Author Archives: Mike Gibson

03.10.09
by

Owls trade one (St. Joe) Prep quarterback for another

…Congratulations to the 2009 Atlantic 10 champion Temple basketball Owls and we expect no less than a MAC championship for the 2009 Temple football Owls…

Highlights of Aaron Haas from the 2008 football season in the beautiful tree-lined setting of Western Massachusetts.
By Mike Gibson
When I was in high school, I watched someone named Bobby Haas ring up 51 points on Archbishop Ryan’s basketball team.
I wrote in the Raiderscope, the school paper, that “Frankie Boyle held Bobby Haas to 51 points” in a 59-44 Bishop McDevitt win.

“It goes to show how many quality players inhabit the Prep’s program that a quarterback who looks this good (touch, accuracy, long-ball capability) had to wait so long to get onto the field.” _ Ted Silary
Philadelphia high school guru after Haas’ first game as quarterback

I don’t know if Aaron Haas is any relation to Bobby Haas (probably not), but I’ve never seen a bad performance by a Haas on either a basketball court or a football field.
And I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Aaron Haas play a few times, who was an All-Catholic at St. Joseph’s Prep.
You can judge for yourself by the above video, but I was struck by the number of times his post-grad (Mass.) offensive coordinator called upon him to run to his left and make a throw.
Since he’s right-handed, that’s an awkward and unnatural throw, but Haas executed it well.
Why not have the kid run right and throw right, a more fluid and easy toss?
Just a thought for Matt Rhule to consider.
He’s a good quarterback who has flown under the radar for a couple of years and will now improve Temple’s somewhat bleak picture (at least from a depth standpoint) at quarterback as a preferred walk-on.
How good?
Well, good enough to beat out one-time Temple verbal Mark Giubilato for the St. Joseph’s Prep starting quarterback job two years ago. When you compare 21 touchdown passes for Haas in the same offense against just seven for Giubilato, that’s a pretty good tradeoff.
Effectively, the Owls have traded one St. Joe Prep quarterback for another.
Knowing that Giubilato is very, very good that makes me feel a lot more comfortable about the Owls going into 2009.
Whether they get the best of the deal remains to be seen but they’ve done no worse than provide 25 percent more depth at the most important position on the field and that was a priority since Feb. 4.

03.01.09
by

Update: I hit the Megaball!

Tuesday’s New Jersey lottery (March 3, 2009) is $212 million. I try not to go into New Jersey, if I can avoid it, so I got a friend and co-worker to buy five quickpicks for the Megaball. UPDATE as of March 4: I hit the Megaball!, which was No. 10. Unfortunately, that’s all I hit. That should net me a cool $2. As promised, half will go to Temple. I will keep trying to hit the big one, though. This is an oldie-but-goodie (or at least a lot of you have said so) post I wrote when the Pennsylvania powerball reached $365 million in 2006. Some hick from West Virginia won it then. He won it, squandered it already and had all sorts of bad things happen to him. I would have put it to much better use.
This block serves as my binding legal promissory note to give half of the $212 million or cash equivalent to Temple football. Temple lawyers won’t even have to take me to court. As soon as the $212 million or the cash option is in my bank account, I will transfer half to Temple via the Xtra Point Club. People who know me understand that I always have been a man of my word. Money won’t change that.
The following post first appeared on this site in 2006:
_Mike Gibson

By Mike Gibson
As a young man, I was into the music of Chapin.
Not Chopin. Chapin. Harry Chapin.
Saw him at a concert at the old Temple University Music Festival. He played there about six or seven times and I saw every Chapin concert.
There was something about his music that touched a, pardon the expression, chord with me.
All My Life’s A Circle, Taxi, etc., great, great songs.
A Chapin concert was an almost spiritual experience. No one put on a show like Harry. He’d do six, seven, eight encores. Plenty of good-looking women at these concerts, too. Just a fun, fun time.
As long as the roadies and the crew were into it, Harry would play.
The songs, to me, are timeless.
There was one thing, though, I wondered about Harry, who died in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway on July 16, 1981.
After every concert, there’d be a big gathering in the back of the tent, what is now the Ambler Campus parking lot. Chapin would sell T-Shirts and other memorabilia to combat “World Hunger.”
At first, I was really into it.
“Yeah, let’s eliminate world hunger,” I’d say after the first year.
Then the second year came.
And the third.
And the fourth.
Harry collected all this money and world hunger was getting worse, not better.
Billions and billions of dollars were collected for world hunger by well-meaning Harry Chapins of the world and it was not solving the problem.
Heck, it wasn’t even making a dent into the problem.
I came to the conclusion that there are some things you could throw money at and not make a difference, like World Hunger.
That there are other problems that money could solve.
Like Temple Football.
After that Epiphany, I came to the conclusion if I ever had millions I could throw half of what I had toward Temple football and I could solve much of what had ailed the Owls over these last 25 years.Think about it. Saturday’s powerball is now $365 million. If I win, I promise right now to give Temple football, via the Xtra Point Drive, half.
What could Temple football buy with a, say, $182 million donation?

    Here are some ideas:

  • Half payment (about $90 million) on a 40K campus stadium, to be completed sometime after Temple’s current 15-year lease runs out at Lincoln Financial Field;
  • 10,000 season tickets to be given to the 10,000 students currently living on campus or players on high school football teams in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in order to create a cadre of young fans;
  • Enough commercial minutes to sponsor live TV for every Temple road game (to also help build a following);
  • A weekly coaches show on Comcast with current coach Al Golden providing highlights and commentary on each Owl game;
  • A revolving contract that would reward Golden, and his staff, based on performance and guarantee that if the performance (i.e., wins) warrants it, Temple would have the financial resources to match whatever offer he’d get elsewhere.

Unlike its impact on world hunger, money would help Temple build a following and win and winning would solve Temple’s football image problem.
It bears repeating the powerball for Saturday is $365 million.
I know there’s not a snowball’s chance in heck I’ll win but, if I do, do I really need the $365 million to live a lifestyle that would make me happy?
Heck no.
All I need is a modest hurricane-proof house in the Tampa area for seven months a year, a new Subaru and a new place in the Poconos.
The Florida house would be $500K, the Subaru $20K, the place in the Poconos $500K. Max. Throw in a couple million a year for spending money for the next 10 years and I’m good to go.What else would make me happy?
A rampaging group of angry Owls kicking some serious college football butt, exacting their revenge for 15 years of humiliation with 15 years of glorious victories.
I know it’s selfish, but it’s my money.
I’d settle for half the lottery winnings, minus annuity and taxes and the like and give half to Temple football.
Sorry, world hunger.
Been there, done that.

02.19.09
by

Temple vs. Villanova? This means War


Al Golden (left) accepts surrender sword from Andy Talley after game.
By Mike Gibson
I have to admit I was more than a little nervous when the renewal of the Villanova-Temple football series was announced three years ago.
Geez, I thought then as I do now, Andy Talley is a pretty good coach.
On days when it is not playing Temple, Villanova is my second-favorite college team (Penn is the third favorite, as you can see, I like local college football) and I know Talley’s coaching style as well as any outsider.
I’m one of those rare individuals who walk into a bar and ask them to put on Villanova-Delaware when Temple’s not playing.
Talley can flat-out coach and, quite frankly, a young guy like Al Golden probably is overmatched against him.
I figured that whatever talent advantage Golden could get could be nullified the crafty old field General.
Today, three years later, I am more convinced than ever that Talley is probably a better game coach than Al Golden is and that’s no insult to Al Golden.
Talley is probably a better game day coach than 90 percent of the other guys out there. He’s just found a niche a ‘Nova and loves it so much he never wanted to go anywhere else. Talley loves the Philadelphia area and he doesn’t throw his name into the ring whenever any higher-profile opening becomes available.
There’s a lot to admire about that.
He’s good. Real good.
As convinced as I am about that, I’m even more convinced than ever about this:
By 10 p.m. or so, on Thursday night, Sept. 3, 2009, Temple will walk off the field a 20-point or so winner over Villanova.
Or thereabouts.
At least.
Say, 34-13.
I’m writing that on Feb. 19 with the full knowledge someone will clip it, save it and show it to me on Sept. 4.
I hope it’s to tell me that I should have had more confidence in our defense.
I’m concerned about Villanova having 16 starters back from a 10-3 team.
I’m concerned about the mental advantage Talley has over Golden, concerned that Villanova has two quarterbacks, Chris Whitney and Antwan Young, who have been more productive on the college level than anyone Temple currently has, but nonetheless but mark it down.
Golden will beat Talley.
Temple will beat Villanova.
This Epiphany came to me not in a dream but as a result of some deep football and war games thinking developed recently.
I’m a football and a Civil War nut and I’ll make this analogy.
Andy Talley is Robert E. Lee and Al Golden is Grant The Butcher.
You know how that turned out.
Robert E. Lee had the strategy part down pat. He could maneuver circles around most Union generals, who were afraid of a growing body count and were too timid to attack the smaller Army of Northern Virginia.
Then Grant came along, correctly figured he had more men and materials than Lee and would just keep throwing those men and that material at Lee until he wore him out.
Body count be damned.
So he was called Grant T. Butcher.
I checked the signing list the Daily News had on Feb. 4 for Villanova. Twelve guys.
I checked the signing list the Daily News had on Feb. 4 for Temple. Twenty-eight guys, with 15 additional redshirts eligible for a grand total of 43 newcomers (or 40).
Additionally, Temple, the best I can tell, has 21 guys on a roster of 105 capable running in the neighborhood of a 4.5 40-yard dash, counting defensive backs, running backs and wide receivers.

Now if Golden was William Tecumseh Sherman (the guy who burned Atlanta), he’d be up 54-9 with a minute left and calling timeouts trying to get to 60.
It won’t happen, but oh how I wish Golden becomes Sherman that night.

Villanova has four on a roster about half as large.
Grant had a plan. Now Golden’s plan is coming to fruition.
His plan has been a simple one: Keep bringing in high-quality talent and then call in the reserves. For the first time last year, he was able to redshirt 15 guys.
That’s a pretty nice force in reserve.
With 20 less scholarships for football, Villanova doesn’t have that luxury.
Golden, like Grant, will keep throwing bodies at Villanova.
Bigger, faster, meaner, leaner, bodies.
As Joe Paterno has said, “Temple doesn’t have any fat guys.”
Yes, both teams play 11 guys at a time but when Temple’s guys are bigger, faster, stronger across the board it’s not really that fair a fight.
That’s OK with me because it eases my nervousness about Talley’s impact on the game. He could win a quarter or two but, by the third at the latest, both lines will be overwhelming the Villanova lines on a fairly consistent basis.
The ‘Cats won’t be able to block Mark D’Onofrio’s defense and they will be largely ineffective against Temple’s offense because the Owls could have an athletic line that averages 300 pounds across the front. That’s a lot of big, gaping holes for a 4.4-40 guy like James Nixon or a 4.5-40 guy like Kee-Ayre Griffin to run through.
It could get ugly, but it won’t because Golden, like Grant, will graciously accept Talley’s sword at the end of the game and kneel on the ball rather than run it up.
Now if Golden was William Tecumseh Sherman (the guy who burned Atlanta), he’d be up 54-9 with a minute left and calling timeouts trying to get to 60.
It won’t happen, but oh how I wish Golden becomes Sherman that night.
Hell, this is War and War is Hell.
Or at least it should be for Villanova.

02.01.09
by

Meet the 2009 Temple recruits


Highlight video of Jerry Watters, Camden Catholic.
By Mike Gibson
By Wednesday, you’ll be reading the list of Temple football recruits in the two major Philadelphia newspapers.
That will be a rough draft because it doesn’t become official until the signed National Letters of Intent reach the Edberg-Olson Center at Temple University.
By Wednesday at 4 p.m., the list will be a rock-solid one of commitments with signed signatures.
I’ve gone over the lists of the two scouting services and come up with information on 90 percent of the class. If I’ve left out one or two guys, I apologize and we’ll get to you after your signatures are received.
With that in mind, here’s a sneak peak at your 2009 Temple Owls:
CODY BOHLER, OL, Immaculata (N.J.) High _ This 6-foot-7, 300-pound behemoth came up with one of the two best recruiting quotes of the season. “I’m super excited for Temple,” the Somerville, N.J. native said. “They are the greatest bunch of guys I’ve ever met.” More importantly, he’ll pancake any defender headed for a Cherry and White quarterback. Opened huge holes for Notre Dame RB recruit Theo Riddick. They’ll likely close once Riddick gets to South Bend.
LEVI BROWN, DL, Bethlehem Liberty _ Extremely athletic for a 6-3, 312 body and comes from the same school as Temple sophomore running back Ahkeem Smith, so there is a familiarity and comfort level at Temple for him. Also led his team to a large school state championship. Probably has the ability to play right away or at least compete for a starting spot.
BLAZE CAPONEGRO, FB/LB, Wall Township (N.J.) _ Gotta love the 4.5 speed for a fullback, who one paper referred to as the “best fullback in the state” and that’s when he was a junior. We’ve chronicled his achievements here before. He was named Asbury Park Press Offensive Player of the Year. In his final high school game, he carried the ball 40 times for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Probably will get the Owls a lot of first downs on third and twos and fourth and ones.

CHRIS COYER, QB, Oakton (Va.) _ Despite what you hear from one naysayer (not even a Temple fan, we understand) on the Scout.com message board, was offered a scholarship by Ohio State as a “condition of a visit” a week ago. The specific coaches were coach Nick Siciliano and coach Joe Daniels, assistants to Jim Tressel. If you run into either, ask them. The offer was tendered and it was real and firm. It doesn’t matter, though. All that matters is that Temple now has two quarterbacks in this class who can throw AND run at a high level. That’s two more than they had after Adam DiMichele played his last game. Extremely smart kid who can figure out complicated mathematical equations in his head. Great-great uncle was the late Dr. Harry A. Cochran, Dean of the Business School at Temple from 1939-60.
KADEEM CUSTIS, OL, Neumann-Goretti _ An argument can be made that Kadeem is the jewel of this class, if you go by the stars and we’re not talking astrology here. Custis is, depending upon the scouting service, a three- or four-star recruit. He’s 6-5, 275 and he can run. Offered by West Virginia, North Carolina State and Pitt but chose Temple.
ELIJAH GRANT, OL, Piscataway, N.J. _ Teammate of heralded Owl defensive end Aaron Hush, who is also part of this incoming class. Grant is 6-5 and 340 and a punishing run-blocker.
AARON HUSH, DE, Piscataway, N.J. _ Hush is the defensive player of the year as named by two large Central New Jersey newspapers, the Bridgewater Courier-News and the Home News of New Brunswick. He’s 6-4, 211 pounds and extremely quick to the quarterback. I’ve always said that the key to winning in football, taking turnovers out of the equation, is protecting your quarterback’s backside and putting the other guy’s quarterback on his ass. Grant and Custis will do the former; Hush the latter.
ALEX JACKSON, DE/TE, New Berlin, N.Y. (via Fla.) _ Temple coach Al Golden offered Jackson upon seeing him play a basketball game in Florida. Not unheard of since former Dallas Cowboy Cornell Green never played football until he arrived in Dallas and Gil Brandt offered him a contract based on Green’s college basketball. Green became an all-pro. Jackson is a super athlete, a 6-4, 215-pound end, with great hands and 4.4 speed. Not too many quarterbacks (read: none) will be running away from him.
MARCUS GREEN, LB, Scotch Plains, N.J. _ A guy who had an amazing 16 tackles in a 26-20 win over Warren Hills on Nov. 15. I like that. I’ll take performance on the field over 40 speed and vertical leap any day. A good enough pedigree and perfect size (6-1, 225) and speed (4.53 40) to compete for one of the linebacker spots.
MAURICE JONES, DB, Chatham, Va. _ Comes from one of the best high school football leagues on the Eastern seaboard and was also recruited (and offered by a number of BCS schools). Signed with the Owls last year, but is back after a brief stop at Hargrave Military Academy (Va.). Is 5-10 and 178 and will probably compete for a cornerback spot.
BRANDON McMANUS, K, North Penn _ All you need to know that about Brandon is that he was rated the No. 3 kicker in the country last summer. It’s also nice to know that McManus had 58 touchbacks in 70 attempts last year for the 14-1 Knights. You can count the number of touchbacks Temple kickers had last year on one hand, minus the thumb.
DEON MILLER, WR, Fork Union, Va. _ Gives the Owls what they haven’t had in recent years, a 6-6 wide receiver who is a blitz-buster. All Temple quarterbacks will have to do is see the blitz, time a pass to Miller (ala Plaxico Burris) and any sane defensive coordinator will call off the dogs.
GARY ONUEKWUSI, LB, Baltimore Dunbar _ At 6-1, 215, this linebacker is a freak of an athlete whose highlights are available on Utube and pretty easily accessed. They are the only highlights connected with any Onuekwusi in the world. He was a first-team LB on the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro team.
BYRON PARKER, DB, Virginia Beach _ Also a defensive back who received numerous BCS offers, Parker ended up at Temple due to some solid legwork by Al Golden, who tracked him down via contacts at the University of Virginia. Parker is listed as an “athlete” by Temple, so he could play DB, offense or special teams. He’s 5-11, 173 and scary fast (4.45 40).
DEONTE PARKER, Lakeland (Fla.) _ A DB not to be confused with Byron (no relation), Deonte was the unquestioned defensive star of the Lakeland (Fla.) Dreadnaughts, the USA Today’s No. 1 team of the 2004 season. He took a long and winding road to Temple, via California, but we’re glad he’s here.
CHRIS PARTHEMORE, TE, Camp Hill, PA _ Gotta love a 6-4, 275-pound tight end with great hands and 4.7 speed and Owl fans will. First team Harrisburg Patriot-News all-area tight end.
SHAHID PAULHILL, DT, North Catholic _ One of five Temple Owls who started in last year’s Big 33 game. He made a pair of solo stops and three assisted tackles in the win over Ohio’s best high school players. He’s 6-4, 275 and eligible to play spring ball after a season at Fork Union.
BERNARD PIERCE, TB, Glen Mills _ One of the sleepers in the class, if you can call a sleeper a guy who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. Glen Mills plays an independent schedule and, even though it is located in suburban Philadelphia doesn’t get much coverage in the local media, except for this story. Pierce is legit, though, a speedster who shows up at the leader of the sprints every week in the Philadelphia Track and Field Coaches Association rankings.
GEOFFREY PRATHER, LB, Archbishop Carroll _ A big-time linebacker out of the Philadelphia Catholic League a year ago, Prather honed his skills at Valley Forge Military Academy this past season and put himself in a position to win a starting job on Mark D’Onofrio’s defense. He’s 6-2, 196 and runs a 4.6 40. Decked out in all that Temple Owl garb, the former first-team All-Catholic has the best mug shot on this page.
DARRYL PRINGLE, OL, Reading High _ He’s 6-7, 300 pounds and athletic. Golden spotted him during a basketball agility drill at the Al Golden Camp during the summer, called him over, and offered him a scholarship on the spot. Has improved every year. Made second-team all-league two years ago and first-team all-league this season so he’s combining raw talent with technique.
EVAN REGAS, OL, Toms River (N.J.) _ In the same league, both literally and figuratively, as Wall Township’s Cody Bohler both in their size (6-4, 323) and enthusiasm to make an impact at Temple.
JERRY WATTERS, WR, Camden Catholic _ Watters has potential to make an immediate impact as a punt returner and slot receiver. The 5-foot-10, 167-pounder has 4.5 speed and dynamic moves in the open field. His film reminds me of former Widener (and Atlanta Falcons) star, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson. Maybe call him Jerry “Running” Watters. Or not. He was the first verbal of the Class of 2009.
Others scheduled to arrive who we haven’t found photos and/or news stories of include Jeffrey Whittingham (DT, Atlantic City), Ryan Murray (Bok), Kwame Johnson (Valley Forge Military Academy) and Justin Gildea (Hollidaysburg).

01.22.09
by

Star of USA Today’s No. 1 high school team takes first classes at Temple

By Mike Gibson
One of the coolest things about new Temple football recruit Deonte Parker is that he once played for a team called the Lakeland (Fla.) Dreadnaughts.
Dreadnaughts, of British warship fame in World War I.
Another cool thing is that he once was a star at Lakeland when it was ranked No. 1 in the USA Today’s Super 25 high school teams. Here is an account of a win over Cape Corral (Fla.) that year.
That’s not the coolest thing about the 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back, though.
The coolest thing is that he was sitting behind a desk in classroom at Temple University on Tuesday, enrolled as a Temple student.



The only known
photo of Deonte Parker

That means he gets to kick butt not only in the classroom but on the practice field in a few weeks when spring practice begins at the Edberg-Olson Football Complex.
According to various reports yesterday and today on OwlsDaily.com, Parker is one of three new Temple players enrolled in the school and eligible for spring practice.
The other two are defensive end Alex Jackson (also from Florida) and defensive back Maurice Jones, last a cornerback at Hargrave Military Academy. Those are just the confirmed guys. We’re scouring the Temple class list for names of other probable Temple verbals already enrolled. Once we confirm some other names are enrolled and taking classes, we’ll include them here.
So far, only three guys in the current JUCO group.
They’ll join at least 22 high school guys when the official class is announced early in Feb.
All big-time guys.
All could have gone anywhere.
All chose Temple.

12.19.08
by

Golden’s Acres of Diamonds

Bernard Pierce’s highlight video.



Kadeem Custis (78) attracts a crowd of friends when he’s not bringing violence to the football.
South Philly Review photo

By Mike Gibson
Back in the day, as the kids like to say, Russell Conwell was even more of an icon on the national level than Bill Cosby is now.
In Conwell’s case, “The day” was about two centuries ago, before today’s 21st Century and before the 20th Century noted for a couple of big World Wars.
It was the latter part of the 19th Century, only a decade or so after Custer’s Last Stand at the Battle of Little Big Horn, and Conwell was a noted lecturer who packed them in across the country on a regular basis, long before TV and radio. One of his most famous talks was about a man who searched the world for wealth, only to come home and find “Acres of Diamonds” in his backyard.
Conwell also founded one of the largest and most respected universities in the country, a school that currently is the 6th largest educator of professionals in the nation and its 38th largest university.
He called it Temple University, after the Baptist Temple on campus that still stands.
Temple football coach Al Golden knows all about Russell Conwell. The night before he was named head coach in December of 2005, he stayed at the Conwell Inn and read up all about Conwell. He even mentioned the founder in his initial press conference.
Since then, Golden has remained true to the Conwellian philosophy when it comes to recruiting prospective student-athletes for the university.
To be sure, Golden travels pretty much all over the country for talent but pretty much settles on the great bulk of it within a couple of hours drive time to the school.
So it was on Thursday that Golden found a couple of diamonds in his backyard, plucking a couple of gems who could probably leave their front porches and be on the practice field in, oh, about 20 minutes.
Oh yeah.
They could have went anywhere.
They chose Temple.
One of the guys is a three-star lineman, Kadeem Custis, of Neumann-Goretti, a 6-5, 275-pound tackle who had standing offers from West Virginia, Pitt, Connecticut, Maryland and North Carolina State. He even made an official visit to West Virginia last week, one week after making an official visit to Temple. When he checked and rechecked his list, West Virginia kept coming up on the short end compared to spending the next four years in the city he loves so much.
You could say Custis’ Last Stand will be as an Owl, but we won’t. We’re calling it Custis’ next-to-last stand because we really feel he will get coached up to where he will have an opportunity to play on Sundays if he works hard.
Another guy is Glen Mills’ tailback Bernard Pierce, a 6-foot, 205-pound speedster who only ran for an eye-opening 1,534 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
With those two, Golden hit the Mother Lode of Acres of Diamonds in a single day.
He’s not done, though.
Another player from Valley Forge, cornerback Kwame Johnson, committed this week.
They join three players from New Jersey who also committed in recent days, defensive end Aaron Hush (Piscataway), linebacker Marcus Green (Fanwood) and linebacker/fullback Blaze Caponegro of Wall Township.
Maybe Hudson Catholic’s Jason Hendricks commits today, tomorrow or the next.
If we forgot anyone, we apologize. We’ll get to profile everybody in the next month or so.
Meanwhile, for selfish purposes, we’d like to see a high-achieving quarterback with the ability of an Andrew Shoop (Danville) or Jeffrey Legree (Fork Union, Va., via Brooklyn) joining this group in the coming days. Temple has two very good quarterbacks now in Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart, along with St. Joseph’s Prep Mark Giubilato but we’d like to see five in the mix and a great one emerge by September.
Hopefully, both Legree and Shoop will be up for the Temple Challenge, as Cosby likes to call it.
If he were alive today, Conwell might have used his own “back-in-the-day” verbage to say the same thing and we think whatever he came up with would have been jaw-dropping.
Sort of like the commitment list Al Golden currently is putting together.

12.17.08
by

Owls’ pass rush plans are Hush-Hush


By Mike Gibson
You can say that the Temple pass rush plans for next season are definitely Hush-Hush.
But you’d be only half right.
If, as expected, Piscataway (N.J.) High School’s Aaron Hush earns a spot in the defensive end rotation he’ll be half of the collapsing pocket from one side.
Two of the keys to winning in college football, minus turnovers, are putting the other guy’s quarterback on his backside and keeping your quarterback off his backside.

Coming soon … Jason Hendricks?
“(Temple) beat Tennessee in a really good game and the atmosphere was just awesome. The fans were just really loud and crazy. … right now I’m leaning very heavily toward committing to Temple.”
_Hudson (N.J.) Catholic tailback Jason Hendricks, Dec. 16, 2008, in an interview with Scout.com


Temple has addressed its needs along the offensive line for the past two seasons and should be in good shape from a protection standpoint in 2009.
Now, with some of the final slots left in this 25-man recruiting class, the Owls are coming at the problem from the other side.
Hush, the Home News Tribune Defensive Player of the Year, is one of the solutions. Hush gave a solid verbal to the Owls today.
He’s quick, he’s big (6-3, 240) and he’ll likely get in the face of Temple opposing quarterbacks all next year.
For sure, the Owls have some other pieces of the pass rush in place next year and Hush is just one more huge piece of the puzzle.
In fact, Hush might be the final word on what figures to be a very loud and nasty Owl defensive front.

12.11.08
by

10 reasons why a football recruit should attend Temple

This post was first published a few days after Al Golden’s first sit-down interview as a Temple head coach and it was Channel 3 Sports Director Beasley Reece who pulled off the coup. … in the middle of this recruiting stretch drive, it bears repeating today …
By Mike Gibson
A former big-time college and later NFL player, Beasley Reece has seen his share of pitches from the best recruiters.
So Reece, the sports director at KYW-TV Channel 3, knew what questions to ask and what answers a prospective recruit would want to hear during a Christmas Night interview with new Temple football coach Al Golden.
Reece asked, then listened.
When it was over, he took a deep breath and said
“wow.”
That spoke volumes.
What he did next in front of millions of potential viewers spoke even more.
“Coach, you sold me,” Reece said, reaching out to shake Golden’s hand. “Where do I sign?”
Golden broke out into a big smile.
“We’d love to have you.”
Sold.
One member of the crusty, mostly anti-Temple-football, Philadelphia media.
Selling the kids should be easy by comparison.
There are plenty of good reasons for a potential football recruit to attend Temple.
Here are just 10:
10. Facilities. Without question, the top facilities
for a prospective football athlete in the Mid-American Conference. A chance to play
in the best stadium in America, the $521 million
Lincoln Financial Field. A chance to practice in a
relatively new Edberg-Olson Complex, a $7 million
facility that includes weight rooms, locker rooms,
football offices and a brand new $500,000 spongy sprinturf field.
9. City. Philadelphia has been called the “next great
American city” by National Geographic Magazine. That
is particularly true for college-age kids. The city is
alive with nightlife, particularly in hotbed areas
like South Street and Manyunk. Philadelphia, along
with other great college towns like San Diego, Calif.,
and Austin, Texas, is so hot that it was chosen as a
Mecca for a Real World series on MTV. The young, hip producers MTV employs are paid a lot of money to pick the right towns for this series and they don’t make mistakes. As Paris Hilton
would say, that’s hot. So is Philly.
8. Campus. Over a $1 billion in investment in
buildings and infrastructure on the main Temple campus in the last 10 years alone. Peter J. Liacouras’ dream of a “Temple Town” is becoming a reality. There’s the
elegant Conwell Inn on campus, offering the amenities of a great hotel. There’s a terrific campus bar and restaurant in the Draught Horse. There’s an understated bar in Max’s on Liacouras Walk. And there are 10,000 students living on campus, making it
come alive at night with excitement.
7. Academics. Temple has a solid reputation
academically and from that standpoint alone is the most prestigious university in the Mid-American Conference. Its Fox Business School is ranked in the top 10 in the nation in several categories and its School of Communications and Theater is ranked in the
top 10 in America. Temple is the 6th largest educator
of professionals in the United States. Its School of
Dentistry is considered the best in the East. U.S. News and World Report in its December, 2005 issue rated Temple University as the “most desirable destination school” among any urban school in the nation, beating out such high-profile schools as Boston College, UCLA and USC. It said Temple’s location so close to downtown Philadelphia was one of its greatest appeals to “regular” students. It cited 2004 figures showing Temple had the most applications of any school in the nation from suburban students seeking a city experience. According, the report added, Temple had a higher rate of applications to available spots than any non-Ivy League school in the nation. Heady stuff, no pun intended.
6. Networking. With over 250,000 mostly professional
alumni living within short driving distance of the
school, there are numerous opportunities to network
with alumni already working in the student’s chosen
field.
5. Fourth-largest media market offers a successful
Temple team opportunity for national recognition. A
winning Temple football team could easily become the
national “feel good” story of the year, much like the
recent “feel good” story that St. Joseph’s University
basketball has become. Chance for local media recognition.
4. Youthful, enthused, coaching staff. It is a coaching staff that relates well and communicates well with kids, excited about its new journey from the bottom of the world to the top.
3. Beautiful women and girls. Lots of them at any school with over 30,000 full-time students, especially at Temple, where 55 percent of the student, err, body is women. They could have gone anywhere; they chose Temple. Great college town experience, somewhat like Boston. Plenty of women not only at Temple, but at Penn, Drexel, Villanova, St. Joseph’s, LaSalle and Phladelphia University.
2. Television coverage. Most of the games will be on
TV and many of the MAC games will be on ESPN. Believe it or not, notwithstanding the last 15 years, Temple football has had a great tradition with long stretches of success and any current recruits would be the foundation for restoring that greatness. There is a fan base of 250,000 current Temple University alumni living in the metropolitian area, plus 30,000 full-time students dying for a reason to support their football team again. Winning would give them that reason. Watch how fast the Linc fills up if it happens. You can book it.
1. Transportation hub. A short drive from anywhere on the population-rich East Coast. Easy to get to by train, bus or plane. Easy for family and friends to watch any Owl home game. Philadelphia is a great
place to visit, an easy place to get to and there is
no more fan-friendly stadium than Lincoln Financial
Field.
Temple. It just makes more and more sense to become an Owl.

12.09.08
by

Adam DiMichele: We may never see his like again

Adam DiMichele's fake kneeldown at the end of the first half at Navy that ended in a long-bomb touchdown to Bruce Francis will always be remembered as one of the greatest Temple plays of all time.

Adam DiMichele’s fake kneeldown at the end of the first half at Navy that ended in a long-bomb touchdown to Bruce Francis will always be remembered as one of the greatest Temple plays of all time.

Adam DiMichele will be missed by all Temple fans.

By Mike Gibson
OK, I’ll be the first to admit it.
I’ve been spoiled for the past three years.
I’ve never once wished for a quarterback change at Temple University when No. 13 was on the field.
The thought never even entered my head.
Not once.


It’s hard to
put your
finger on
it, but I
knew from
the first time
I saw Adam
DiMichele
in a Temple
uniform that
he was the
perfect quarterback
for me and my team.

“I love that kid,” I said to my friend, Mark, during the 28-14 win over Bowling Green three years ago.
“You have to,” Mark said. “Who wouldn’t love Adam DiMichele?”
Nothing kinky, mind you, but I love him as a (very) older brother or as a proud father.
Quarterback is a very strange position.
You either have it or you don’t.
It’s hard to put your finger on it, but I knew from the first time I saw Adam DiMichele in a Temple uniform that he was the perfect quarterback for me and my team.
He had all the qualities I ever wanted in a quarterback:
Arm?
Check.
Heart?
Check.
Courage?
Check.
Overlaping skills like moxie, determination, leadership?
Check, check, check.
Athleticism, escapability?
Check, check.
I made the list in my head and could put an emphatic checkmark next to each wonderful quality under Adam DiMichele’s name.
Check, check, check, check, check.

I slumped back in my seat. All these years of asking why the other team always had a better quarterback than Temple were over.

Wow.
I slumped back in my seat. All these years of asking why the other team always had a better quarterback than Temple were over.
There were other problems, but I was always confident in my quarterback.
For sure, there were similar stretches in other years, like when Walter Washington came or Henry Burris was here but not three years like this.
I don’t remember ever having three years of this level of confidence in the leader on the field.
I knew those days would be over once and now they are.
I don’t have that same level of confidence anymore.
I don’t know if I ever will.
I’ve never yelled from my seat in the stands for some kid to be pulled from the game, but I will admit I thought a few times it might be a better idea for Chester Stewart to sit and watch the Homecoming Day game from the bench and let Vaughn Charlton have a shot.
After the 7-3 loss to Western Michigan and after Stewart missed a wide-open Bruce Francis by 10 yards for what would have been a third time, I saw enough.
As I walked into the concourse, the first person I saw was Vaughn Charlton.
Not the kid, the dad.
“They should have burned the redshirt,” I said.

I wasn’t looking for a response nor did I get one. I just walked away, knowing that a precious game was frittered away.
The most important position on the field is quarterback and I would have liked to see how a year older and wiser Vaughn Charlton would have responded to the challenge at a time his team needed him the most, after DiMichele went down.
I didn’t see it. All I know is that, right now, I can’t picture either Vaughn Charlton or Chester Stewart throwing six touchdowns in a game, like Adam DiMichele did two weeks ago.
I don’t know if either one of them has the qualities down the line that Adam DiMichele does.
I hope they do, but hope doesn’t get me to a bowl game.

On the other hand, DiMichele came to Temple as the WPIAL’s all-time passing leader and, in his senior year alone at Sto-Rox, tossed 36 touchdown passes for 2,706 yards.
Charlton’s senior year at Avon Grove?
Nine TD passes, 1,337 yards.
Stewart’s senior high school numbers were slightly better than Charlton’s but not half as good as DiMichele’s: 72 for 134, 1,348 yards and 17 touchdowns.
What was that coach Bill Parcells said?
“You are what your record says you are.”
Well, with quarterbacks, you pretty much are what your stats say you are.
Adam DiMichele proved that. So did every other previous great Temple quarterback.
None of them came here and achieved at a high level without doing the same exact thing in high school or JUCO ball. Walter Washington (Jacksonville Mainland), Burris (Spiro, Okla.), Matty Baker (Central York), Brian Broomell (Sterling, N.J.) and Steve Joachim (Haverford High) and Doug Shobert (Central Bucks) were big-time high school superstars.

So was Adam DiMichele. It’s a good blueprint to look for when Temple recruits its next-great quarterback.

12.04.08
by

Al Golden only has eyes for TU


Al Golden looks very happy to be at Temple these days.
By Mike Gibson
We were promised a statement from coach Al Golden on the rumors of his being involved with the Syracuse job.
Instead, all we got from the Temple media relations department was this lousy two-line statement from athletic director Bill Bradshaw.
We’re still waiting for elaboration from Golden, but it’s crystal clear from the statement that Al Golden only has eyes for TU.
We hope.

What we wish Al said …
“I’m never leaving Temple,” Golden said in a prepared statement. “Temple football is my life. I will not be satisfied until I win a national championship here and fill Lincoln Financial Field with happy Owl fans on a regular basis who can, to paraphrase Michelle Obama, for the first time in their adult lives be proud of their university’s football team. One man can make a difference for an entire university. I want to be that man for this university. That fuels my fire. I’m stoked about the possibilities next season can bring for this great school, city and the fans.”


We can only imagine what that statement would have said so we have formulated what we wanted to hear Al say and put it in the box to the left.
It’s time for Al to concentrate on the considerable tasks at hand.
There are signs that he’s doing just that, signing a big-time kicker, Brendan McManus, who was wanted by several BCS schools. It’s easy to see why McManus was so sought-after. Of his 70 kickoffs, 58 went through the end zone.
I don’t remember one Temple kickoff going through the end zone this season.
Since the Owls could be down to two serviceable quarterbacks, Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart, we’re hoping a big target (or two) will be mobile JUCO quarterbacks who can throw on the run.
We’ll see.