Category Archives: Temple football

10.06.14
by

Coach Hardin’s Big Night

Wayne Hardin, Roger Staubach, Navy,

Getty Images

There will be a program given out on Tuesday night at the brand new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta listing the accomplishments of the latest class to be enshrined.

Next to one name should be the description “greatest college football head coach ever.” No, Pop Warner, Bear Bryant and Amos Alonzo Stagg are already enshrined, but if greatness in a head coach is getting the most out of the talent he had, Wayne Hardin is the greatest head coach ever, period, end of story. Tuesday’s event will be rebroadcast on ESPNU on Wednesday night.

Pure coach Hardin. After the 1962 win over Army, reporters asked him what was the turning point: "When we walked onto the field." Classic. Love it.

Pure coach Hardin. After the 1962 win over Army, reporters asked him what was the turning point: “When we walked out on the field.” Classic. Love it.

Hardin was the last guy to coach two schools to Top 20 national rankings and both of those schools, Temple and Navy, do not travel to that stratosphere often. At Navy, he had the Midshipmen ranked No. 2 in the country and playing No. 1 Texas in the 1964 Cotton Bowl. Think about that for a moment. Navy did not give football scholarships in those days—technically, it does not now, either—and required its players to serve five years in the military after graduation. On top of that, the academic requirements just to get into the Naval Academy were Ivy League level. Interestingly enough, Hardin played for Stagg, coached at a school where Warner coached (Temple) and was succeeded at Temple by a guy, current Arizona Cardinals‘ head coach Bruce Arians, who was an assistant to Bear Bryant.

Yet Hardin had Navy competing and winning at a big-time level and that’s the very definition of a great coach. Hardin left Navy to coach in a fledgling professional league, the Continental Football League, and led that team, the Philadelphia Bulldogs, to a championship in 1966. That team played their games in Temple Stadium, which led to a 13-year-association at Temple, where Hardin was 80-52-3, the only winning coach in that program’s history. These days there are 39 bowls. In those days, there were only 15 and Hardin had the Owls in one of them.

In the 1979 Garden State Bowl, Hardin’s coaching directly led to Temple’s 28-17 win over California of the then PAC-10. Hardin found out by grading the Cal film if he pulled his guards up the middle (instead of right or left), there was no one to block. He pulled the guards straight ahead and the back followed through and, before Cal knew it, Temple had a 21-0 lead. The Owls out-rushed the Golden Bears, 300-23, in that game—a more than 200-yard advantage.

On the other side of the ball, Hardin discovered that Cal quarterback Rich Campbell was taught if he did not see his first read, to throw blindly in the flat to the fullback. Hardin developed a two-man pass rush and had one guy (all-time leading tackler Steve Conjar) meet the fullback and eight others into coverage. There was nothing to read, except a lot of Cherry-colored jerseys.

That kind of coaching was the norm, not the exception, for Hardin both at Temple and Navy. Before an Army-Navy game, Army had a group of defensive backs who led the nation in interceptions and who got the politically incorrect nickname “Chinese Bandits.”  Hardin had the Navy helmets painted to read “Beat Army” … in Chinese. Navy routed Army that day.

Nothing describes great coaching better than stories like that and perhaps that’s why next to Wayne Hardin’s name in Tuesday’s night’s program should be the words “greatest college football coach ever.” Guys like Stagg, Warner and Bryant did it with a maximum of talent. Hardin got the most out of what talent he had and that should always remain the standard for evaluating coaches.

10.02.14
by

Throwback Thursday: Who’s No. 1?

Tavon Young in his high school days.

If he continues to play the way he’s been playing, perhaps the Temple Owls should abandon their plans of rotating No. 1 this season.

Tavon Young is playing like he wants to keep the honor for good. He reminds me of another young who used to roam centerfield for the Owls’ defense, Anthony Young (no relation). That Young played for coach Wayne Hardin and coach Bruce Arians and could make a jump on the ball like no DB I’ve seen before or since. He was like that guy you play pickup basketball with at the YMCA. You know, the guy who would always jump in front of a pass you think you are throwing to a wide open guy underneath the hoop.

Tavon Young is getting that reputation as a football ballhawk.

So for Throwback Thursday we’ll take you way back to Tavon Young’s high school days. When Temple signed him, there was a lot of excitement on North Broad Street and he’s lived up to the hype. He also wore No. 1 at Potomac High School. Another great Owl was also from Potomac, 1986 Heisman Trophy runner-up Paul Palmer but Paul played for rival Winston Churchill in that town.

Tavon Young today .…

09.27.14
by

Finally, the Boise State of the East

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Two years into Al Golden’s rebuild of the Temple football program, someone walked up to him and asked him what he envisioned the Owls program could be in five years.

Golden thought about it for a moment and said: “I think we can be the Boise State of the East.”

Street near the Owls' hotel in downtown Hartford.

Street near the Owls’ hotel in downtown Hartford. Photo courtesy of the “real” Dave Gerson (aka, Owlified)

It’s only a little late, but Golden’s vision seems to be coming true under Matt Rhule, one of his apprentices. Consider this: The Owls’ 36-10 win at UConn on Saturday was every bit as dominating as Boise State’s 38-21 win at Uconn two weeks ago and even moreso.

The Owls were bigger, faster, stronger and played like a program who has eyes on a championship, all things Boise has done out west. There is still much left to do for this team to reach its potential. One of the things that made Golden’s good teams so effective was a punishing running game and the Owls have not been able to develop one four games into this season.

Does that mean we won’t see one?

I find that hard to believe because one of the things that Rhule should understand was successful running backs like Bernard Pierce and Matty Brown ran behind not only a big offensive line but a dynamic blocking fullback in Wyatt Benson (who still has a year of eligibility left if he’s in the neighborhood). Kenny Harper, in a part-time fullback role as a freshman, proved he’s every bit the blocker Benson was.

Marcus Satterfield, the current offensive coordinator, does not know that but Rhule does and he’s the CEO. The buck stops with him and if the Owls are finally going to develop a championship offense, they need a running game and the personnel is here to do it. Two weeks of tweaking to Tulsa are ahead and that would be a nice time to unveil one.

Video highlights:

Uconn fan reaction:

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/temple-game-thread.65397/

Uconn game story:

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-football/hc-uconn-football-temple-0928-20140927-story.html

09.25.14
by

Throwback Thursday: Fenton’s Kickoff Returns

Temple beat Uconn, 56-7, and 38-24 in back-to-back years not all that long ago.

Temple beat Uconn, 56-7, and 38-24 in back-to-back years not all that long ago.

A couple of years ago, I wrote on this site before the Louisville game that Matty Brown was going to have a kickoff return to the house and that “the opening kickoff of the Louisville game would be a nice time to start.”

Two days later, Matty Brown took the opening kickoff to the house against Louisville.

statsnip

Sometimes, things happen. People started looking at me like I was Nostradamus after that kickoff.

OK, I’m going to write this as part of today’s Throwback Thursday piece:  Khalif Herbin is going to take an opening kickoff to the house and Uconn would be a nice place to start.

(We’ve already covered the Bruce Francis catch in 2012’s Throwback Thursday.)

I’m saying this not just because Herbin has 4.34 speed and Gayle Sayers‘-like moves in the open field but because Temple has a history against Uconn of shocking the Huskies with back-to-back opening kickoffs to the house, both by the same guy, Mak Fenton.

Fenton’s opening kickoff in the 2001 game led the Owls to a 56-7 win at Franklin Field. The next year, in Storrs, Conn., Fenton took the opening kickoff to the house in a 38-24 win. Both were 94-yard returns.

Temple1

Temple had plenty of incentive to beat Uconn those days. The Owls were kicked out of the Big East a few months before that 2001 game and told they were being replaced by Uconn. The Owls should have plenty of incentive now, too. If they want to win the AAC, and we presume they do, beating Uconn is a must. They must play like mad rabid dogs from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

And maybe keep making those wonderful plays in the return game they have a history of making against this opponent.

09.24.14
by

Takeaways from Matt Rhule Press Conference

While winning has been, is and will always remain the No. 1 focus of any football program, we often forget the contributions of individuals to the program as a whole and that’s why Matt Rhule’s discussion of Ed Foley was the highlight of his most recent press conference.

There were just a handful of people who held Temple football together during some difficult times—Rhule himself being one in the transition to Steve Addazio—and Foley and Chuck Heater also played a big-time role in holding the program together just before the handoff to Rhule.

You need guys like that and that’s why recognizing Foley with the game ball on Saturday, two days after his father passed away, was a nice gesture. Also interesting was the fact that the entire Boston College football staff, led by Addazio, went to the funeral. Best wishes to coach Foley.

Other highlights from the press conference:

Those four fingers mean something at Temple. Often you see teams holding up the No. 4 at the start of the fourth quarter. Usually, it’s a meaningless gesture because everyone does it. Not at Temple because  it’s backed up by some pretty solid play in the fourth quarter this season. Must be a product of the conditioning program.

P.J. Not Happy. Even though he has a 64 percent completion rate and double the touchdowns to interceptions, P.J. Walker is unhappy with his QB play so far. That demonstrates the kind of standard P.J. wants to set at the position. We all know what P.J. can do. We have enough body of work. Still think he’s going to exceed his 20 TD passes of last year.

Derrick Thomas Could be the Breakout WR. According to Rhule, Thomas is close to making some explosive plays in the passing game. If he does, we can finally say, “Robbie Who?” Let’s hope he does. Here’s a preview of what is coming soon to a field near you (don’t worry about the stats, Bishop Maginn rarely passes the ball):

Sam Benjamin Punt Block Specialist. Looks like Benjamin has a knack to block punts, both in practice and in games. Temple hasn’t had one of those guys in a long, long time (a LB named Bruce Gordon also had that knack but that might have been 25 years ago). Now if we can only convince 7-foot basketball player Devonte Watson (he of the 97-inch wingspan and 41-inch vertical leap) to be the FG-block specialist, no one would ever be able to get a kick off against Temple.

Not Getting Over Navy. “And won’t for a long, long time,” Rhule said. That’s what I like to hear, a coach who stews over a loss as much (or more) than I do and I stew over every loss. Hopefully, coach Rhule talks to coach Wayne Hardin soon because he told both my and my friend, Fizzy Weinraub, an interesting and foolproof method to stop Navy’s triple option on Saturday.

09.23.14
by

Will We Finally See a Few Play-Action Passes?

Nick Foles fakes it to Shady here and finds a window to Jeremy Maclin. The same would work if P.J. Harper starts using Kenny Harper's belly.

Nick Foles fakes it to Shady here and finds a window to Jordan Matthews. The same would work if P.J. Harper starts using Kenny Harper’s belly and finds, say, Jalen Fitzpatrick.

Watching the first three games, either in person or on TV, something occurred to me: I have not seen a true play-action pass this season.
Most of the Owls’ offense against both Navy and Vanderbilt consisted of flare passes left and right and deep passes into double-coverage. A true play-action pass, the kind that is the meat and potatoes of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense (above), has been missing. To me, faking it into Kenny Harper’s belly, leaving Kenny in as an extra blocker, is a win-win for Temple. It causes the linebackers to crowd the line of scrimmage and respect the run and creates open passing windows for P.J. Walker. Those windows, particularly in the open area in the middle of the field 15-30 yards down field, have been slammed shut because Temple almost never shows a play-action look. Plus, Harper staying in as a blocker protects Temple’s most valuable commodity, P.J. Walker.

Troubling Temple Stats

 

Total Off. 3d down conv. Passing Off. Rushing Offense
95th nat/7th AAC 121 nat/10th AAC 89th nat/7th AAC 75th nat/10th AAC
 

Maybe I was missing something so I viewed the entire Delaware State replay (fast-forwarding through the commercial breaks).  I found one “semi” play-action, where P.J. faked in the general direction of a running back. It’s hard to sell a run that way. Gotta stick it in the runner’s belly and pull it out (see above, where that created a window for Nick Foles to hit Jordan Matthews). As it is now, P.J. has no windows to throw into and the results are not as pretty as they should be.
Also like to see one of the speedier Temple backs, say Jamie Gilmore, FOLLOW Harper through a hole. That way, he gets the benefit not only from offensive line blocks but from Harper’s dynamic blocking ability. If the Owls need the tough yardage inside, make the fake to Gilmore one way and give it to Harper up the middle.
Again, a win-win for Temple.

More play-action passing might not raise those national offensive stats, but as they say about a cold and chicken soup, it could not hurt.

and another example of how faking to Harper could help pry open a window for Fitzpatrick ....

and another example of how faking to Harper could help pry open a window for Fitzpatrick ….

09.20.14
by

Positively Beautiful

Watch Tyler Matakevich’s block on Khalif Herbin’s punt return. Gotta find a way, any way, to get the ball in Herbin’s hands more.

Watching Temple systematically dismantle Delaware State, I am reminded by the admonishment of a cop when a group of runners I was with came along a five-car pile-up on what was then the East River Drive about 30 years ago.

“Nothing to see here, boys,” the officer said, “run along.”

Nobody got hurt, just a bunch of totaled cars. Temple was a Humvee running into a Mini Cooper on Saturday.

To me, Saturday’s game was a thing of beauty. The Owls sped around the corner like a finely tuned machine and let up just enough on the gas pedal in the second half to avoid the 100-0 win. Nobody ever said Matt Rhule wasn’t a nice guy. Temple finally dominated one of these lesser teams like it should every time out.

Afterward, I ran into a beautiful person I respect very much and she said: “Now, Mike, no negativity or I’m going to come looking for you.”

Hey, how could anyone be negative? Before the game, I wrote, “44-7 would be nice; 63-0 would be better.”

rushing

Really, when you win, 59-0, there can be no nitpicking. A year ago, Towson dominated one of our conference brethren, Uconn, 31-19, and Towson had its hands full with this very same Delaware State team last week. Sure, P.J. Walker forced a couple of interceptions, but he’s got a bum ankle and maybe he’s not planting properly. The speed runners looked a lot better this week. Is that a product of the opponent or getting more speed back there?  Would have liked to see Connor Reilly loosen up his arm more, but I’ll chalk that up to coach Rhule not wanting to run the score up.

Mostly, all good stuff. Even the uniforms looked good. I’m a big believer in Karma. When you win, keep the unis the same; when you lose, change up the unis. Love to see the Owls come out in the Cherry Helmets with the school logo next week just because I’m superstitious about stuff like that.

If the Owls play next Saturday like they did this Saturday, they should not need overtime to win at Storrs this year. That should be something worth watching. The real season begins then.