by Mike Gibson

Matt Rhule Bobblehead Day

Fans grab their spots prior to the 1919 C&W game. (Nah, that’s across
the street for a 1919 A’s game at Shibe Park, 22d and Lehigh.)

Sean Boyle a few days
before he signed at
Temple, Feb. 5, 2008

Spring cleaning comes around this time of the year for me.
This year, I found an old Al Golden Bobblehead (see right), an old social security card and re-arranged some of the furniture.
Everything for a purpose.
When I looked at Al’s bobbing head, I remembered how he routinely changed a player’s position for the betterment of the team.
Everything Al did regarding personnel moves was for a reason. I don’t remember a single Al Golden personnel switch that didn’t work out. Al was shaking his head yes while I was thinking that.

Matt Rhule interview today
Please click here to read an interview with Matt Rhule that appeared in today’s Harrisburg Patriot-News.

I’m the same way. I re-arranged my furniture for function, not style. I moved the chairs and the sofa this year so I can get to the door quicker when the Publisher’s Clearing House people arrive in a couple of weeks. (Smile.)
So it goes with position changes for the Temple football Owls. Change for a reason is good change.
Head coach Matt Rhule made one I totally endorse.
Sean Boyle, a long-time starter at center, will move to the right tackle spot vacated by the dependable and graduating Martin Wallace. That makes a lot of sense. Boyle is the team’s best offensive lineman and will be protecting Chris Coyer’s blind side, plus Kyle Friend proved he’s more than a capable center as a true freshman last season. It’s mind-boggling to think that Sean Boyle signed on Feb. 5, 2008 (not 2009) in the same recruiting class with guys like Adrian Robinson and Mo Wilkerson. His maturity will help this team.
Some other functional changes that could make sense:

Kevin Newsome: Temple Owl Forever

KEVIN NEWSOME (QB to DB) _ It would be a shame if Newsome’s path to get on the field was blocked by Coyer and Juice Granger again, but I see that happening. Newsome is arguably the best athlete on the team and wants to play quarterback. Unlike Coyer and Granger, Newsome can play another position. I suggest safety. I love the way Newsome said last year: “I’m a Temple Owl until the day I die.” He’s 6-3, 215, runs like a deer and has a 37-inch vertical leap. On third down against Maryland last year, starting strong safety Justin Gildea went up for “jump ball” type plays with taller Maryland receivers on four different occasions. Not surprisingly, the Maryland guys came down with key receptions each time. Gildea was in great position to make the plays but had no vertical. Put Newsome in the same position and those balls either get knocked down or picked.

ALEX JACKSON (TE to DE) _ Jackson has some experience as a DE and maybe it’s time to put him back there. For some reason, Alex could not catch a cold at TE last year and Rhule’s new offensive philosophy minimizes the tight end position. I do see a guy with his height and speed being a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. I like it when opposing quarterbacks have nightmares against the Owls. It would be great for Jackson and Sean Daniels to be meeting regularly at the opposing quarterback.

Khalif Herbin could be the
Matty Brown of the next 3 years.

KHALIF HERBIN (WR to RB) _ Temple already has one great Khalif in a major sport (basketball) and put this Khalif as a RB and he might be the next. This is the exact same situation Matty Brown faced four years ago. When he was moved to running back from slot receiver, his career took off. Brown was 5-5, 150 at the time and ran a 4.40. Herbin currently is 5-7, 170 and runs a 4.34 40. He’s got the metrics to do it.
Sometimes, you’ve got to re-arrange the furniture for function.
Steve Addazio was too stubborn to do it.
One of the intriguing things about this spring practice that starts on Friday will be finding out if Matt Rhule is as open to change as Al Golden was.
If he is, expect Matt Rhule Bobblehead Day to come sooner than later.

03.19.13

by Mike Gibson

Five position changes that helped Temple

Schedule is subject to change.

Looking at the spring football roster makes me remember my playing days when I took a tumble on the slanted concrete courts outside my grade school in the Far Northeast.
I’d check to see if all five fingers and 10 toes were still there.
Right about now every year I check the roster to see if all the “good” guys are still there.
Looking over the roster this spring, I must admit I’m rather bummed that POTENTIAL breakaway running back Montrell Dobbs is not listed.
I have to assume he’s gone.
I guess the assembled media will find out why on Friday, the opening day of spring practice.
Oh well.
Time to concentrate on the guys who ARE here, not the ones who aren’t.
Right now, the starting tailback is Jamie Gilmore and the backup is Kenny Harper and everyone else is crossing fingers on the incoming freshmen reporting for duty in July. Gilmore was the No. 7-rated all-purpose back in the nation coming out of North Marion (Fla.) High two years ago. Harper is another Floridian, who was better known for his defensive play at Gainesville Buchholz. The RB depth chart drops off significantly after that. Like Grand Canyon dropoff.
A position change I suggested a few weeks ago is to give Khalif Herbin a long look at running back this spring. He’s bigger and faster than Matty Brown and just as elusive, if not moreso.
If Herbin goes from slot receiver to RB, he’ll be doing exactly what Brown did four years ago.
Position changes that have benefited Temple in the past:

BRIAN BROOMELL _ As a true freshman out of Sterling (N.J.) High, Broomell started as a strong safety on defense for the Owls. He was a helluva hitter and player on defense. By the time he was a senior, though, he switched over to quarterback and led the nation in passing efficiency. The Owls won a school-record 10 games. Called the greatest and least stealth audible in Temple football history when he lined up to take the snap in a 42-10 win at Villanova, pointed to wide receiver Gerald “Sweet Feet” Lucear, pointed to the end zone and threw a touchdown pass right where he pointed. Very Babe Ruth-esque. Was the Edmonton quarterback in the Canadian Football League in 1980 and 1981.

MATTY BROWN _ Kid made play after play in the summer, but coach Al Golden said he had to switch Brown to running back because they couldn’t get him the ball in the slot enough as a 5-5 receiver. Brown then went on to make four years of great plays for Temple. Probably the toughest running back, pound for pound, in Temple football history. Had he remained as a slot receiver, that would have been the greatest waste of talent ever.

KEE-AYRE GRIFFIN _ Went from running back in the 2008 season to cornerback. In the 2011 game against Penn State, KAG made a spectacular interception of Matt McGloin that nearly sealed the win for the Owls. Griffin was mostly a lock-down corner the rest of his career at Temple and had a pick to the house that kick-started a rout of Kent State. Fumbled in a 2008 overtime loss at Navy and coach Al Golden had to rescue KAG from under the bus to make the move to DB. (I still think AG should have punted and made Navy go 80 yards in 17 seconds with no time outs left.)

AHKEEM SMITH _ Went from running back to linebacker and was a solid, if unspectacular, player for Temple. Channeled his inner RB as the short man on a fake punt in a 34-0 win over Buffalo on 2011. He went straight up the gut on a short snap and took it 44 yards to the house. Smith, an All-State running back out of Bethlehem Liberty, was blocked in a running back career due to the presence of Brown and Bernard “The Franchise” Pierce. The Owls had a need at linebacker and he filled it. Another Liberty product, Levi Brown, now starts for the Owls.

JOHN RIENSTRA _ An All-American offensive guard for Temple, Rienstra begged coach Bruce Arians in to play nose guard on a key series against defending national champion BYU in a game at Veterans Stadium. Rienstra forced a field goal with a sack and a tackle for a loss. “That shows you what a great athlete John is,” said head coach Bruce Arians. “He’s just a tremendous competitor.” Highlight of Rienstra’s Temple career might have been appearing on Bob Hope’s All-American Show with the greatest college football helmet in history (simply, TEMPLE) shown proudly to the national TV audience. Rienstra was an under-recruited 5-foot-10, 170-pound lineman out of Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn. By the time he left Temple, he was 6-3, 265.

03.18.13

by Mike Gibson

The greatest day in sports

My bracket in Yahoo under the group “Temple Football Forever.” Feel free to join the group.

You can have Super Bowl Sunday, the NBA Finals, opening day in baseball, even the weekend of the Final Four.
To me, the greatest day in sports is the first day of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
I’m not talking about that fake “First Four” day in Dayton, just the real first day, the Thursday opening of the tournament.
And it has nothing to do with putting a few sheckles on the tournament because I felt this way even as a kid.

Thursday is the greatest day in sports and not because it’s Pro Timing Day.

Bracket Tip of the Day: I won The Inquirer’s NCAA’s bracket pool two years ago. By then, there were so many layoffs that the winning pot went from $2,550 my first year there to $440 my last. The first 14 years I worked there, I read over every team’s bio in both papers before picking and never won anything. Information overload. The year I won, I just printed out a pool Sunday night and did it myself. Sometimes, too much information is a bad thing. Last year, I understand the Inky didn’t even have a pool. Another sad commentary on the failing state of the newspaper business.
But I digress.
I’m a Temple football fan first and foremost, but I’m also a sports fan.
For all the reasons that compel me to love college football, though, the unique fairness of college basketball’s first NCAA day makes it the most appealing and exciting sports day of the year for me.
Sixty-four teams have, at least in theory, an equal chance of cutting down the nets in early April and walking off National Champion.
I think that’s terrific.
College football, other than FCS, has no such fairness structure.
So if I had to rate sports days of the year, as a Temple football fan first and foremost, they’ve be this:
1) NCAA Opening Thursday
2) Any Temple football bowl day;
3) Temple Football Opening Day;
4) Temple Football Signing Day;
5) Temple Football Bowl Selection Sunday;

Next up on that list would be Phillies Opening Day and Eagles’ Opening Day.
If I was keeping this a Temple-football-centric list, it’d would be:
1) Temple bowl day;
2) Temple opening day;
3) Temple signing day;
4) Temple bowl selection Sunday;

Since Temple football practice starts on Friday, you’d think I’d put that there.
Or even Cherry and White Day.
I’m like Allen Iverson.
I’m not a big practice guy, but I realize it’s a necessary evil.
While walking off the field after Myron Miles went for 134 yards and three touchdowns in a spring game a couple of years ago, someone said to me.
“They really looked good out there today, huh?”
I said, “They always look like they are going to go unbeaten on Cherry and White Day. Show me in September, October and November.”
We never saw Myron Miles again, partially proving my point.

Tomorrow: Five position changes that have helped Temple over the years.

03.15.13

by Mike Gibson

BE split opens path to football title for Owls

Sources say this is the likely split in money.

Would the Philadelphia Inquirer do this for us?

The Big East and as-yet-to-be named conference have split.
Good riddance to the Catholic schools, I say.

According to some pretty good sources, Temple recently negotiated an upward swing in its cash payout.
The Owls were set to be lumped in with the new 2013 schools.
Temple wanted the same kind of split that Cincinnati, UConn and USF received, but those schools argued that they were here longer.
Temple argued that it was here longer than the newbies, so the above schools each chipped in to give Temple a higher payout than the newbies.
After UConn, USF and Cincinnati took the largest portion of the money and the Catholic 7 got $10 million, the rest had to be negotiated.
Since the payouts to UConn, USF and Cincy (and even Temple) are installments, that’s a further incentive to stay.
Temple is in a better place now and not just money-wise.
OK, so the Owls don’t play Villanova in a Big East basketball game next year but what good was Villanova to Temple?

My original choice for the new conference name.

OK, it’s a decent hoop rivalry but that can be continued on a nonleague basis.
When you look at the big picture, this new conference (I kind of like the name BAM … Big America Conference, which was suggested by Kent in the post below) will be a better one for Temple.
My second choice is Metro America, which incorporates the big-city theme of the all-sports schools.
The Owls get to keep all of their old basketball rivals as nonleague games.
Playing Villanova, LaSalle, St. Joe’s and Penn will continue. The Owls will just have to drop the Towsons, Caniniuses and Detroits of the world. I don’t think anyone has a problem with that. The MAC affilation is basically over, although I’d like to see Buffalo added (big city, former quasi rival) should someone else leave.
This is about football and when you look at where the Owls were and where they are going, they become instantly more competitive. Heck, I could see them winning the title this year (‘chip, as the kids say) if everybody stays healthy. Since that rarely happens, I see seven wins within sight.
I thought they should have been competitive in the Big East last year, but I blame that on Steve Addazio.

Addazio blamed it on a youth movement, but the youth movement was of his making. In the home opener against Villanova, nine of the 11 starters on defense were either juniors or seniors. By the time they played Syracuse in the season finale, nine of the 11 starters were sophomores or freshmen.

People say he had MAC talent going up against Big East talent but Kent State had MAC talent going up against Rutgers, Toledo had MAC talent going up against Cincinnati and Ohio had MAC talent going up against Penn State and they all accomplished what Addazio wasn’t able to do:
Win against those same foes.
Could Addazio have AT LEAST been competitive? With better coaching and a more balanced offensive approach, I think so.
Addazio blamed it on a youth movement, but the youth movement was of his making. In the home opener against Villanova, nine of the 11 starters on defense were either juniors or seniors.
By the time they played Syracuse in the season finale, nine of the 11 starters were sophomores or freshmen.
Convenient excuse.
New coach Matt Rhule will throw the ball on first and second downs, which should immediately improve the whole structure of down and distance for four quarters. I only hope and pray that Phil Snow is as good as Rhule says he is.
Now while newcomers like SMU and Houston figure to be tough, Temple can be competitive against them.
Kent State beat Rutgers by blitzing its linebackers and putting constant pressure on quarterback Gary Nova, forcing him into six interceptions. Hint: Temple’s got fast linebackers.
A win over regional rival Rutgers, a going-away gift to the Big 10, would be nice.
Good riddance, and welcome.
The door is open for Temple to win a title now if it has the courage to walk through it.

03.13.13

by Mike Gibson

Here’s the kicker: Brandon McManus is one

Brandon McManus has some classy things to say about Temple fans.
The big story out of the March 3rd Regional kicking combine was that 47 reporters requested credentials.
Usually, it’s no more than four or five.
Reason?
Lauren Silberman was trying to make history as the NFL’s first female kicker.
She either paid $275 or was given $275 to make the trip.
She would have fared much better putting a 50-1 bet on the Temple men’s basketball Owls winning the NCAA championship.

CFPA winners

Year	Placekicker	School
2013	Brandon McManus	Temple
2012	Carlos Santos	Tulane
2011 (tie)	Caleb Sturgis Randy Bullock	Florida Texas A&M
2009	Brian Walsh	Georgia

As it stands now, and stood then, the bet on Temple cutting down the nets would have been much safer.
Her two kicks TOTALED 30 yards, one 19 and one 11.
All 47 reporters raced to her side to do the story.
Here’s the real kicker: Brandon McManus is one.
At the other end of the field, McManus was going 6 for 6, including 3 for 3 from beyond 50.
None of the reporters bothered to talk to him, but that wasn’t why he was there.
His stock immediately soared for the upcoming NFL draft.
Kickers are almost never picked in the draft but now it seems McManus could go somewhere in the middle rounds because of his performance at the combine on the heels of an outstanding season at Temple.
On Sunday, McManus received his CFPA as the specialist of the year for his performance while at Temple and got a rousing ovation from the 10,200 fans in attendance to watch the Owls top VCU.

France checking in, and we don’t mean former Soul
and Eagle kicker Todd France.

McManus ended his collegiate career as Temple’s career leader in scoring (338), punting average (45.4), field goals made (60), and field goals attempted (83). The 2012 first-team All-BIG EAST punter and 2012 second-team All-BIG EAST kicker set the season record for field goal accuracy (82.4) and set game records at Army for extra points made (9) and attempted (9). McManus played in EVERY game of his collegiate career. In 2012, McManus led the Owls in scoring (74) and went 32-of-33 in PAT. He punted 54 times for 2,433 yards (45.1 average), including a career-long 68-yard punt against No. 19/17 Rutgers, while 15 punts longer than 50 yards. McManus went 6-of-7 on field goals of 40+ yards, including a 50-yarder in the win over South Florida. He also kicked the game-winning field goal at Connecticut in overtime and contributed 40 touchbacks on 56 kickoffs (71.4 percent).
McManus had a Temple connection long before he arrived on campus. His coach at North Penn High, Dick Beck, was the captain of the 1990 Temple team that went 7-4.
Jim Cooper, Jr., the kicker coming on board this year, has another Temple connection. His dad of the same name was the kicker for Bruce Arians in the late 1980s.
McManus proved that you can stay home and do great things at Temple, following in the, err, footsteps of his good friend, Bernard Pierce, of the Baltimore Ravens.
While the reporters were taking notes talking to Silberman, let’s hope future recruits were making mental notes watching McManus.
That’s the bigger story, after all.

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.

03.06.13

by Mike Gibson

Temple gets finalized football schedule

Date	Game	Time/TV
Saturday, Aug. 31	Temple at Notre Dame	TBA/NBC
Saturday, Sept. 7	Houston at Temple	TBA
Saturday, Sept. 14	Fordham at Temple	TBA
Saturday, Sept. 21	Bye
Saturday, Sept. 28	Temple at Idaho	TBA
Saturday, Oct. 5	Louisville at Temple	TBA
Friday, Oct. 11	Temple at Cincinnati	7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
Saturday, Oct. 19	Army at Temple	TBA/CBS Sports
Saturday, Oct. 26	Temple at SMU	TBA
Saturday, Nov. 2	Temple at Rutgers	TBA
Saturday, Nov. 9	Bye
Saturday, Nov. 16	UCF at Temple	TBA
Saturday, Nov. 23	UConn at Temple	TBA
Saturday, Nov. 30	Temple at Memphis	TBA

Instead of figuring out a couple of flight connections and picking up a rental car for another 50-mile trip, Temple football fans can fly out of Philadelphia directly and relatively cheaply to any road game this year.
That’s tangible progress in this shifting conference landscape.
The only difference is Moscow.
Idaho, not Russia.

Idaho listing Temple game as Homecoming where the Owls will have to
face the best students that uni can find (below).

If the Owls were playing in Russia, they’d have a direct flight.
Temple fans who have been waiting for the last few months to book trips can start booking now.
Road trips to Ypsilanti, Oxford and Muncie _ venues all too familiar to Owl supporters in the not-so-distant past _ will now be replaced by trips to Chicago (Notre Dame), Cincinnati, Moscow, Dallas, Piscataway and Memphis.
Still think leaving the MAC was a bad idea?
I don’t think many Owl fans will be making the trip to Moscow anyway. Cheap Flights.com will be able to get you in there Thursday, Sept. 26, for $587.89. It’s a six-hour, 59-minute flight to Boise with a stop in Chicago. You get a rental car in Boise and drive to Moscow. That’s 298 miles.
Probably the better way to go is fly from Philadelphia to Seattle, with a stop in Houston, and take an Alaskan Air Propeller plane from Seattle (after an overnight stay) to Pullman. From Pullman, it’s just a 10-mile drive to Moscow.
Good luck. I hope the game’s on TV.
Other than that, the trips look spectacular for the Temple one-percenters.
I’m not going to get into a game-by-game scenario here.
Those never work.

The official BE schedule release used LFF as the background.

Just ask the Temple basketball fans who put a W next to Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and Canisius and an L next to Syracuse.
Suffice it to say this is a much more manageable schedule than last year’s in football, with Maryland essentially replaced by Idaho and the high profile Penn State game being replaced by a higher profile Notre Dame game.
Villanova figured to be a much tougher D1AA (FCS) foe than Fordham, so maybe this is Phil Snow’s best opportunity to get a shutout as a DC since 1996.
SMU and Houston should be tough foes, but I don’t see those resumes being significantly more impressive than Temple’s has been over the last five years. Houston had the great year a couple of seasons ago, but Temple has been bowl eligible four of of the last five years. Matt Rhule was here in all of those four years and was away the non-bowl eligible season. Just sayin’.
If Temple can’t beat Memphis (losers to Tenn-Martin and Middle Tennessee last year) it probably should get out of the football business and I don’t think that’s happening any time soon. Even Bobby Wallace beat Middle Tennessee.
Idaho, thinking it scheduled the Temple of 2003, not 2013, has slotted Temple has its Homecoming Day game.
So did UConn last year and look how that turned out for the Huskies.
The days of other teams immediately putting HC next to the Temple game should be over very soon.

03.05.13

by Mike Gibson

The final word on Steve Addazio

In about a year, only the fan bases from Florida, Temple and BC will understand this video.

In an effort to keep my blood pressure from elevating to dangerous levels, I’ve avoided the final word on Steve Addazio until now.
Before Matt Rhule takes over on the first day of spring practice (it’s now three weeks away), though, I think it’s a useful exercise to put the Steve Addazio Era to rest.
Although he wasn’t my first choice then (Bruce Arians was), I liked Steve Addazio when I got to know him at Temple.

I had a long talk with him in New York City and he gave me some good stuff and asked me not to use it and I kept both my mouth and laptop shut. In any meeting with Temple alumni, he had us all ready to strap on the pads. Vitamin A was that addictive. There was much to like.
He was 51, but had the vim and vigor of a 21-year-old.

Matt Rhule in today’s Morning Call
Keith Groller of The Morning Call wrote this great story on Matt Rhule that appeared in today’s paper. For this cool bumper sticker above and to support Temple Football Forever, anyone who contributes at least $20 via the pay pal donation option on the sidebar (in the Support TFF section) or $20 to the address (in the help TFF afford a pair of shoes section) gets it 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.

He was “National Recruiter of the Year” not once but three times and I thought this was just the kind of guy Temple needed. I could easily envision a recruit putting down Penn State hat, an Alabama hat and putting on a Temple one on ESPNU under Addazio’s watch (if you don’t think that’s possible, the same thing happened for a New Mexico football recruit two years ago).
On the day Addazio was hired, a Florida fan emailed me the video above and warned me about Addazio. He told me the firesteveaddazio.com website was available if I wanted it.

I dismissed it as poppycock.
I’d like to apologize to that fan today.
Everything Hitler, err that Florida fan, said about Addazio’s one-dimensional, hare-brained, offensive scheme turned out to be true in 2012.
He turned an explosive, otherwise productive, quarterback in the 2011 season into a caretaker of a Woody Hayes’-type, run-first, scheme. Chris Coyer was limited to handing off on almost all first and second downs and that’s an offensive recipe for disaster. After pounding his head against a brick wall for most of four quarters against UConn, Addazio was forced to unleash Coyer in a two-minute drill that won the game.
Did he learn a lesson that would carry over to the rest of the year?

Not surprisingly, confidence in Daz’s future waning.

No.
Truth is, Addazio is a stubborn former offensive lineman who always wants to run the ball. He was that way at Florida and (sans Scot Loeffler’s one year as OC) was that way at Temple and probably will be that way at BC.
After that UConn win, he went back to pounding his head against the wall and about 20,000 of my fellow Temple fans joined him.
Now we can get back to watching football.
There’s a lot we don’t know about Matt Rhule but he does believe in making defenses defend the whole field and, for that alone, we know he will do a better job that Daz did.
My blood pressure will be better off now that Daz is gone and hopefully that means my life expectancy has just been extended by a couple of years.

03.02.13

by Mike Gibson

Conference shifting puts Temple in no Jeopardy

Temple was the answer to a Jeopardy question last night.

In honor of Temple being the answer to a trivia question yesterday on Jeopardy, we have a question:
“What does all of this conference shifting mean to Temple?”
“What is everything and nothing, Alex?”
Alex would have said that is correct.
First, yesterday’s question, which appeared under the category of “Texas Towns” and a contestant got right.
“1-95 goes through it; it’s a university in Pennsylvania or a synagogue?”
“What is Temple?”

Cliff: “Alex, I object, I-95 doesn’t technically run through Temple.”

Alex: “Correct.”
I would have pulled a Cliff Clavin since the I-95 part of the question threw me off.
Back to the conference shifting, though.
There’s so much landscape shifting out there that the average Temple fan’s head has to be spinning like Linda Blair in the Exorcist.
What does this really mean for Temple football?
Everything and nothing is the correct answer.
Everything because Thursday, March 7, is the one-year anniversary of the date the news broke that Temple was joining the Big East.
The conference Temple signed up for then certainly isn’t the one it signed up for now.
At the time, visions of a packed Liacouras Center for games against Georgetown, Pitt, Villanova and Rutgers had to dance through the heads of the Board of Trustees.
Those visions are now gone.

Temple fans have to get in the mindset of going to watch Temple, not the bad guys

Nothing because if Temple sports people keep doing their jobs and Temple fans do their jobs, Temple will end up in a better place.
Temple football certainly IS in a better place than the Purgatory that was the MAC, sentenced to years playing Tuesday and Wednesday night games against directional mid-western schools having little or nothing in common with Temple.
Now, at least, there is the familiarity of Cincinnati and UConn and, for a year, Rutgers.
There are exciting road trips ahead to be made to places like New Orleans, Tampa and Dallas ahead, a far cry from the puddle jumpers and buses needed to get to places like Yipsilanti and Oxford.
Temple has a nationally known basketball coach who is admired and respected by his peers, if not a small but vocal group of his team’s own fans, and who just posted his sixth-straight 20-win season.
Temple has an energetic young football coach who is following a successful business model established by Al Golden, his mentor.
Temple fans have to get in the mindset of going to watch Temple, not the bad guys. When Penn or Belmont come to Cameron Indoor Stadium, do Duke fans whine “get some decent opponents in here” or do they say thank God for another chance to see the Blue Devils?
Advertising to a Temple-centric audience certainly helps.
Today should be a good crowd because the last time we streamed an ad for Hooter’s Birthday across the top of this website, 9,323 fans attended an end-of-the-season game against Duquesne in 2011.
That’s what Temple fans have to do for the product these outstanding coaches provide.
If those guys keep doing work, and the fans start voting with their feet and season-ticket money, Temple will be a respected player on the national stage and there is always a nice role for an actor like that.
For final Jeopardy the category is NCAA business:
“Is the conference shifting done?
“What is no, Alex?”

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.

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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