by Mike Gibson

For Idaho, no place like Dome

Idaho is a completely different team indoors than outdoors.

The old Wizard of Oz line was that there was “no place like home.”
For Idaho’s football team, that’s especially true because, for the Vandals, there is no place like dome.

The last time Temple played in a small indoor arena (Carrier Dome doesn’t count).

The Vandals look like a Division II team outside of the Kibbie Dome. Inside the building, they play like a pretty good FBS team most of the time.
Whether it’s the familiarity with an unusual setting or the altitude, that’s something Temple’s football team will have to be aware of for tomorrow’s 5 p.m. (Philadelphia time) start (97.5 FM, DirecTV via Altitude TV on DirecTV 681 and Dish Network 410-HDTV). The game is also available on the internet via a link to VandalsXtra here.
An Idaho team that loses, 42-0, on the road to Washington State, put 35 points up on Northern Illinois in a 45-35 loss earlier this season.

This chart below shows that Idaho performs SIGNIFICANTLY better in home games than on the road:

Dome Sweet Home

Idaho Home This Year	Idaho Away This Season
Northern Illinois 45, Idaho 35 (2013)	North Texas 40, Idaho 6 (2013)
2012 Home Games:	Wyoming 40, Idaho 17 (2013)
Eastern Washington 20, Idaho 3	2012 Away:
Wyoming 40, Idaho 37	Bowling Green 21, Idaho 12; LSU 63, Idaho 14
Idaho 26, New Mexico State 18	North Carolina 66, Idaho 0
Texas San Antonio 34, Idaho 27	Texas State 38, Idaho 7

Meanwhile, the Owls have problems of their own, especially with defense and the kicking game. Temple defensive coordinator Phil Snow had Eastern Michigan ranked 120 out of 125 defenses in FBS football last year, giving up 478.9 yards per game in 12 games last season. His Temple defense is ranked No. 119 currently, giving up 529 yards a game.

This is the same personnel Chuck Heater had when he shut out UConn in the second half a season ago; yes, the same UConn team that beat Louisville so talent does not appear to be an issue here. Hopefully, the changes made on defense with Nate D. Smith moving to one end and Matt Ioannidis moving to one tackle will help put pressure on the quarterback and take pressure off the defensive backs.

At least that’s the theory.

Snow has not recorded a shutout against an FBS opponent since 1996 — five years before he met a 25-year-old grad assistant at UCLA named Matt Rhule. Given the fact that the Vandals scored 35 points on a pretty good Northern Illinois’ team, he’s probably not likely to get one here. The feeling is the Owls will have to win a shootout, high-20s, high-30s, type game.

Temple opened as a 10-point favorite and the line dropped to 7 1/2 in just three days. There is not a lot of national confidence out there in Temple despite the strong words this week coming from the Edberg-Olsen Complex.

For Temple, this is where the talk about winning has to stop and the winning itself has to start.

Tomorrow: Late Saturday night game analysis

09.25.13

by Mike Gibson

Another way to look at Fordham

Temple has not won crap with white helmets, dating back through Bobby Wallace, so I hope the Cherry ones come back soon.

Napoleon had his Waterloo.
Hitler had his Stalingrad.
Rhule had his Fordham.
Actually, Hitler and Napoleon had some victories first.
Matt Rhule losing to Fordham was like leaving Paris and Berlin with an Army and getting beaten in the suburbs by a Militia.
That’s pretty much the way I’ve been thinking about the Fordham game for the past 10 days.
On today, the 11th day, maybe the 11th hour, I had an Epiphany.
Fordham might not be a Waterloo or Stalingrad after all.
Fordham actually is a pretty good FCS team.

	Degrees of Fordham Separation
	Fordham 30, Temple 29;
	Fordham 27, Villanova 24;
	Villanova 35, Stony Brook 6;
	Buffalo 26, Stony Brook 23 (five overtimes, five missed SB field goals)
	Ohio State 40, Buffalo 20
	Fordham 51, Rhode Island 26
	William and Mary 20, Rhode Island 0;
West Virginia 24, William and Mary 17

I know the warnings about Transitive Property. Just because Team A beat Team B and Team B beat Team C doesn’t mean Team A will beat Team C.
There is, though, a lot of evidence based on the first three or four games of the season that Fordham is the real deal and Temple had the misfortune of scheduling Fordham instead of Lafayette or Monmouth this year.
Fordham went from not ranked in the FCS to No. 16 in the country and the Rams are moving up with a bullet.
The Rams have a top-level FBS quarterback in Michael Nebrich and a top-level FBS tailback in Carlton Koonce, who probably are more polished than the two players Temple had at those positions starting the game, Juice Granger and Kenny Harper. I think Zaire Williams is every bit as good as Koonce, maybe better, but maybe Rhule believes Williams had to wait his turn.
Well, that turn has come and, like Napoleon and Hitler, Rhule has reached Moscow in a defining moment.

That said, IF Paul Hornung Award leader
Chris Coyer gets fed the ball at least
10 or more times in a variety of ways
against Idaho, Matt Rhule will prove
to be smarter than Hitler or Napoleon
and have a lot easier time
in Moscow than those two did

Moscow, Russia for the first two; Moscow, Idaho for Rhule.
Still, no excuse for not pounding the ball against Fordham’s 247-pound defensive line but that mistake has to be chalked up to the inexperience of a young Field General in Matt Rhule.
Fordham, though, is pretty good. The Rams not only beat Temple, but they beat Villanova and last week Villanova beat Stony Brook like a drum (35-6).
If you don’t think that’s impressive, just check out what Stony Brook did the week before: It extended old Temple rival Buffalo to five overtimes before losing, 26-23. In a pang of pain Temple fans felt during the Houston game, two Stony Brook kickers missed five field goals during that game. Stony Brook should have beaten Buffalo, no doubt about it. Buffalo hung with Ohio State before losing, 40-20. Ohio State is about as good as it gets in college football these days.
Should have, could have and did are different things but you get the drift.
With a third-string quarterback, Temple could not get it done against one of the best FCS teams out there.
It happens.
Ask Iowa State, which lost to Northern Iowa, 28-20, and Kansas State, which lost to North Dakota State, 27-24. Kansas State was a top 10 BCS team all last season. Or Oregon State, which lost to Eastern Washington. Or UConn, which lost to Towson.
Something tells me at least one or two teams among Iowa State, Kansas State, UConn and Oregon State will survive and go to a bowl game.
Temple can, too, if it can get the ball in the hands of its explosive playmakers like Chris Coyer and Zaire Williams on a more regular basis. If is the same word as could and should and the hope is that Rhule spent the last 10 days figuring out how to change if and should to did and done.

That said, IF Paul Hornung Award leader Chris Coyer gets fed the ball at least 10 or more times in a variety of ways against Idaho, Matt Rhule will prove to be smarter than Hitler or Napoleon and have a lot easier time in Moscow than those two did. If he doesn’t, it will be another cold and nasty retreat.

09.24.13

by Mike Gibson

Good news: Media Matters

John Mitchell was “late” to this Matt Rhule teleconference.

When it comes to Temple football losses, the old adage about a tree falling in the forest seems to apply.
You know the one: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Well, if Temple football loses to Fordham and no one is around to report it properly, does it sting as much?
When it comes to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s John Mitchell’s reporting about Temple after that game, no news certainly is good news.

The loss coincides with a
“perfect media storm” for Temple.
The first part of the storm
is a writer, John Mitchell,
who obviously doesn’t give a crap
about the beat he’s covering;
listen to him apologizing
to Matt Rhule above for “being late”
12 minutes into a teleconference
and having Matt repeat
all of the position changes
he gave earlier.
I mean, how can you be late
for a teleconference? It’s not like you
have to fight traffic
on the Schuylkill Expressway

To me and you it does, but not to the general “Joe Philadelphia” public and that’s one of the small consolations we can take from what happened 10 days ago.
The loss coincides with a “perfect media storm” for Temple. The first part of the storm is a writer, John Mitchell, who obviously doesn’t give a crap about the beat he’s covering; listen to him apologizing to Matt Rhule above for “being late” 12 minutes into a teleconference and having Matt repeat all of the position changes he gave earlier. I mean, how can you be late for a teleconference? It’s not like you have to fight traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway.
The other part of the “Perfect Storm” was it coincided with Andy Reid’s Return. I listen to Philadelphia sports radio in between the commercials on 100.3 and Lady B, and Temple’s loss to Fordham wasn’t mentioned once on 97.5 The Fanatic on 94.1 WIP.
Thank Heaven for small blessings.
I guarantee you if that loss came on an Eagles’ bye week Mike Missanelli would have mentioned it and dug the knife further into the back of every die-hard Temple fan. Now it’s just about forgotten. Time to put it further in the rear-view mirror by winning at Idaho.
In reality, all Temple got in the local media was a bland game story and sidebar from Mitchell–what I call the Kevin Tatum Treatment–going through the motions and skating by all week by not filing another Temple story. Tatum was famous for staying in the press box and waiting until the typed post-game coaching quotes came from the Sports Information Department and using typed quotes in his one story on the game. One story, one coaching quote, plus a lot of play-by-play. Pulitzer stuff it wasn’t.
Looks like Mitchell went to the Kevin Tatum School of Journalism.
Good.The less Temple stories after that fiasco, the better.

Click over the fans to get five upsets this weekend.

The Inky’s Mike Jensen wrote one column later in the week, saying it’s too early to “Rule on Temple’s Matt Rhule” and that was it. Sort of my 15 minutes of fame in that he mentioned me in the lede without using my name, saying we both had better candidates for the Temple job than Matt Rhule, naming Colorado’s Mike MacIntrye and Bowling Green’s Dave Clawson. That falls under the “duh” department. Pretty routine stuff, although he forgot to mention Ball State’s Pete Lembo might have been available.
That’s it, though.
Whew.
Dodged a huge media bullet there.
Now that Matt Rhule is here, all we can do is back him and hope he does a better job of getting the ball in the hands of Temple’s explosive playmakers (i.e., Chris Coyer and Zaire Williams) and that Jalen Fitzpatrick can snap out of a three-game funk and add some dynamite.
Maybe Rhule spent the 10 days asking defensive coordinator Phil Snow why the DBs play 15 yards off the ball, instead of challenging the receiver for it.
We can only hope that time will heal this Fordham wound.
Meanwhile, we can be thankful to one lazy beat reporter and one former Temple football dad (Andy Reid) that almost nobody else in Philadelphia knows about it.

Tomorrow: More Good News

09.11.13

by Mike Gibson

The road to seven wins

Matt Rhule’s teleconference on Monday.

Before the season started, even Stevie Wonder could see how the 2013 season broke down for the Temple Owls.

There were five “probable” wins on the schedule in Fordham, Idaho, Army, Memphis and UConn and three “probable” losses on the schedule in Louisville, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.

Click on photo of George O’Leary for five possible college football upsets this week.

The key to a winning season, then, comes down to holding serve in those five games and splitting two of the four remaining games: UCF, Rutgers, Houston and SMU.

Well, since Houston was a winnable game left on the table, the Owls have to win two of three. I think Rutgers is a very gettable game and maybe SMU. I don’t think the Owls beat UCF, even at home.

If they don’t utilize their offensive weapons better or fix the kicking game, it’s just not going to happen for Temple this season. I don’t see how when you have a Chris Coyer, a Zaire Williams, a Khalif Herbin and a Jalen Fitzpatrick, you can’t put those players in a better position to score than you have the first two games. (Although Herbin did not play the first two games.)

That has got to be fixed.

Heck, even the probable wins might be in jeopardy if the Owls don’t start lighting up the scoreboard the way they are capable of going forward. This is a very good offensive line but some solid skill position people have been under-utilized so far.

The defense, which held Notre Dame to one touchdown in the second half, looks like it’s good enough to keep the Owls in the games against just about everyone left else on the schedule. Phil Snow has been a better defensive coordinator than I thought he would be.

So it’s mostly about fixing the offense now.

John Chaney became a Hall of Fame coach by consistently getting the ball in the hands of his scorers. Matt Rhule is going to have to do a better job of getting the ball in the hands of his scorers.

You can talk all you want about the offensive coordinator, Marcus Satterfield, doing this but only Rhule knows what many of those guys have done in the past and he’s got to dictate the flow of the ball. When you have John Christopher throwing the ball, that’s a bad play and not just because it didn’t work but because Fitzpatrick and Coyer are better passers than Christopher is.

Islamabad checking in; uh-oh.

Satterfield might not know that, but Rhule certainly does.

I haven’t seen very many good offensive plays in the first two games. Coyer running the ball off a pitchout would be a good play. Another is getting Coyer a simple pitch out to throw the ball downfield. Heck, pitching the ball out to Coyer 10 times a game (five throws, five runs) is a better play than any 10 I’ve seen so far this season. A reverse to Khalif Herbin probably will work, as well as a bubble screen with him behind a couple of blockers. A fade pass in the end zone to 6-6 wide receiver Deon Miller would be hard to stop. Getting the ball 20 times to a weapon like Zaire Williams behind this offensive line would also help put points on the board. None of those approaches have been used yet. Maybe they are saving all of that for the bowl game.

If so, there won’t be one.

03.09.13

by Mike Gibson

A look at the new foes

New Opponent	Recent common foes	Result	How Temple fared
SMU	Army, Navy	Army 16, SMU 14 (2010) Navy 38, SMU 35 (2009)	Temple 42, Army 35 (2010) Temple 28, Navy 24 (2009)
Houston	UCLA, PSU	UCLA 31, Houston 13 (2010) Houston 30, Penn State 14 (2011)	UCLA 30, Temple 21 (2009) Penn State 14, Temple 10 (2011)
Central Florida	Buffalo, Ball State	UCF 23, Buffalo 17 (2009) UCF 24, Buffalo 10 (2011) UCF 38, Ball State 17 (2012)	Temple 37, Buffalo 13 (2009) Temple 34, Buffalo 0 (2011) Temple 42, Ball State 0 (2011)
Idaho	Wyoming, Bowling Green	Wyoming 40, Idaho 37 (2011) Bowling Green 32, Idaho 15 (2011)	Temple 37, Wyoming 15 (2011) Bowling Green 13, Temple 10 (2011)

Chart shows that, with the exception of Houston, Temple has done significantly better against recent common foes.

A couple of years ago, the Princeton football team was about six games removed from winning the national championship based on the faulty theory of transitive property.
You know, if Team A can beat Team B and Team B beat Team C, then Team A can also beat Team C.
By now, every fan who handed in a losing slip at the football betting window knows that way of gambling is Fool’s Gold.
Still, transitive property is a useful exercise in getting a GENERAL idea of how a team might perform against another.

We all know about the Notre Dames of the world. The Irish just recruit in a

Bryant Rhule has a sister!
TFF congratulates
coach Matt Rhule and family
on the birth
of a new daughter
(below) football scoop
seemingly has
every scoop
ever uncovered

different stratosphere than Temple.
That one is going to be a rough go for the Owls, even if Khalif Herbin switches to running back and Kevin Newsome becomes a strong safety in a couple of weeks.
Cincinnati and Louisville also figure to be tough,
but I’m not conceding Rutgers.
I don’t think Matt Rhule is conceding any loss,

either, but beating a regional rival like RU on the road would be a nice statement well within his reach.
Temple returns everyone and Rutgers was relatively wiped out on both sides of the ball.
Had Steve Addazio used the pass the way it was meant to be used, even the young Owls would have been a lot more competitive against Rutgers in the second half and might have pulled that one out. A week later, Kent State showed what an effectively-coached team could do against Rutgers.
To me, seven wins against this schedule (Idaho, Fordham, Memphis and Army as the givens and three of the other eight) is realistic and attainable. (Army has had a more recent history of success than Memphis has had and Temple has handled the Cadets pretty easily.)
The key to the season is how the Owls do in the so-called America 12 toss-up games and, while teams like Houston, UCF and SMU have had more success in the past couple of years than Temple has, the Owls have not embarrassed themselves against common foes.
Rhule is guiding the program based on the principles (or core values) of Al Golden, not Steve Addazio.
Addazio was stubborn and Golden was flexible.
So that could mean switching a guy like Matty Brown to running back from slot receiver or switching a guy like Kee-Ayre Griffin from running back to cornerback. In Rhule’s case, it could mean Herbin to Brown’s role and Newsome as an upgrade over departed starter Justin Gildea at strong safety.
Nate L. Smith, the best playmaking defensive back in Pennsylvania high school football for Archbishop Wood two years ago, finally gets on the field at free safety and with Newsome and NLS back there maybe the secondary finally starts to make some plays.
It could also mean getting the team’s other best playmakers (linebackers) on the field by going from a 4-3 to a 3-4.
That worked for those guys and expect similar adjustments in personnel this spring.
While you can’t win them all, you can at least try. Things won’t be perfect when practice starts in 13 days, but you can rest assured they will be tweaked in that direction.
Let’s put it this way: Spencer Reid is a nice kid and a credit to the program, but I don’t expect to see him get 17 carries in the spring game again this year.

02.27.13

by Mike Gibson

The best running back nobody is talking about

My favorite photo of Montel Harris as a Temple Owl, sharing a moment
of respect with Army linebacker and captain Nate Coombs after going for
351 yards and seven touchdowns in a 63-32 win.

My favorite Montel Harris moment this year had nothing to do with what he did during a game, but it had a lot to do with what he did on the field.
After the Army game, both Montel and Army linebacker Nate Coombs shared a few words after Temple’s 63-32 win at Michie Stadium.

Draft expert Matt Waldman was talking about Harris.

After it was over, Montel and Nate shook hands, laughed and walked off the field.
That’s what sports is all about. It was a great sportsmanship moment between a future NFL player and a guy who is going to put it all on the line for our country.
We can only imagine what Nate told Montel, but we can guess it went something like this:
“Man, I tried to tackle you, but it was like tackling air out there.”
After a fairly good performance in the recent NFL combine, draft expert Matt Waldman called Montel “the best running back nobody is talking about.”

The thing the combine can’t measure is start/stop ability and Harris is the best I’ve ever seen

I think they will be talking about him on draft day.
Last year, I predicted Bernard Pierce would go in the third round. I think Harris goes in the sixth, no lower than the seventh.

How Harris and Pierce compared at the NFL combine:

	40 time	Bench Reps	Vertical Jump
Montel Harris	4.68	19 (at 225 pounds)	32.5 inches
Bernard Pierce	4.49	17 (at 225 pounds)	36.5 inches

How Harris and Pierce did in best single season:

	Carries	Yards	Longest Run
Montel Harris (2009)	308	1,457	72 yards
Bernard Pierce (2011)	273	1,481	69 yards

After watching Harris last year and Pierce the three years before that, the difference is simply this:
Pierce is faster and can do more damage on the outside but Harris is much better between tackles and starting and stopping to get out of trouble.
The only reason Harris drops three or so rounds below Pierce will be his knee injury history, but his knee held up pretty well at Temple despite the workload.
To me, the combine numbers are nowhere near as important as these numbers:

	Career Carries	Career Yards	Average (2012)	Career Long	Career TDs
Montel Harris	973	4,379	5.7	72	39
Le’Veon Bell	671	3,346	4.7	69	31
Montee Ball	924	5,140	5.1	67	77
Ray Graham	595	3,271	4.1	78	32
Gio Bernard	423	2,481	6.7	68	25
Jawan Jamison	486	1,972	4.2	64	13

To me, what you do on the field is a lot more important than what you can do at the combine and Harris’ numbers stack up very well against some of the top running backs in the group above.
Remember, Harris never fumbles while Eagles’ seventh-round pick Bryce Brown fumbled a lot. You can gain all the yards in the world and have all the speed and the vertical leap and bench press, but if the ball ends up in the hands of the other team after the play is over you are worthless.

How cool would it be for Montel Harris to introduce himself on Sunday or Monday night football by saying, “Montel Harris, Temple Football Forever”

That’s another metric that can’t be measured at a combine.

How cool would it be for Montel Harris to introduce himself on Sunday or Monday night football by saying, “Montel Harris, Temple Football Forever.”
Heck, if Mo Wilkerson or Bernard Pierce beat him to the punch, that would be cool, too.

Whatever questions that some may have had about his character were answered with a season as a solid citizen and terrific teammate at Temple.
I wish him all the best.
My guess is that Army’s Nate Coombs does, too.

02.15.13

by Mike Gibson

Magnificent Seven present and accounted for …

Matt Rhule assures concerned fans that the first two plays on every series won’t be runs this season.

Less than a couple of weeks ago, head coach Matt Rhule talked about the incoming group of football players at Temple University.
Usually he’s taking about kids who typically come on campus the week after the July 4th holiday.
Usually, but not always.

Cherry and White Day Special
From Feb. 16 through Cherry and White Day, get this cool Temple Football Forever bumper sticker.
Anyone who contributes at least $20 via the pay pal donation option on the sidebar (in the Support TFF section) or $20 to the P.O. Box address (in the help TFF afford a pair of shoes section) gets this cool bumper sticker exactly as it appears above (3 inches high, 11 inches wide). Please allow two weeks for pay pal orders and one month for postal orders. Thanks.

There’s an interesting group of seven players already enrolled on campus.
In the “Magnificent Seven” are two three-time Pennsylvania state wrestling champions in John Rizzo of Johnstown and Averee Robinson of Harrisburg.
Paul Layton is a punter to keep an eye out for in spring practice.
I think two of them have really good shots to start.
If I had to handicap now, I think Layton is a lock to start and Robinson, whose game reminds me of Joe Klecko’s, is right behind him.
Layton is particularly intriguing to me because, for the last three years, I’ve had nightmares of Brandon McManus drawing a roughing-the-kicker penalty and not getting up. That’s a helluva way of losing an NFL-caliber placekicker. I told his dad as much a few times. He assured me it would not happen.
Fortunately, he was right and my nightmares were wrong.
Now that Temple has a dedicated punter, I hope they never use him. (Sorry, Paul, but I’ll take touchdowns and Jim Cooper Jr. field goals over your punts any day of the week.) Still, if Temple uses him, he looks like a good one.
Since he’s a grad student, like Montel Harris was, I’ll call Layton “The Montel Harris of Punting.”
If he has the same positive impact on the program that Montel does, he’ll be more than worth the scholarship.
Robinson, like Joe Klecko, has tremendous gap leverage and three Pennsylvania state heavyweight championships to demonstrate the ability. His game is more like Joe Klecko’s than Dan Klecko’s in that he would be the perfect nose guard in a 3-4 defense. Dan Klecko was more of a natural 4-3 tackle. Robinson is very hard to block, like both Joe and Dan were. If anyone can be trusted for gap control it’s a Joe Klecko or an Averee Robinson.
It’s not going to be easy beating out guys like Hersey Walton and Levi Brown, but Robinson certainly has the ability to do it.
When practice gets underway on March 22, we’ll get to see these players.

Dion Dawkins	OL	Fr.	6-5	330	Rahway, N.J	Rahway	Hargrave Military Academy
	Paul Layton	P	Sr.	6-1	215	Burnt Hills, N.Y.	Ballston Lake	Albany
	Jihaad Pretlow	DB	Fr.	5-11	185	Elizabeth, N.J.	Blair Academy
	John Rizzo	FB	Fr.	6-1	221	Johnstown, Pa.	Richland
	Averee Robinson	DL	Fr.	6-1	285	Harrisburg, Pa.	Susquehanna Township	Milford Academy
	Adrian Sullivan	OL	Fr.	6-5	270	Babylon, N.Y.	Babylon	Worchester Academy
	Kiser Terry	DL	Fr.	6-3	260	Feasterville, Pa.	Neshaminy	Milford Academy

02.13.13

by Mike Gibson

Reports of the Big East demise premature

Big East football has secured a network deal, according to reports.

When folks ask me about the Big East and Temple University football, I pretty much have one answer:
“Would would rather make road trips to Oxford, Ohio, Ypsilanti, Mich., Muncie, Ind. or Dallas, New Orleans and Tampa?”
I rest my case.

“Would would rather make road trips to Oxford, Ohio, Ypsilanti, Mich., Muncie, Ind. or Dallas, New Orleans and Tampa?”

Temple football had two choices and two choices only:
Stay in the MAC and continue to take those trips to the directional midwestern schools, play Tuesday night games at home before 11,000 fans in a 70,000 seat stadium, and die a slow long death or go to real cities to play real teams and play college football almost exclusively on the day God created it for:
Saturdays.
That’s above and beyond what talks loudest in college sports yesterday, today and tomorrow:
Money.
According to a report today on Yahoo Sports, the Big East is about to sign a football and basketball deal with the NBC Sports Network that will pay each team $2 million per season.
Considering that Temple was making pretty close to zero dollars (it made money only in the bowl season) with the MAC, it was a no-brainer that the Owls make the move to the Big East last year do everything they can to make it work now.
From all accounts, SMU, Tulane and South Florida are happy to be in the Big East. Cincinnati and UConn have one eye on the door, but no other suitors. If anybody leaves, there’s a group of schools wanting to come in that approximates the New York Giants’ season-ticket waiting list.

Temple is sitting on a talent gold mine playing in a $521-million stadium, another potential gold mine

I’d love to see former Temple football “rival” Buffalo, a big city within shouting distance, given first dibs.
Selfishly, I think the Owls are in a much better position to compete and win in this league than they were last year and that position should even be improved going forward now that the offense has transformed from 1912 cloud-of-dust style to a 2013 spread in just a couple of months.
If you put the pin in the protractor at 10th and Diamond and created just a small semi-circle that includes the states of Pa., Md., NJ, NY, Conn., Mass., Del. and Virginia, there is 46 percent of the nation’s population inside the circle. There is only one Big East school, Temple, in the middle of that circle.
Temple is sitting on a talent gold mine playing in a $521-million stadium, another potential gold mine.
There’s nothing about Tulane or SMU football that scares me. Heck, Temple beat a Navy team that hammered SMU only a couple of years ago.
Temple football is on solid footing now and it behooves the Owls and Cincinnati and UConn to make it work.
Any reports of the Big East’s collapse are premature and should be put to rest by this impending deal.

02.10.13

by Mike Gibson

Helmet change now would be Golden Rhule

The new Western Michigan helmet. I don’t remember what the old one looked like.

Temple helmet records:
T (one year each of Wallace and Golden): 1-22
T (during Berndt and Dickerson): 19-80;
T (during Addazio): 13-11;
Cartoon Owl (seven years under Wallace): 19-60
TEMPLE (final four years of Golden): 26-23
TEMPLE (all of Hardin and Arians): 107-91-3
Total: TEMPLE=133 wins, 114 losses, 3 ties
T=33 wins, 113 losses

Thought it kind of odd that, in the middle of recruiting season, new Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck introduced a new helmet.
I thought new coaches were in a full-out sprint to firm up and add to recruiting classes and didn’t have time to address a pursuit as trivial (by comparison) as helmets.
Now they do.
I hope Matt Rhule does.
An established tradition at Temple is that a new helmet is solely the call of a new head coach.
Wayne Hardin changed the helmet from the stupid Owl to TEMPLE and the Owls won like never before. Bruce Arians wisely kept the TEMPLE and had the Owls go 6-5 (twice) against a Top 10 national schedule. Try picturing current-day Temple going 6-5 twice against a SEC schedule. That’s pretty much what Arians did.
Jerry Berndt changed the TEMPLE helmet to the T and the Owls promptly went 1-10. Bad Karma.

“The 2007 helmet brings us back to the most successful TEAM period in the history of Temple football.”
_Al Golden

The T took TEMPLE through some awful Ron Dickerson and Bobby Wallace years. Heck, Wallace even changed the helmet to the comedic (joke on us) cartoon Owl for awhile, before ending his tenure with the T.
Al Golden changed all that with some good coaching … and good Karma.
The winning Temple teams that Al Golden remembered had the word TEMPLE on the helmet and he mentioned branding as the reason he changed back to the TEMPLE helmet after his first season.
“There are several reasons for the change,” Golden said. “The first is for our current team to discover our tradition. The 2007 helmet brings us back to the most successful TEAM period in the history of Temple Football; a time that produced a 10-game winner and a final Top 20 ranking in both polls. The second reason is quite simply branding. When I was growing up in New Jersey, Temple’s helmets were unique. It was the most recognizable helmet in the East, let alone the country. Somewhere along the way that got lost, so I wanted to bring it back. The last reason has to do with our overall football operation. Our goal is to be first in every endeavor that we believe impacts our football team. We now feel like we have the best uniform, not only in the MAC, but on the East Coast. We have our brand back and it is here to stay.”

The greatest helmet in the history of college football, IMHO.

The move was universally applauded, especially by ex-Temple players.
I thought that was great and made TEMPLE stand out from other Ts on other helmets, like Tennessee and Tulane.
We all know and love our Temple ‘][‘ but, really, how many non-Temple people located in Idaho or Montana or Washington or even Tennessee can tell that’s a Temple ‘][‘ right away?
Not many, I’d venture to say.
In the grand scheme of things, a helmet change is not all that important but, considering the amount of winning TEMPLE did under the TEMPLE brand and losing under the T brand, I think it’s called for now.
The attitude inside the helmet is much more important than the lettering on the outside, but I’m proud of being from TEMPLE and I think both the T and the TEMPLE branding should be a consideration when designing the new helmet.

There is a King Solomon-like solution here and I hope that Rhule has the wisdom to see it:

Split the baby in half.
Put TEMPLE on one side and the ‘][‘ on the other.
That way you have the branding concerns by marketing taken care of and you salute the greatest helmet era in TEMPLE history by putting it on the other half of the helmet. Heck, having TEMPLE on the other side of the helmet enhances and not detracts, from the ‘][‘ brand because of the constant reminder of what the ‘][‘ stands for on every tackle, interception or touchdown.
You leave no doubt as to what school the T stands for and you have the most unique and best helmet in college football.
Then keep it that way for a long, long time.

Temple Helmet Records

Temple T	Cartoon Owl	TEMPLE
One year Golden=1-11	7 years Wallace=19-60	Hardin (13 years)=80-52-3
One year Wallace=0-11		Arians (5 years)=27-39
Berndt and Dickerson=19-80		Golden=26-23
Two years Addazio=13-11


Total=33 wins, 113 losses	Total=19 wins, 60 losses	Total=107 wins, 91 losses, 3 ties

02.04.13

by Mike Gibson

National Signing Day is Wednesday

TFF congratulates Bernard Pierce and all of the future Super Bowl winners who sign with Temple on Wednesday.

National Signing Day is Wednesday and it has become a huge deal.
It always WAS a big deal, but never this huge.
Blame or credit it on the explosion of college football popularity or multiple ESPN networks desperate for programming options, but it’s just a fact.
That’s OK with me, though, because college football, for all its flaws, is my favorite sport.
The most exciting sports day for me is the first Thursday of the NCAA basketball tournament. Sixty-four teams with a chance, albeit not an equal one, of winning it all.
I wish college football was that inclusive, but it sure beats the NFL alternative.
While that NCAA hoops boasts the year’s most exciting sports day, the Wednesday of football signing certainly is right up there as the most intriguing sports day.
To me, the saddest day of the sports year is Senior Day when you say goodbye to players you have been following for four years.
Saying hello to 25 new Temple Owls on the first Wednesday of every February mitigates some of that sadness.

“I  look forward to seeing this new era
in  Temple football under Matt Rhule’s watch.
   Temple players will all enjoy playing for him as I have.”
__ Bernard Pierce
Super Bowl champion

It appears that new head coach Matt Rhule has held the class together fairly well, given he was a late December hire who also had to complete an NFL season. His additions to the 17 verbals Steve Addazio had addressed need areas, rather than grabbing “the best available athlete.” Addazio recruited like this was the NFL, picking up the BAA rather than address need areas. That’s why Temple had a lot of 5-7 to 5-10 wide receivers and defensive backs, an overabundance of linebackers and a thin defensive line.
We’ll find out for sure on Wednesday, but it appears Rhule’s recent targets have addressed the size and depth concerns.
This new group of Temple Owls will know that they will be coached by a staff with proven credentials for putting guys in the league and, as shown yesterday, helping guys get Super Bowl rings.
The last six Temple rookies in Super Bowls have all come away with rings. Since 1975, 12 Temple players have made 19 Super Bowl appearances producing 15 rings, the latest going to Baltimore’s Bernard Pierce.
Rhule was Pierce’s offensive coordinator at Temple and Pierce credits Rhule with a lot of his development as a player and a person.
Players like Mo Wilkerson, the New York Jets’ most valuable defensive player at the end of last season, also speaks highly of Rhule, as does Steelers’ linebacker Adrian Robinson.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow has not only put players in the NFL, but was a Detroit Lions’ defensive backs’ coach. So he knows what an NFL player looks like.
Even offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has developed an NFL quarterback.
Players who sign on the dotted line with Temple on Wednesday can rest assured that whatever talent they have will be maximized by the guys to whom they have trusted their college careers.
So NSD is a huge deal, but it’ll be also a good one for Temple coaches, fans and, most importantly, players.

Last donations:

Mark B., South Jersey (at today’s C and W game), 4/11/26 (thanks to my longtime friend, Mark for thinking of this blog)
Phil E., Lorton, Va. (3/22/26… thanks, Phil!)

Brian C., Philly (2/6/26 thanks BC)

Owen R., Wellington, Fla., 2/5/26 (thanks so much to this great Temple grad…. we can now afford to take this main laptop to get my “n” “r” and “e” keys unstuck …. very much appreciated)

Ed S., New Hope, Pa. 1/30/26 (thanks, Ed)

Jon E., Cincinnati, 1/12/26

William B., Phoenixville (12/9/25, thanks William, our first contribution since Oct.) Ed S., New Hope, and Joe S., Drexel Hill thanks to both Ed and Joe; David N., Silver Spring, Md. 10/10/25 (thanks so much, Dave) Brian C., North Philly 9/27/25 ; John from Landenberg (who we sat next to when Temple beat Maryland, 38-7) at the game today 9/6/25 (thanks, John); Jon E., Cincinnati (8/30/25), thanks, Jon; David K., Glen Mills, 8/25/25; Eric B., San Diego 8/23/25; Jay M., Salem Ore. 8/15/25 (proving that Temple Owls are everywhere. Thanks, Jay). Another anonymous donation from the same source (thanks a bunch), 8/10/2025; Anonymous (your generosity is greatly appreciated, much thanks) and Joe F., Nashville, Tenn,, 8/5//25 (thanks, Joe, our first contribution in over a month); Steve B., Rose Valley, Pa., a Temple fan (thanks, Steve, that goes in the pot for a backup laptop if this one goes down Only $300 away), 7/6/25:

Earlier:

6/15/25 (Ed S., New Hope–thanks Ed!!!)

Earlier:

Michael A., Havertown, PA (thanks, Mike); 5/14/25 Anoymous (thanks, much appreciated) 4/25/25, David B., Delaware (owner of the most photogenic dog on the internet and someone who I and the late Phil M. had a great conversation with at the 2012 UConn game… can’t believe how time flies, thanks, Dave!!! will definitely meet up again at the next Temple at Delaware game); Matt P. (former Temple player under Al Golden), 4/21/2025 (thanks, Matt, could not have come at a better time because we have a bill for this site coming 4/30 and did not know how we were going to pay it); Brian, Philadelphia (thanks, Brian for being a long-time reader, sorry I missed you at C&W this year) 4/15/25; Ed S., New Hope, PA (4/6/25; thanks Ed, our first donation in nearly two months);

2/8/25: Anonymous.

Robert G., Quakertown, 12/17/24 and Joe F., Philadelphia, 12/16/24.. thanks for taking some of the sting out of paying to fix this laptop. Much appreciated.

Others:

Brian C., Philadelphia.

Anonymous, Anywhere USA (thanks for the generous donation), 9/2/24; David B., Delaware (8/24/24), thanks, David!) Ed P., Yardley, Pa. (6/20/24) …. thanks, Ed!!

David E., Philadelphia, Pa., 6/19/24 (thanks David); Zamani F., Philadelphia, Pa. June 7 (thanks, Z) Michael A., Havertown, Pa, May 9; John J., South Bloomingville, Ohio May 5; Hill Studios, Paulsboro, N.J. (thanks for breaking the longest time between contributions in TFF history), May 1, 2024 (the three May contributions will keep us afloat through the summer, thanks, Mike, John and Hill Studios it’s great to know people care); Jon E., Cincinnati, 10/11/23 (thanks, Jon); John from Landenburg at the Miami game (in the parking lot no less), 9/23/23. Thanks, John. Great conversation as always.

Two donations on opening day against Akron, one at the game from Ed of Perkasie and one from the greatest punter in Temple history, Eddie L., of the same hometown of Bruce Springsteen (our first contributions since April and they keep this site going; much appreciated); Heriberto S., McDonough, GA, 4/24/23 (thanks, Heriberto!!) Two on 4/14/23 (thanks to Joe F. and Ross M. ); Tom W., Palm Coast, Fla. 2/18/23 (thanks, Tom!!!)Ed P., Yardley, Pa. (1/9/23; thanks, Ed,) Lawrence S., West Chester, Pa., 12/28/22, our first contribution in over a month (thanks Larry, this will help in having to replace the printer we purchased in the summer that went on the fritz); Bob C., Chadds Ford, Pa., 11/27/22 (thanks Bob, our first contribution since September) Ed P., Perkasie, Pa. who donated 9/24/22 at the UMass game and Ed and I both remember and love Pennridge coach Wayne Helman; Joe S. (Delaware County), 9/3/22 (thanks Joe, hope to see you at Lafayette or RU); James G. (thanks James and for all the great posts you make on this site),, 7/29/22: Matt P. (former Al Golden player, thank you Matt for the generous donation it will be put to good use as we will explain in Monday’s post), 6/9/22; Matt F., Horsham, Pa. (thanks, Matt!!), June 6, 2022; David, B., Milton, DE (thanks, Dave), April 11, 2022: Andy B., Philadelphia, Pa. (our first donation of 2022, thanks Andy), March 3, 2022; Ed P., Yardley, Pa. 12/25/21 (thanks, Ed for the Christmas donation); Matt F., no hometown found (“a celebratory donation for Carey’s firing”), 11/30/21 thanks, Matt; Jon E., Cincinnati, Ohio, 11/29/21 (thanks, Jon for the donation and the great comments on this site); James G., Royersford, Pa. 11/28/21 (thanks, Jim, for the donations and your comments on the website); Anonymous (no home town given but donation really appreciated), 11/20/2021; Roger D., Rehoboth Beach,, Del., 10/24/21; Joe S., Drexel Hill, Pa. 10/3/21 (thanks, Joe) At the BC game (9/18), John from Landenburg (thanks, John for being a great friend of this site for so many years); Three Aug. 21 donations: Eric A (former player), Atlanta, Ga; Anonymous (by request), Cincinnati, Oh; Tim R., Buffalo, N.Y. (sincere thanks to all); David N., Silver Springs, Md (thanks Dave) 7/10/21; former Temple player Matt P., who lives in Columbus, GA now (thanks Matt) 7/9/21; Joe F., Philadelphia (4/7/11, thanks Joe) Matt F., Horsham, Pa., 3/27/21 (thanks, Matt); Jon E., Cincinnati, Ohio (1/31/21, thanks Jon) Ed P.,, Yardley, Pa. (thanks, Ed, much appredicated), 1/16/21; Mitchell S. , 12/21/20, our first contribution since (10/8) earlier, Former Owl Bruce G., Flourtown, Pa, who generously donated $100 in “honor” of the Ambler guy 10/8/20; (if they hate you in Ambler, we love you in Flortown,” BG says). Thanks, BG, we appreciate it; Earlier: James G., Philadelphia (7/21/20, thanks James) Robert B., Philadelphia (7/13/20, thanks, Bob, hope to see you at the tailgates again this fall); Previous: Jon E. from Cincinnati 6/15/20, our first donation this calendar year (thanks, Jon); Earlier, John from Landenberg; Kurt B., Wyomissing Hills, PA (former Temple player, 10-15-19) Earlier: David B. , Springfield, PA (9/26/19 … thanks, Dave!) also John from Landenberg (9/21/19); Tom W., Palm Coast, Fla. (8/22/19, thanks Tom!! Also, 10 days earlier, Bob. C and Joe S. and, on June 26, first bowl MVP Mark B.

Earlier: Matt F., Philadelphia; Matt P. (former Temple player) John from Landenberg and Jon E. from Cincinnati

Jay M. no hometown found ; Earlier: William B. Chicago; John from Landenberg, ; Mark B, South Jersey, Joe S, Springfield, PA…,

Also:

Ed P., Perkasie, Pa; and Richard W. (no hometown given); Phil E., Lorton, Va.; Tim C., no hometown available; Bob C., David B., Springfield (Montco); Mark B., from South Jersey; John from Landenberg, Pa.; Joe S., Primos, PA; Thomas W., Palm Coast Fla; Jon E., Cincinnati; Mike S.,no hometown; Ed P., Yardley; William B., Chicago; Matt M., Philadelphia; Matt T.., Oreland; Kevin H., Philadelphia; John from Landenberg, Pa.; Carl M, Silver Spring, Md.;; Brett K., Swedesboro, N.J.; Joe S., Primos, Pa.; Ed M., Paoli, Pa.; Phil E., Lorton, Va.; Ross M., Garden City, NY; David K., Malvern; Jon E., Cincinnati ; Jon, SE Ohio; Cordalia and Jim S., Eastampton, NJ.; Herb G., Newport News, Va.; Richard W., Royersford; Matt T., Philadelphia, Pa.; MWB, Mechanicsville, Va.; Phil E., Lorton, Va.; K.J., Alexandria, Va.; Jeff D., Philadelphia,; Michael R., Philadelphia,Matt T, Philadelphia, Pa.; Ed M., Paoli, Pa.(8 in a row for 8 in a row, thanks EM); Jake and Diane Gicker, Dunmore, Pa.; Ed M., Paoli, Pa.; Adrian R. Sr., Harrisburg, Pa.; Frank M., Marlton, N.J.; Ernie, Millville, N.J.; ; Jay M., Salem, Ore.; Joe S., Primos, Pa.; Phil E., Lorton, Va; Tom W., Palm Coast, Fla.; Matt M., (five donations in a row); Kevin F., Philadelphia, Pa.;Matt M. (three donations in a row, thanks, Matt); Matt M.; Matt M.; Brian C., Philadelphia, Pa.; Matt M., Hometown ;Unknown; David N., Silver Spring, Md.; Matt M., hometown unknown; Frank K., Horseheads, N.Y.; Mike F., Montauk, N.Y.; John, Landenberg, Pa.; Michael B, D.C.; Joe S., Primos, Pa.; James G., Philadelphia, Pa.; Michael R., Philadelphia, Pa.; David N., Silver Spring (Md.);
Mark H., Gilbertsville, Pa.; Lisa M., Hummelstown, Pa.; Johnny Who, West Chester, Pa.; John T., Medford, N.J. (formerly North Catholic, Philly); Jon, SE Ohio; Jay M., Salem, Ore.; Dan M., Moscow, Pa.; Cyrus, Oklahoma City; Jon E., Cincinnati; Chris K., Harrisburg, Pa.; Chip M., Silver Spring, Md.; Dave B., Springfield, Pa.; Kent J., Alexandria, Va.; Ross M., Garden City, N.Y.; Joe S., Primos, Pa.; Ed F., Philadelphia, Pa.; Frank P., Jamison, Pa.; Jon E., Cincinnati, Ohio; Phil E., Lorton, Va.; Matt G., Haddonfield, N.J.; Tom L., Charlottesville, Va.; Thomas S., Landisville, Pa.; Jack D., Haddonfield, N.J.; Heriberto S., McDonough, Ga; Dr. Jim S., Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; Dick White, Milton, Del.; Matt T., Philadelphia; Jerome S., North Caldwell, N.J.; Mike D., Fairview, N.C.; Tim W., Myerstown, Pa.; Edward P., Yardley, Pa.; Tom W., Palm Coast, Fla.; Kurt B., Wyomissing, Pa.; Joe S., Primos, Pa.; Tom S., East Norriton, Pa.; Jon E., Cincinnati, Ohio; Matt T., Yardley, Pa.; Steve C., West Chester, Pa.; Floyd, Blackwood, N.J.; Jim J., Chalfont, Pa.; John, Landenberg, Pa; Jon E., Cincinnati; Ron A., Camp Hill, Pa.; Jay S., Jenkintown, Mr. John H.; Jonathan N., Atlanta, Ga.; Michael E., Levittown, Pa.; Ted D., Media, Pa. Nick and Sharon, Upper Bucks County; Phil E., Lorton, Va.; Todd H., New York City; Alex H., Westport, CT; Joe S., Primos, PA; Kent J., Alexandria, Va.; Ross M., Garden City, N.Y.; Stanley G., Mountain Top, Pa.; David N., Silver Spring, Md.; Micah F., Philadelphia, Pa.; James S., Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; Tom W., Palm Coast, Fla.; Johnny B. at the Hill Studio, Paulsboro, N.J.; Nick C., Philadelphia; Tom C., Birmingham, Ala.; Phil. E. (Fast Phil), Lorton, Va; Jerome S., North Caldwell, N.J.; Kent J., Alexandria, Va.; George P., Downingtown, Pa.; Edward F., Philadelphia; Bryan S., North East, Pa.; Josh P., West Chester, Pa.; Brent Z., Atlanta, Ga.; David B., Springfield (D), Pa; Lisa M., Hummelstown, Pa.; David H., Pottstown, Pa.; Brian O., Ambler, Pa; Frank P., Jamison, Pa.; Brian C., Philadelphia; Mark B., Manlius, N.Y.; Ted D., Media; Scott J., Columbus, Ohio; Thomas H., Mullica Hill, N.J.; George T., Rehoboth Beach, Del.; Rob G., Fleetwood, Pa; Steve C., West Chester, Pa.; Fred A., St. Augustine, Fla.; Michael S., Westfield, N.J.; John, Landenberg, Pa.; Kent J., Alexandria, Va.; Frank P., Jamison, Pa; Matt G., Basking Ridge, N.J.; Joe S., Primos, PA; Nick and Sharon, Upper Bucks County; John T., Medford, N.J.; Cap P., Finksburg, Md; Coolowl, New York City; Michael B., Washington, D.C.; Oakee, Salem, VA; Rob from Fleetwood; John from New Kensington; Kathyrn, Bloomingville, Ohio; Rockland Owl; Matt, Haddonfield, N.J.; Anthony, New York City; Jason F., Berlin (N.J.); Ed, New Hope; Mark B., Manlius, N.Y.; Mike, Lindenwold, N.J.; Tom C., Birmingham, Ala. Jim, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; Kurt, Wyomissing Hills, PA;
Dave, Ocean City, N.J.; James, Chalfont; Ross, Garden City (N.Y.); Schmitty, Ocean City, N.J.; Sarge (via Schmitty);
Broad Street Leon; Martin, Encino (Calif.); John, Boston; Mike, Susannanoa, N.C.; Francis, Lansdale; Tom L., Charlottesville, Va.; Mark, Gilbertsville, Pa.; Frank, Sebastian, Fla.; George, Toms River, N.J.; Tom, Branchburg, N.J.; Chris, Philly (our first Philly donation!); John, Landenberg, Pa.; Tom S. East Norriton, Pa.;

Quotable

"It's very difficult for us to represent to our students that this is a first-rate University without providing the experiences that are offered elsewhere. A great football team, a great basketball team, a great dance program [among other things] . . . our students are entitled to all of that and we will provide it." _ the late Howard Gittis, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Temple University

"Temple's success in 1A football would clearly help its image. Immediate positive public identification with Temple as a whole is what we're talking about. .... Temple's overall image has been boosted by the success of men's basketball led by Coach Chaney. Success in 1A football would have a far greater impact nationally than basketball (or virtually anything else) in developing the University's overall image. . ...Universities with 1A football programs must invest to succeed ..."
_ Peter J. Liacouras, Chancellor, Temple University

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