Category Archives: Temple

08.27.12
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The most-anticipated TU season ever

Scotty Hartkorn’s brilliant Temple trailer is worth watching more than once.

A hot forecast for what could be an even hotter season for Temple

As a 30-year season-ticket-holder (and Temple football fan long before that), I can say one thing clearly and unequivocally:
THIS IS THE MOST-ANTICIPATED TEMPLE SEASON OF MY LIFETIME.
Will it be the best-ever?
That is yet-to-be determined, but I will write this down now for the historians and the pundits to revisit come November:

Temple will not finish last in the Big East this season. In fact, the likely landing spots are either No. 1 or  No. 2. I refuse to go any lower.

There is not a team on this schedule Temple can’t beat. Conversely, there is not a team on this schedule who can’t beat Temple. I like that because of the focus factor. No games off, no plays off.
That’s where Temple’s edge, toughness, comes into play. This is a very tough, proud team who will play the whole season with a huge chip on their shoulder.
If it was a tough team without talent, that would be one thing. This team is every bit as talented as any team they will play.
Heck, the 22 starters on this Temple team are as good as any 22 starters on any Temple team I have ever seen and that includes the 10-2 Temple team that was only 17 points (split between two losses to Penn State and a 10-9 loss to No. 1 Pitt) from being 12-0.
Yes, that’s how close Temple was to being a national champion in 1979.
Two games.
Seventeen points.
Seventeen.
Two games.
In almost all areas, I like this Temple team better than that one and this schedule is easier than the one that team faced.
As good as Brian Broomell was then, Chris Coyer has shown flashes of being a better quarterback now. Broomell called the greatest audible I’ve ever seen a Temple QB make. It was in the 1979 Villanova game at that tiny high school stadium they still have. Broomell went up to the line and saw that Gerald “Sweet Feet” Lucear was being single-covered. Without saying a word, Broomell pointed to Lucear, pointed to the end zone, tapped the center on hip, took the snap and threw a perfect 70-yard strike for a touchdown.
Temple 42, Villanova 10.
Coyer has the same kind of intelligence and skills, but they have better communication methods now. I see him doing the same thing with, say, Jalen Fitzpatrick.
It’s not even close between the Montel Harris/Matty Brown hybrid and a great running back named Kevin Duckett.
Not close because Duckett wasn’t good but because Harris and Brown are great.
I have to take Mark Bright over Wyatt Benson at fullback only because they gave Bright a chance to carry the ball. Bright was a great blocker. Benson is a better blocker. Both were/are team-first guys. Give Benson the ball as much and Benson is better, but I’ll never be able to prove that hypothesis. The game has changed enough in 30 years that the fullback rarely gets the ball.
The one area I would give a big advantage to the 1979 team was offensive line. Joe Paterno called the Temple offensive line “the best offensive line in the country” before the 1979 game and that was not mere hyperbole. Still, Martin Wallace and Sean Boyle could have played on that line and Benson’s role as a blocker means that the Owls will block enough people for Harris, Brown and Coyer to make explosive plays downfield.
Defense, I like the athleticism and line play of Chuck Heater’s group over the 1979 team.
Special teams?
No contest.
The 2012 team is the far and away better, especially with Brown returning kickoffs and Brandon McManus handling the plackicking and punting duties.
I have to take Wayne Hardin over Steve Addazio only because Hardin was to coaching what Bobby Fischer was to playing chess. He was able to fully transfer the 152 IQ he had into checkmating virtually every coach with similar talent. And Hardin was crazy like a Fox. Fischer turned out to be just plain crazy.
Yet as a motivator and CEO Addazio is every bit Hardin’s equal and no (none, zero) coaching staffs in the Big East are as good as Temple’s now.
Vince Hoch was a great defensive coordinator, but he could not hold Chuck Heater’s clipboard.
I know all of this because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
The people who pick Temple last in the Big East have seen nothing.
Yet.
That’s why this most-anticipated season could turn out to be the best one as well.
Five days until kickoff.
It can’t come soon enough.

Tomorrow: Why I hate everything about Villanova not named Andy Talley or Joe Eichhorn

07.24.12
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Temple vs. Penn State: One day later

Joe Paterno on the practice field,
prior to the 1950 Temple game.

The last time Temple walked off the field not a loser to Penn State, an assistant coach shook the hand of Temple coach Albert P. Kawal congratulating him on a good game at then Beaver Field, a 7-7 tie.
The assistant coach was Joe Paterno, then a 23-year-old assistant to Rip Engle.
The year was 1950 and the city of Philadelphia was giddy over a team called the Phillies, who had just won a National League pennant. They were known as the Whiz Kids.
After a sleepless night of tossing and turning over the Penn State sanctions, I’ve come to a different conclusion than a day ago. I really don’t care much for Penn State, but I do care a lot about Temple.
Yesterday, I hoped that if Penn State players transfer they would consider nearby Temple as a landing spot.
Today, I hope none of them transfer and that they win the Big 10 championship.
Most of all, I hope that Temple beats them fair and square on the football field and that the win carries all of the prestige a win over PSU would have last year.
I predicted as much on Black Shoe Diaries, a Penn State blog, last week. I thought Temple would win, 17-7, based on having the entire defensive line back and some good replacement talent on the back end of the defense coached by the best coordinator in the country and a playmaking quarterback on the other side of the ball. I was called overly optimistic in the comments below the story.

Al Kawal, Temple coach (1950)

If, for example, Penn State was to open this season losing to Ohio University and then follow that up with a loss to Temple a couple of weeks later, that would be viewed as the beginning of the end of Penn State football.
No big deal, PSU fans, Joe Philly fans, the nation, would say.
I want that end to come next year, not this year.
On the other hand, if Temple were to beat the eventual Big 10 champion or even a Big 10 contender ALONG with winning the Big East, that WOULD be a big deal. That’s the scenario I want.
At the top of my bucket list, I want to be alive and present when Temple beats Penn State in football.
 Penn State players knew they were in a game when they played Temple a year ago. They have the bumps and bruises to prove it. I want them to experience Temple tough (or, TUFF) again, this time with the Owls coming out on top.
I don’t want that win to be diminished in any way.
So,  for now at least, go Lions and, more importantly, go Owls.

07.23.12
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Temple could benefit most from Penn State sanctions

Not Penn State wins anymore, but not Temple’s, either.

Forget the fact that Penn State’s seven wins over Temple  since 1998 have been “vacated.”
The Penn State sanctions announced this morning by the NCAA are staggering and there are no winners, just losers, in this case.
Still, an institution like Temple, with none of the Penn State baggage, could be a landing spot for some of these Penn State players.
The NCAA vacated all of Penn State’s wins from 1998 through 2011.
I don’t take any satisfaction in any of that. I will take my satisfaction on Sept. 22 when the Owls pick up a real win at Beaver Stadium. Nothing less.
Forget all that, though.
Temple stands to benefit in more tangible ways from Penn State’s sanctions today.
Perhaps more, or at least as much, as any other school.
Penn State players are eligible to transfer today and play at any school tomorrow.
Why not Temple?
Temple is in the same state as many of the current Penn State players.
Temple, like Penn State, plays in a BCS conference.
Temple, unlike Penn State, is located in a major media market.
Temple, unlike Penn State, is eligible to play in bowls for the next four years.
Temple, unlike Penn State, gets to use its full complement of 25 scholarships for the next four years.
Temple, unlike Penn State and even Pitt (which had four head coaches in a little over a calendar year) offers the most stability of any program in Pennsylvania.
Why not Temple, indeed?
If I were a Penn State football player or current verbal, I would be on the phone with Steve Addazio today.

07.09.12
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BC fans nearly unanimous in support of Harris

Montel Harris gets carried off the field after beating Clemson. This could be
him hoisted by the Owls after beating Cincinnati for Big East title at LFF.

“Is it wrong that I will be kind of rooting for Temple this year? I want to see Day, Harris and Rogers succeed.”  _ A.J. Black, contributing writer, BC Interruption

The news that Montel Harris is officially at Temple and participating in pre-season workouts made at least two people happy.
Steve Addazio and Ted Brown.
Addazio, you know about.

Bernard Pierce vs. Montel Harris
(both played 3 full CF years)
Pierce: 663 carries, 3,570 yards
Harris: 787 carries, 3,735 yards

The Temple head coach not only had the most successful first season of any coach in the school’s history, but he also followed that up with the highest-ranked recruiting class in Temple history, better than any of the Al Golden classes.
Even more notable than recruiting, Temple finished the 2011 season ON THE FIELD ranked higher in the Sagarin ratings than all but one of the current Big East teams (Cincinnati).
Sagarin (USA Today) had Temple finishing the 2011 season ranked No. 30 in the country, with only Cincinnati (No. 28) ahead of it and the Owls finishing ahead of Rutgers (37), South Florida (47), Louisville (64), Pitt (68), UConn (73) and Syracuse (83). Realtime RPI.com had Temple ranked No. 37, behind only Cincinnati (24) and Rutgers (30). Louisville was 53, Pitt 64, ‘Cuse (83, again) and UConn 89.
So much for Temple taking a step back without Al Golden.
Brown, you don’t know about unless you are an old-time North Carolina State football fan. Brown will now keep his spot as the ACC’s all-time leading rusher. Had Harris stayed at Boston College, he almost certainly would not have. Harris was just 828 yards short of the record when he left the Chestnut Hill (Mass.) school in March.
The circumstances surrounding his dismissal are foggy at best but there almost unanimous support of this young man on the most popular Boston College football fan website. More important than that, his two closest position coaches at BC, Temple offensive gurus Ryan Day and Kevin Rogers, have vouched for him. That’s all I need to know.
 You can make a strong argument that Harris is the best rusher in ACC history.

Harris graces cover of TSN in 2010.

On a Big East message board, one fan wrote that “this gives Temple a legit rusher.”
 Au contrare, my friend. It gives Temple THREE (3) legit rushers.
Remember, Matty Brown, not Bernard Pierce, was Temple’s No. 1 all-purpose rusher last year. Pierce was a third-round NFL draft choice.
Quarterback Chris Coyer, unbeaten as a starter, ran for a 69-yard touchdown against Ball State and an 80-yard touchdown against Villanova. Oh yes, Coyer, an excellent passer as well, gained 184 yards RUSHING against a bowl-winning Ohio team.
On this website, Brown was the runaway winner of a poll asking “Which running back most epitomizes the term Temple TUFF?” and beat out Pierce, Heisman Trophy runner-up Paul Palmer, Mark Bright and others by a large margin.
Brown won’t give up his No. 1 spot easily.
My feeling all along that this is all good for Brown and Harris and Temple. If, as expected, Harris is 100 percent, he will slide into Pierce’s spot and get the 27 touchdowns and 1,789 yards Pierce had last season.
If he’s 85-90 percent, he will slide into Brown’s spot of last season and pick up Matt’s 916 yards and six touchdowns.
It’s all good for Steve Addazio, Temple football, Montel Harris, Matt Brown and, especially, Ted Brown.

06.26.12
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Brown turns down SEC and Big 10 offers for TU

Buddy Brown’s junior year highlights at Williamstown, N.J.

“You don’t have to go to Rutgers, you can go right here. We are not North Jersey people. We are basically a step over from Philly. We love the Eagles. We love Temple basketball. We like all that. So why not stay here and have a chance to make a change?”
_Sean Brown, Buddy Brown’s father

Ben Franklin once said it first in this town, over 200 years ago:
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Now you can add a third certainty.
Delusional Rutgers’ fans.
Prior to Temple getting verbals from  Jihaad Pretlow and  P.J. Walker, RU fans were drooling over getting their services.
When the two committed to Temple, the prevalent opinion was Rutgers must have backed off at the last minute and “they weren’t that good, anyway.”
Now that Williamstown four-star linebacker Buddy Brown has committed to Temple, RU fans are saying the same thing.
Truth is no offer was ever pulled. Brown was 247.com’s top-rated linebacker in New Jersey and the 10th highest-rated player on the board at any position in that state. He was a four-star national recruit by them and a three-star national recruit by Rivals.com.

Your typical, run-of-the-mill, Rutgers’ football fan

Brown picked Temple fair and square.
It doesn’t matter what a group of nerd fans say, but what Brown says.
“I think more recruits should take a harder look at Temple,” Brown said. “They will be impressed.”
One RU fan came onto Owlscoop.com and wrote, “you really don’t think someone would turn down an offer to come to Rutgers or Penn State over Temple, do you?”
Well, yeah, and there’s no thinking involved, just facts.
Ask former Big East player of the Year Walter Washington (who turned down Nebraska), former Owl wide receiver Mike Palys (who turned down Penn State), former MAC defensive player of the year Adrian Robinson (who turned down Pitt) and current quarterback Chris Coyer (who turned down Ohio State), among many others who could have gone anywhere but chose Temple.
Rutgers’ fan reaction is curious and humorous, more than annoying, really.
They can’t accept the fact that Temple has a more charismatic head coach than they do, a guy who was head coach at Florida (even if it was for three months). They can’t accept the fact that Temple has a defensive coordinator who as a defensive coach was instrumental in an 11-0 season at Utah and was the brains behind a national championship defense at Florida.
They can’t accept the fact that, in comparison, they have a dull, bland, unproven offensive line coach taking over for Greg Schiano.
Yeah, right, and the 23th-ranked linebacker in the country got an offer pulled from Rutgers when he had offers on the table from Wisconsin (Big 10) and the SEC (Mississippi State).
I didn’t know Rutgers, 7-13 in its last 20 conference games, was in the NFC East.
Baghdad Bob must have had a degree in communications from Rutgers.
He was the guy who stood on one bank of the Tigris River on April 8, 2003 in Baghdad saying “American Troops are committing suicide” and “they will be either killed or burned in their tanks”  before getting to the other side.
Two U.S. Army M1 tanks could be seen in the background. By April 9, the entire town of Baghdad was secured and Bob was arrested by the troops he said would commit suicide or burn.
RU will learn the hard way on Oct. 20, 2012, just like Bob did on April 9, 2003. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,”script”,”twitter-wjs”);

06.18.12
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Father’s Day tradition continues at TU


Newspaper clipping chronicling Jim Cooper’s heroics in Temple’s win over West Virginia.

“My dad could have gone to USC or Florida or Alabama and I still would be going to Temple. I know it’s where I want to be.”
_Jim Cooper

Appropriate that Jim Cooper Jr. committed to Temple around Father’s Day this year because, if the name Jim Cooper rings a bell, it should.
Jim Cooper Sr. used to kick for Temple in the Bruce Arians’ years. Cooper even kicked a field goal to beat West Virginia at Veterans Stadium.
Jim Cooper will kick for Temple again in name only as junior is the son of the senior.
The son also gave the coolest quote so far of any Temple recruit:
“My dad could have gone to USC or Florida or Alabama and I still would be going to Temple,” said Cooper. “I know it’s where I want to be.”
The Mainland (N.J.) Regional kicker enters his senior season with 24 career field goals, just six shy of the all-time New Jersey record for field goals. He should break that this season.
I don’t know if any other school has as many father/son connections as Temple University.
Some just off the top of my head:

Dan Klecko

Joe Klecko/Dan Klecko: Joe was an All-American at Temple, but made his fame as the anchor of the New York Jets’ fabled “sack exchange.” Joe should be in the NFL Hall of Fame. Dan was Big East defensive player of the year at Temple and has three Super Bowl rings as a role player with the Patriots and Colts (three more than his dad). Dan is now a sports talk radio host in Philadelphia.
Zach Dixon/Hassan Dixon: Zach was a 1,000-yard rusher for Wayne Hardin’s 1978 team which went 7-3-1. Hassan Dixon is his son and currently listed as a DB for the Owls.

Raheem Brock: representing 

Zach Dixon/Raheem Brock: Yes, the same father of Hassan is also the father of Super Bowl champion DE Raheem Brock and they both played at Temple. Brock was an outstanding TE and DE at Temple and currently looking for another NFL opportunity. He is a successful restaurateur in Philadelphia.

Mark Bright follows his blockers.

Jim Bright/Mark Bright: Jim Bright was a fullback for the Owls in the 1950s. Mark Bright was also a fullback for the Owls, but in the 1970s. Mark was named MVP in Temple’s 28-17 win over California in the Garden State Bowl. Mark was one of Hardin’s last recruits one year. Jim was the long-time principal at New Hope-Solebury High School. “His dad was a fullback at Temple,” Hardin said. “I told him, ‘At Temple, we take care of our own.’ So I took a chance on Mark. I’m glad I did.”

Not a father/son connection, but certainly one worth noting is that current starting Temple quarterback (and New Mexico Bowl MVP) Chris Coyer also has a family tie to Temple. A great uncle, Harry Cochran, was Dean of the Business School at Temple in 1959. Chris is majoring in business.

Now the Jim Coopers become part of the Temple football family once again. It’s a nice Father’s Day trend worth mentioning.

06.04.12
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Temple dreams and expectations

With 12 wins this year,  Chris Coyer could go to 16-0 as a Temple starter.

About this time every year, I run into a friend I will call Frank (because that’s his name) and, for the past five years or so, he’ll yell out “How is Temple going to do this year?” when I jog by his summer place in the Poconos.

Coaching up the OL.

Frank did not go to Temple and is about as New York City as they come (a big Yankee fan) but he became a Temple fan (he watches on TV) because his late beautiful wife, Amy, graduated from Temple.
About five years ago, I yelled out 7-5 (after a whole lot of losing seasons in a row). It was 5-7. (It should have been 7-5, except for fiascoes at Navy and Buffalo). I nailed the record the past couple of years with eight-win predictions.
This year, I dread jogging by Frank’s place because I just don’t know the answer.
It could be 8-3. It could be 11-0. It could even be 6-5, but I seriously doubt it will go below that.
Dreams, expectations, reality.
The dream is that everybody stays relatively healthy, that Justin Frye and Steve Addazio can coach up the offensive line and that Chuck Heater continues to show the nation he is the best defensive coordinator in the country.
This being June, I feel prepared to tell Frank 8-3 but I can dream of 11-0.
This is how it can happen:

Temple hits the snap-on button to steamroll Villanova.

Friday, Aug. 31.:  Matty Brown treats the Wildcats like he treated the U.S. Army for the last two years, going for 226 and four touchdowns. Chris Coyer rips off another patented 80-yard touchdown run and adds a pair of touchdown passes, one to Malcolm Eugene and another to Deon Miller. Ryan Alderman sustains three drives by catching third-down passes. Juice Granger ends the four-year rivalry by faking a kneel down out of victory formation and hitting slot receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick for a 63-yard score. “We call that our ‘snap-on’ play,” Addazio said. “We snapped it onto the game plan yesterday. It was the last page.” Temple 55, Villanova 3.
Saturday, Sept. 8: Randy Edsall opens the post-game press conference by saying, “for the third-straight year, my team wasn’t tough enough to beat this team. It’s a bad matchup for us.” After pestering by D.C. and Baltimore reporters, he ends the press conference by saying, “Look, if it wasn’t for the kindness of coach Addazio, we would have lost to them 45-0 last year. You didn’t really expect us to make up 45 points in one year, did you?” Temple 28, Maryland 13.

The best DC in the USA

Sat., Sept. 22: Given an extra week to prepare, Heater comes up with a brand new blitzing scheme that forces Penn State starter Matt McGloin into five interceptions, one returned for a touchdown by true freshman Nate Smith and another by outside linebacker Kevin Newsome, who volunteered to move to defense in August. “I totally take responsibility for this loss,” new Penn State coach Bill O’Brien says afterward. “I put in a lot of Tom Brady stuff for him. I know Tom Brady. Matt is no Tom Brady.” Addazio: “Newsome was too good an athlete to keep off the field.” Temple 17, Penn State 7.
Sat., Oct. 6 _ South Florida travels to Philadelphia for the first time and the weather is so uncharacteristically cool, with temperatures in the 40s, that the Bulls have a hard time coping. Temple students come up big in the first game back to the Big East as 30,000 students make the subway ride from the main campus to attend the historic event. “Between the cold and our guys fumbling and the noise their students were making, we just weren’t into it,” South Florida coach Skip Holtz said afterward.  “We don’t have crowds like that in Tampa.” Addazio gives basketball head coach Fran Dunphy the game ball. Temple 24, South Florida 14.
Sat. Oct. 13 _ With UConn benefactor Robert Burton watching from a superbox, Ryan Day’s spread offense kicks into full gear against the Huskies as Coyer hits Fitzpatrick, Alderman, Miller and tight end Alex Jackson for scores. Brown adds another on the ground. Burton storms out at halftime, yelling out loud “I told you guys we should have hired Addazio.” The win gives Temple a 5-3 overall advantage in the all-time series. Temple 35, UConn 7.
Sat. Oct. 20 _ Heater’s defense sacks two Rutgers’ quarterbacks for a school-record 15 times. Fitzpatrick hits a wide-open Coyer on a double-reverse throwback pass for six. Brandon McManus kicks five field goals and the Rutgers’ Rivals.com board implodes and servers crash after a 22-14 Temple win in front of 50,000 fans, 35K from Temple. They officially change the name of the Raritan River to the Denial River after one Rutgers fan writes, “Well, at least we won the battle of the fans.” Temple 22, Rutgers 14. “Penn State was sweet but, for some reason, this one was sweeter,” Coyer says afterward. The win evens the all-time series at 17-17 and gives Temple wins in five of the last seven meetings.
Sat. Oct. 27 _ Stability becomes the most-used word in post-game reports after Temple pulls out a 14-7 win at Pitt. “You can’t have five head coaching changes in a couple of years and expect a competitive   DI program,” one columnist writes. After the game, Gov. Tom Corbett presents Addazio with the Governor’s Cup, emblematic of the state championship. In keeping with his austerity policy on higher education, though, the trophy is made out of a used cardboard pizza box donated by neighboring Gov. Chris Christie. Temple 14, Pitt 7.

Pitino: Rooting for Temple?

Sat. Nov. 3 _ At Louisville, Rick Pitino hosts Dunphy in a club box at Papa Johns Stadium and photo of him high-fiving Dunph after a Temple touchdown causes a local stir. “I always cheer for Louisville,” Rick said. “We were high-fiving about the new scoreboard at the Liacouras Center. Temple just happened to score a touchdown at the same time.” Temple 17, Louisville 6. With the win, Temple’s all-time record vs. Louisville is now 4-2.
Sat. Nov. 10 _ With the Big East championship on the line, unbeaten Cincinnati travels to unbeaten Temple and College Football Game Day is in attendance. A 59-yard McManus field goal as time expires  sets off a wild celebration as the goal posts come down despite some heavy-handed Eagles’ security. Temple now leads the all-time series vs. the Bearcats, 10-4 with one tie, thanks to a Wes Sornisky field goal. Temple 13, Cincinnati 10.
Sat., Nov. 17 _ Brown once again becomes Army’s worst nightmare, this time scoring five touchdowns and running for 268 yards. “I thought he graduated,” one Army fan is overheard telling a Temple fan. “No, that was Pierce,” the Temple fan whispers back. “I wish it was Brown instead,” the Army fan says. Temple 42, Army 14.

Doug Marrone: No depth

Sat. Nov. 24 _ Syracuse dressed only 65 players for its spring game and through injuries and ineligiblity, brought only 35 players to Temple for the season finale. “Depth really hurt us,” Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone said. After the game, Syracuse tight end Louis Addazio announces he will transfer to Temple. Temple 32, Syracuse 14.

Temple finishes the regular season 11-0 and Coyer and Brown grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, with the cover headline stating “Fat Cat and Bug lead surprising Temple into Orange Bowl.”

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05.02.12
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ACC’s 2d-leading all-time rusher coming to TU?

First, Temple recruited Montrell Dobbs as a possible long-term replacement for Bernard Pierce. Now, Montel Harris seems to be at least a POSSIBLE short-term solution, according to CBS and BC Interruption.
 Everybody knows the REAL replacement for Pierce is our very own Matty Brown, who was Temple’s No. 1 all-purpose back last season. If Harris, as rumored, comes to Temple he will be eligible to play immediately since he will likely be graduating from Boston College in a couple of weeks, the so-called Russell Wilson Rule.

Tweet by Bruce Feldman on Tuesday.

Wilson graduated from North Carolina State and was able to finish his career at Wisconsin. Dobbs is sitting out a year and is positioning himself an interesting No. 1 fight between himself, Jalen Fitzpatrick (who could be a slot receiver), Khalif Herbin (who also could play slot), Brandon Peoples and Jamie Gilmore for the top spot on the 2013 Owls. Maybe one or more of those guys could be redshirted if Harris arrives on campus.
So Temple should be able to make a smooth transition from the Brown/Pierce Era to an equally impressive stable of tailbacks.
The difference between Montel and Montrell is that Montel will be able to play right away.
IF Harris comes to Temple, somebody is giving him very good advice. If he enters the NFL supplemental draft coming off a knee injury, he has virtually no chance to make an NFL roster. If he enters the NFL draft coming off a strong senior year at Temple, he’s got a good chance to do it as a first-round draft choice.
Pierce would have had the same opportunity if he had followed Steve Addazio’s advice to remain at Temple one more season.
 IF Harris comes, and that’s still a big if as of this minute, he will come with Pierce-like credentials. In fact, Harris is the second-leading all-time rusher in the history of Boston College and that’s impressive in itself. He would have entered this season as a prohibitive favorite to break Ted Brown’s ACC career rushing record that stood since 1979. Harris came into the 2011 season as the ACC’s preseason Player of the Year, but obtained a medical redshirt after hurting his knee in the first game.

If he doesn’t come, Temple will be fine at tailback. If one of the incoming freshman don’t pan out, Jalen Fitzpatrick can be an impact player at that position, just like Brown has been. Temple has more depth at that position than in the kicking game, put it that way.
Harris was kicked off err, asked to leave, the Boston College team for unspecified reasons, but if he comes here he would do so with the blessing of two top BC assistants who are now at Temple, quarterbacks’ coach Kevin Rogers and offensive coordinator Ryan Day. Obviously, they know the kid and, if they vouch for him, Steve Addazio would likely give him another chance.

IF Harris comes to Temple, somebody is giving him very good advice. If he enters the NFL supplemental draft coming off a knee injury, he has virtually no chance to make an NFL roster. If he enters the NFL draft coming off a strong senior year at Temple, he’s got a good chance to do it as a first-round draft choice.

Matt Brown, in my mind, would share the No. 1 tailback spot in the same way he shared it with Pierce. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both and one that figures to be a mutually beneficial one for Temple as well.
Heck, it’s not as if a tailback has never been injured.
 Between Paul Palmer, Pierce, Brown and guys like Todd McNair and Stacey Mack (and now both Montel and Montrell as well as Peoples and Gilmore), you could make a case for Temple being Tailback U.
With a distinctive Capital T.
Interesting footnote on this story. In the Owlsports.com Cherry and White game notes, it said “Matt Brown is wearing No. 2 for the spring game. His number in the fall is yet to be determined.” I wondered out loud why they didn’t just announce he was wearing No. 2 henceforth and, err, Temple football forever.
Harris wears No. 2.
Mystery solved.
Maybe.

03.30.12
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Fun with Mega Millions and Temple football

“You won’t believe this, but we just got a donation of $231 million” Bill Bradshaw
tells a puzzled Steve Addazio.

My Mega Millions’ ticket Stephen Colbert’s both have something in common, No. 6 as the all-important Mega Ball number tonight.
Colbert got to his number a little bit differently than I did, picking 1-2-3-4-5 as his first five and six as his Mega Ball number.
Heck, I know both Colbert and I have the same chance of winning (zero) but it is fun to think about so I made it a game with two lines based on “some” (not all) of my favorite Temple football players.
I went with No. 6 because it was the number worn by Paul Palmer, the Temple football player who came closest to winning the Heisman Trophy (second, 1986).
Palmer’s line: 12 (Brian Broomell), 26 (Anthony Young), 43 (Adrian Robinson), 52 (Stephen Johnson) and 55 (Steve Conjar). 12-26-43-52-55 (6).

Steve Conjar

Then I went with a line featuring Maxwell Award winner Steve Joachim (9) that includes Matt Brown (2),  New Mexico Bowl MVP Chris Coyer (10), Brandon McManus (19), Ahkeem Smith (24) and Bernard Pierce and Garden State Bowl MVP  Mark Bright (30). That line reads 2-10-19-24-30 (9).
I’m only spending $2 to win $640 million because you don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that purchasing $4 worth of tickets doesn’t double your chance of winning.
If I’m the only winner, I’ll “settle” for the cash payout of $462 million and give half to Temple football via the Xtra Point Club. The only condition is that Temple spend it on a new stadium and name it “Temple University Stadium” or, at the very least, purchase the naming rights to Lincoln Financial Field and call it “Temple University Stadium.”
(Hey, if Akron can build a beautiful stadium for $61.6 million five years ago, Temple can build something slightly better for $231 million. It already has the land, 15th Street and Norris to 15th and Montgomery.)
That’s it.  I’ll scrape by on the other $231 million.

Matt Brown will be wearing No. 2 this year.

I’m serious, too. Temple’s lawyers can consider this post a promisory note.
Once they get the money, it is theirs to spend under no further conditions and no further suggestions from me. (It would be nice, though, if it gave Temple fans the security of knowing another program won’t be able to poach their coach at the end of every season.)
I’ll give the money to Bill Bradshaw and Steve Addazio at halftime of the spring game on April 14 with one of those oversized white checks with Cherry writing.
I don’t have kids and only one living relative so I can afford to do this.
In addition to the tangible cash contribution, an ancillary benefit is that Temple football becomes the No. 1 story in the Philadelphia media. I’m sure the cynical professional sports media will be calling me crazy but it will be crazy like a fox because any publicity is good publicity when it comes to putting Temple TUFF front and center of Philly sports talk.
Heck, with a jackpot like this, maybe the talk of the nation as well.
It would be fun to find out.
No Mercedes or Porches, strippers, mansions, like that guy from West Virginia who besmirched an otherwise great sports broadcasting name  (Jack Whitaker) for me. Maybe a Hurricane-proof six-month-a-year snowbird getaway house near Tampa, Fla., an HDTV and a new Chevy and I’m good to go.
Now comes the hard part. Getting those numbers to come up.

03.20.12
by

Big East quarterbacks: Coyer may be the best

Case Keenum and RGIII have nothing on Chris Coyer in this comparison.

Back in 1979, a tremendous athlete by the name of Brian Broomell led the nation in the then new category of passing efficiency while playing quarterback for Temple University.
Probably not coincidentally, Broomell led Temple to a 10-2 record, the most wins in the history of Temple football.
Since then, passing efficiency has been my most favorite statistic.
Where there is a quarterback who has a good passing efficiency rating, you’ll usually find a tremendous won/loss record in his favor as well.

Last year’s BE quarterback ratings.

Fortunately, the Owls will enter Big East play this fall with a big known in that area as another tremendous athlete, Chris Coyer, is not only the No. 1 returning in the nation in the terms of passing efficiency, he is also No. 1 in terms of a new category called “yards per play.”
A respected California blogger, football fan and math whiz came up with the statistical data and it is intriguing. In fact, yards per play might be a better indicator of a quarterback’s overall worth than passing efficiency.
Admittedly, Coyer provides a small sample but it is large enough in my mind to rate him the No. 1 returning quarterback in the Big East by a wide margin.
He has a passing efficiency rating of 177.4.
Compare that to returning South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels (126.7), Louisville’s Terry Bridgewater (132.4), Rutgers’ Chris Dodds (118.5) and Gary Nova (116.6), Cincinnati’s Zach Collaros (131.6), Pitt’s Tino Sunseri (124.1) and Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib (129.9).
Even with a statistical allowance for strength of conference (and let’s face it, there wasn’t that much difference between the Big East and MAC last year), Coyer comes out pretty far ahead.

Coyer accepts New Mexico Bowl MVP Award.

Plus, he’s unbeaten as a Temple starter and put up 31 points as a relief pitcher to the woefully ineffective Chester Stewart in the Ohio game. Had Coyer started against Ohio, I believe the Owls would have won that one, too. Heck, had he started against Penn State I think the Owls would have won that also.
Those hypotheticals will be decided on the field this year, fortunately.
I’m a little concerned about Coyer’s backup and Matty Brown’s backup, but I’m not concerned at all with the starting offensive personnel.
With Coyer, Brown, Malcolm Eugene, C.J. Hammond, Deon Miller, Ryan Alderman, Alex Jackson, Cody Booth and company (not even mentioning the incoming freshmen), the Owls could turn the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard into an adding machine this fall.
And it all starts with the trigger man.
Just from the eye test, I think Coyer will be the best quarterback in the Big East this fall.
He throws a nice ball, makes great decisions (nine touchdown passes to zero interceptions), is elusive and has the “it” factor Temple has been looking for in a quarterback since Adam DiMichele sadly departed in 2007.
The two Rutgers’ kids, Dodds and Nova, can’t even carry his jock strap (nor would Chris want them to). I saw a few RU games and both those quarterbacks struggled.
If he’s as efficient as Broomell was some 30 years ago, the all-important stat of 10 wins might be in jeopardy as well.
That’s the only stat I really care about.
For the first time since 2007, I’m not going into a season worrying about the most important position on the field.
That’s both comforting and exciting.