09.14.14
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The Next Robbie Anderson Could Bring Some Juice

Temple commit Cortrelle Simpson catches 3 touchdown passes for over 100 yards in receiving on Friday.

Temple commit Cortrelle Simpson catches 3 touchdown passes for over 100 yards in receiving on Friday.

I don’t know about you but, for the last few months, I’ve heard about Temple having the “next Robbie Anderson” in the fold.

The only people who could stop Anderson were the Temple professors who flunked him out of school. (I would have done what every big-time school does and stash Anderson away in Basketweaving 101, but Temple has a lot of catching up to do in that area. Heck, Basketweaving 101 is how I got through Temple.)

Wish he were slightly taller than 5-11, but that 40 time (4.33) would make him the fastest player currently on the TU roster (Khalif Herbin has been timed at 4.34). Maybe he'll have a senior growth spurt and shoot up to 6-2.

Wish he were slightly taller than 5-11, but that 40 time (4.33) would make him the fastest player currently on the TU roster (Khalif Herbin has been timed at 4.34). Maybe he’ll have a senior growth spurt and shoot up to 6-2.

You know, a couple of guys who were about 6-4, 6-5, who could run like Khalif Herbin, catch the ball like Larry Fitzgerald, and have the moves in the open field like Paul Palmer. A guy who P.J. Walker can just throw the ball up to and the 6-4 size and vertical leap and Temple ‘][‘’ rubber gloves would cling to it. Then strong enough to break a tackle in the middle of the field and fast enough to turn around and make RAC yards.

Temple has played two games this season and I haven’t seen him yet. Temple’s best receiver is a 5-10 slot receiver named Jalen Fitzpatrick, who has done all of the good things we’ve come to expect of him in his last three years at Temple. This guy was clutch enough to catch the game-tying touchdown at UConn two seasons ago, so we know he’s solid.

Still, he’s not likely to do what Anderson did and that’s catch nine TD passes in five games and become virtually uncoverable.

If he cannot do it, maybe Cortrelle Simpson can. Simpson got off to a good start over the weekend and it is chronicled in the Washington Post here.

Hint: If you are 6-4, can run like the wind and have sticky fingers and currently are on the Temple roster, please start making some explosive plays downfield now. You’ve got a one-year head start.

09.12.14
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In Search of a Home Run Hitter

For what seemed to be forever, even in bad seasons, Temple football always had a guy who you could hand the ball off to and put the fear in the minds of the defense that he has the speed and explosiveness to take it to the house on any given down.

The Owls went from guys Anthony Anderson and Zack Dixon and Kevin Duckett to guys like Paul Palmer and Todd McNair to guys like Elmarko Jackson and Stacy Mack to Jason McKie and Tanardo Sharps to the more recent vintage of Bernard Pierce, Matty Brown and Montel Harris.

You could call Temple ‘][‘ailback U.

That really has not existed the last two seasons. Sure, getting Archbishop Ryan’s under-recruited star, Samir Bullock–whose running style is shocking similar to Pierce’s–would solve the problem, but that solution is a year away if at all.

Nobody bitched after Matty Brown switched; I have a strong feeling the same would happen if Khalif switched, too.

Nobody bitched after Matty Brown switched; I have a strong feeling the same would happen if Khalif switched, too.

It’s not like Temple is waiting to recruit the next BP, because I believe he’s currently in the house and that’s between Khalif Herbin, Jamie Gilmore, Zach Thomas and David Hood. Supposedly at least two of those players are getting a fair tryout at running the football this week. I believe all  should get at least five handoffs from scrimmage against Delaware State and whomever emerges from the pack–both literally and figuratively–should get the job going forward. For some reason, whether they are banged up or not, Temple’s other backs have not shown the speed to get to the corner.  I don’t know what happened to Zaire Williams but seeing him getting caught from behind at SMU on a sure touchdown last year was an eye-opener. That wouldn’t have happened to Pierce or Brown.

To me, the offensive line is not a great concern. They had a bad game against Navy, but they pushed around a defensive line at Vanderbilt that had some success last year in the SEC.

The big concern on the offense is finding a true Temple Tailback U guy to follow the blocks of that offensive line (and  maybe even fullback Kenny Harper) to explosive gains downfield. Establishing the running game would open up the play-action passing game of P.J. Walker. Right now, Temple’s passing game seems to be locked into throwing little flares out of the backfield and into double-coverage in the  end zone.

Herbin won the New Jersey State Player of the Year Award in 2011–a year before P.J. Walker won it–for his ability to run the ball from the line of scrimmage, yet the Owl coaches insist on putting him at receiver, a position he’s had no success in the past. That was Al Golden’s plan for Matty Brown, to convert him from successful running back to the new position of slot  receiver, before Pierce’s NCAA clearinghouse issues prompted Golden to use him at his more natural position of RB. Brown, who is smaller and slower than Herbin, held onto that position for the rest of his career. Temple fans were glad his talents were not wasted at slot receiver. That move helped Golden become a million-dollar coach.

All Herbin needs is the same chance. I hope he gets it against Del. State and, err, runs with it.

09.11.14
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Throwback Thursday: Garden State Bowl

Since there’s no opponent this week, thought the Throwback Thursday segment this week would be the Garden State Bowl.

There were a few things to take from that bowl:

  • Great coaching led directly to Temple’s win. Temple coach Wayne Hardin likes to tell the story of the exchange of films with the California team. He gave them only a couple of Temple game films and those were the games that Temple could afford to be very vanilla and run the basic stuff. Due to Hardin’s contacts in California, he was able to get not only the films Cal exchanged but the entire season of Cal film. He noticed that the linebackers on Cal tipped their hand when they would blitz and had quarterback Brian Broomell fake that way and throw the other. Those plays led to a 21-0 Temple lead before Cal could figure out that Hardin had them figured out.
  • Cal’s trash-talking served as a motivating factor for Temple. Cal coach Roger Theder said “Temple doesn’t play opponents as tough as we do” and that hissed the Owls off. Cal had five losses that year, but the 11-point loss to Temple was its worst. Probably not a coincidence.
  • It was cold, but probably not as cold as the fans remembered. I saved my game notes (the printed kind, given out in the press box) and it said: “Temperature at kickoff: 40 degrees.” Tried to find them on the internet but could only find this veiled reference to the game in a Cal band blog about the temperatures being several degrees above freezing but not feeling that way.
  • Yes, and one of the loudest laughs that day was when they showed the final score on the Jumbotron and had a graphic cartoon visual of an Owl taking a dump on the head of a Bear. Certainly beats the misspelled “CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW MEXICO BOWL CAMPIONS” that appeared on the scoreboard in Albuquerque. That  Owl/Bear graphic pretty much summed up a wonderful afternoon.
  • The Temple fans were great. There were 55,874 in attendance and only about 500 or so were rooting for Cal. It was that day I was convinced that a consistent winning and well-coached Temple program against big-time competition could put enough fannies in the seats to thrive. Even though Rutgers, essentially a home team, played in the first GSB, the 55K Temple drew remains an all-time bowl record crowd in New Jersey.
  •  The Cal band performance is below and they even play a  current Temple Diamond Marching Band favorite:

By the way, the 1979 Temple team would have blown out the 2010 Temple team (which, ironically, did not make a bowl but should have).

09.06.14
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Speed Kills and Speed Would Help

The Owls didn't have the speed at tailback to get outside enough to keep drives going.

The Owls didn’t have the speed at tailback to get outside enough to keep drives going.

It’s funny (curious funny, not humorous funny) how football works.

The hope—at least with a lot of Temple fans—was that Navy would get beaten up so much by a bigger, stronger, faster, Ohio State team that it would suffer so many injuries that would help Temple a week later.



“Give Temple credit.
A lot of that was all
the third and twos
we couldn’t convert.
We have been converting
those in the past.
… but they beat
our guys up front.”
_ Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo
err, five years ago

Instead, Temple was the school that suffered so many injuries that last year’s starting corner, Anthony Robey, had to play safety. Still, the biggest takeaway from the day to me was the Owls’ shocking inability to play the option as compared to the 2009 Temple team. On that day in Annapolis, the Temple defensive front handled Navy’s offensive line in a 27-24 win. So much so that this is what Navy’s great coach, Ken Niumatalolo said afterward:

“Give Temple credit. A lot of that was all the third and twos we couldn’t convert. We have been converting those in the past. … but they beat our guys up front.”

That was then. This was now: Temple was painfully slow at both defensive ends after showing some speed last week. Don’t know whether it was the heat or not, but Praise Martin-Oguike and Sharif Finch played most of the down and distance situations a week ago against Vanderbilt and those two have outstanding DE speed. Their backups, though, who did get a lot of snaps—probably because of the heat— are slow as molasses. Molasses on top of Navy’s pancake blocking is not a good condiment.

How has Temple gone from “beating (Navy’s) guys” to being beaten at the point of attack? Recruiting should have gotten better after the MAC, not worse. I’d also like to know how Western Kentucky—with Western Kentucky talent—beat Navy’s guys last year in a 19-7 win. Or how Duke’s guys did it in a 35-7 win. Playing Navy is tough, but coaches like Bobby Petrino and David Cutcliffe—and, heck, Al Golden—proved it’s not rocket science.

Herbin did not get selected No. 1 in the players’ draft for the Cherry and White game because his teammates like him. He got that honor because he’s a playmaker in the mold of the Seattle Seahawks’ Percy Harvin. The Seahawks find innovative ways to get Harvin the ball. It’s high time for the Owls to find ways to get Herbin the rock.

Herbin did not get selected No. 1 in the players’ draft for the Cherry and White game because his teammates like him. He got that honor because he’s a playmaker in the mold of the Seattle Seahawks’ Percy Harvin. The Seahawks find innovative ways to get Harvin the ball. It’s high time for the Owls to find ways to get Herbin the rock.

Going into the game, I thought players like Matt Ioannidis and Averee Robinson would have so much success inside at blowing up the point of attack that they would stretch the option wide and Temple’s linebackers and ends would have the speed to string the option out to the sideline. Instead, Temple’s linebackers were doing the tackling seven, eight, nine yards downfield because Navy was able to turn the corner time after time. The fullback dive play, which did not work in 2009, worked too much on Saturday.

Not a good sign. Neither was wearing black anything on a 99-degree day. That wasn’t well-thought-out. The school’s colors are cherry and white and there are enough innovative ways to make cherry and white look good. The song doesn’t say “Fight, Fight, Fight or the Cherry and the White … and the black.”

Speaking of speed, it’s also becoming increasingly apparent that until Temple recruits someone with “Bernard Pierce” or “Matty Brown” speed and pedigree, the Owls should consider moving Khalif Herbin—who is faster than both Pierce and Brown were and just as shifty if not moreso—to tailback for at least a few snaps a game as a stopgap measure. No one runs any harder than my favorite Owl, Kenny Harper, but he’d best serve the team as a lead blocking fullback for players like Herbin and Jahad Thomas. Harper can still carry the ball a few times for running plays up the middle.

Herbin did not get selected No. 1 in the players’ draft for the Cherry and White game because his teammates like him. He got that honor because he’s a playmaker in the mold of the Seattle Seahawks’ Percy Harvin. The Seahawks find innovative ways to get Harvin the ball. It’s high time for the Owls to find ways to get Herbin the rock.

All of this can be fixed for the Owls to become the best team they can be. They were not the best team they could have been on Saturday. They have a couple of weeks to tweak and experiment and put the players they have in the best position to win.

This Year’s Chris Coyer?

khalif

09.04.14
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Throwback Thursday: Navy’s Last Visit to Temple

Navy has a pretty good history of success at Lincoln Financial Field, going 10-0, but only one of those wins was against Temple and that was this one in 2007. The other nine wins came against Army.

Temple’s had some pretty imaginative plays in the Navy series and our second-favorite play was this throwback pass from Adam DiMichele to Matt Balasavage for a touchdown. DiMichele did a beautiful job selling the play, with a hard roll to the right before looking back. That might work even better with the more athletic Romond Deloatch on the throwback end this time.

Our favorite Temple play in the recent modern era (post-Bobby Wallace) came the next year and also involved DiMichele, currently the Owls’ wide receiver coach. Walking up to the line with the Owls holding a lead and seconds running off in the first half, DiMichele feigned taking a knee and, just before his knee was about to touch the ground, rose up and hit Bruce Francis on a long touchdown pass. Navy fell for that one hook, line and, err, anchor, as no one was within 30 yards of Francis, who could have walked into the end zone.

Maybe Adam could show P.J. Walker how that’s done tomorrow in practice.

This might be a good game to polish off the Jalen Fitzpatrick reverse pass or the plain simple Khalif Herbin reverse. If the Owls can get their speedy running backs (Jamie Gilmore, Jahad Thomas and Herbin) to the corners, they can outrun Navy and control the clock and keep Navy’s offense off the field.

Note Matt Rhule’s cameo at the end of this film when he had no gray hairs.

 

09.01.14
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Night at The Field House

Field House had a big, loud, Temple crowd well past midnight.

Field House had a big, loud, Temple crowd well past midnight.

Anyone who has ever been a Temple fan for 30 years like I have knows the feeling.

The few times we have to walk into a bar to watch a Temple game we have to brace ourselves for asking for the game without getting laughed at or ask for the sound, which they never turn up. For some reason, so-called sports bars love to have music on and will seldom turn up the sound on sports events and never Temple ones. Miller’s Ale House in Northeast Philadelphia is a repeat offender in that regard. Armed with that knowledge, I ditched my plans to make a short walk to the local taproom and decided to attend the scheduled Temple viewing party at The Field House, where I knew the sound would be up.

Despite several logistical problems, I’m glad I did.

It started with a ride on the Route 67 bus out of Northeast Philly to the Market-Frankford Line. The bus ride was cool, a 25-minute one from Alburger and Verree; the MFL not so cool, with a guy walking up and down the train and talking to himself. SEPTA has a police force of 378 full-time officers and I thought to myself if they are not riding the MFL or the Broad Street Subway, just where are these guys? Are there donut shops on the subway? If I was the CEO of SEPTA, I’d have two guys riding shotgun of every train and still have more than 200 officers left to patrol other areas.

That’s just me.

Getting off at 11th Street, I made my way to the Field House. The first thing I saw is a couple of guys wearing Texas A&M game jerserys. Trendy fans. There is nothing worse than a trendy fan. I don’t throw the word “hate” around much, but I hate trendy fans. I guarantee those two guys were from Philly and picked Texas A&M out of a hat to root for, simply because they have been a trendy team. On the subject of hate, I hate every Temple student who walks around the Temple campus wearing Penn State stuff. I walked into the Temple room and told my friend, Dave, about it and he agreed. “He probably has a Duke hat and has a Dallas Cowboy and New York Yankee jersey, too,” Dave said.

That summed it up. Then I spent the better part of the next five hours with real fans, Temple fans, fans like me who stick with their team through a lot of thin and little thick.

After a two-hour wait, though, the next three hours were deliciously thick.

After Brandon Shippen scored a touchdown, I started a very loud “Let’s Go Temple” cheer. Then, as Temple lined up for the extra point, I stopped and told the room, “If he makes this, T for Temple U.” We did a lot of “Let’s Go Temple” and “T for Temple Us” that night. Let’s Go Temple during every drive. T for Temple U after every made extra point and field goal.  So much so that I could not talk for most of the day Friday.

It was a loud, boisterious, crowd and I’m glad I came.

All of those guys and gals will be at the Navy game on Saturday. I hope we get 30,000 other Temple fans that loud, too.  The trendy fans can stay home.