occupy 3 Temple rushers. Ugh. Must be part of the “process.” The passive approach on defense opened up the “A” gap for No. 22 and he has a big gain on this play.