Category Archives: weather

09.20.12
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Early forecast for Saturday: Temple sunshine

While the rain won’t be coming into Philadelphia until dinner time, it should be at Penn State by kickoff.

The early forecast is for rain on Saturday during Temple’s game at Penn State.
They might as well call it Temple sunshine.
Before the season, Penn State lost its top running back, Silas Redd, to a USC transfer.
Early reports this week indicate his top two replacements, Derek Day and Bill Belton, are banged up and might not play.

Bill O’Brien answers a question about the availability of top tailbacks Derek Day and Bill Belton.

Conversely, Temple lost its top tailback, Bernard Pierce, to the NFL draft but replaced him with an arguably better version of Pierce in Montel Harris. Also, Matty Brown, not Pierce, was Temple’s No. 1 all-purpose runner last year.
Unlike two Penn State tailbacks, Harris and Brown are 100 percent healthy and ready to go Saturday (ABC-TV, Channel 6).
As good as Pierce was, not even the biggest Pierce fan (err, me) is ready to say that Pierce would have been the second-leading all-time rusher in the ACC had he played in that conference.
Harris was and would have been the all-time leader had he remained at Boston College for his senior season.
History shows rain tends to dramatically reduce scoring and teams that can run the ball and have a good field goal kicker have a major advantage.
Temple can run the ball and its field goal kicker, Brandon McManus, is a darn sight better than Penn State’s (Sam Ficken). McManus is also a great punter and field position could be especially important under adverse weather conditions.
One of the most infamous times Penn State played a home game in a pouring rain and mud at Beaver Stadium, Navy posted a big upset win, 7-6, in 1974, one year after Penn State beat Navy in Annapolis, 39-0. In the rain, maybe it is a 10-7, 6-3 game and not in a 24-21 range. The last time Temple played in a steady rain was a 12-6 overtime loss to UConn during Hurricane Hanna.
I’ve never placed a bet on a Temple game and probably never will (it hurts enough to lose straight up and covering in a loss doesn’t make me feel any better), but it’s something to consider for those so inclined.
The under looks very appealing, Still, I’ll take any Temple win over cashing in at the payout window.

09.07.12
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Cecily: Weather stays dry until after 3


 Steve Addazio recaps Villanova and talks Maryland.


Cecily says no snow (and rain) until after the game is over.

One of the most frustrating things about watching the weather is they say vague things like, “on Saturday it’s going to rain.”
Then I scream at the screen “WHEN!” and they don’t listen.
One of the many reasons I like Cecily Tynan is that she seems to listen when I yell.
Last night, on Action News, Cecily said: “And, on Saturday, it looks like rain comes in …”
After pausing to hear me ask when, Cecily said: “It looks like it’s going to hold off until the late afternoon or evening.”
I’m going to hold her to it because, by then, the Maryland at Temple game will be over.
I know a lot of my younger friends like Sheena Parveen better, but give me Cecily Tynan any day of the week. First, I like women over 40. (I’m told she’s over 40; she doesn’t look a day over 30, though.) Second, Sheena doesn’t listen to me. She’ll give the vague “it’s going to rain sometime on Saturday” and think that’s enough.

Update from Cecily (thanks, Cecily)

When you are going to a football game in a tight noon-3 window, you need to know what is going to happen between noon and 3.
I don’t know if the weather is going to help or hurt Temple at all on the field of play. Owls have a better running game than Maryland does, so maybe it will.
If enough forecasters keep mentioning rain, though, it will definitely hurt Temple at the gate.
Who can forget the night before Temple’s 2008 game vs. UConn, Fox29’s John Bolaris signed off by saying: “No way Temple will play tomorrow” without checking with Temple officials. Hurricane Hanna came and went, but Temple played. That really hurt Temple at the gate.
That’s the way it’s been in the past. Temple’s got a very fragile fan base. If it rains, a significant portion won’t bother to show up. Heck, if it’s too cold, some fans won’t go to a bowl game, even if it’s nearby in D.C. That’s probably the way it will be in the future.
That’s why I love Cecily. In her educated opinion, the rain won’t come until “late” afternoon. I define late afternoon as after 3. I hope she’s right.
Hopefully, that’s the only meteorological source Owl fans were watching.

Tomorrow: Gameday preview