Vaughn Chartlon was strong in the pocket against PSU two years ago.
By Mike Gibson
Al Golden said it was a good problem to have.
“We have two Division I quarterbacks that’s the hardest thing to find in college football,” he said. “I really don’t know who we’re going to pick at this point. The competition is that close.”
You would assume that Golden was talking about Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart.
No, that quote was about Vaughn Charlton and someone else.
Chris Coyer?
No.
Mike Gerardi?
Try again.
The young man Golden was talking about was named Adam DiMichele.
About this time two years ago, Golden agonized and agonized and finally gave the nod to DiMichele.
“That doesn’t mean Vaughn isn’t going to play,” Golden said at the time. “We have two really good options so this isn’t bad, it’s good.”
The rest became history.

Don’t miss the beginning of The Vaughn Charlton Era at Temple. Click on the game logo above for really cheap tickets

Yesterday, Charlton completed a second knock-down, drag-out, battle for the quarterback job, this time with Chester Stewart and this time he came out on top.
The announcement will be made on Tuesday at Fan Fest, but you read it here first.
Yesterday, Charlton was seen leaving a meeting with the coaches and Stewart, with a big smile and shaking hands.
It’s been well-documented here that DiMichele was my favorite player at Temple, maybe in the last 20 years. He deserved to go to a bowl game, but injuries robbed him of that opportunity. There were so many intangibles to like about DiMichele. It seemed every time the Owls had a 3d and 8, DiMichele would will those sticks to move by ducking out of a rush and picking up nine yards.
There’s much to like about Charlton, too. Maybe there will be less 3d and 8s with Vaughn because he’ll move the sticks at first and second downs.
Let’s hope so.
People forget that Vaughn was thisclose to putting a whole lot of points up on the board against Penn State two years ago. He got one TD pass dropped, another called back on a bogus holding call and a third fouled up due to a dropped double-reverse.
None were his fault.
(Heck, add to that dropped INTs by Alex Joseph and Omar McDonnnaugh-Hales in the PSU offensive backfield and Temple might have won that game.)
People forget how close that competition was with DiMichele two years ago.
Vaughn has already proven to be a terrific team leader who has taken freshman sensation Chris Coyer under his wing.
“He’s a great athlete and just a another example of a tremendous quarterback Temple is bringing in,” Charlton said. “I’m going to be his roommate and I look forward to getting to know him.”

The maturity and team leadership in that quote was staggering.
He comes from a great family, has a super and supportive dad who sits behind me in the lower bowl and cheers with the rest of us (unlike those people who sit on their hands in the club seats).
I like how eager Vaughn is to take over this time.
“You’re The Man next year,” I said to Vaughn in the parking lot after a game last year.
“I can’t wait, sir,” Vaughn said, shaking my hand.
Vaughn and Temple fans will now have only a few days to wait before he finally takes over.
Here’s one guy who hopes Vaughn turns that Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard into an adding machine.

In case you want an early start the questions are:
1)Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes are simply lighting up the stat sheet, the record book, and the scoreboard. Is it a slap in the face that Barnes isn’t being mentioned for some major postseason hardware? If you were the MAC commissioner, what sort of things would you do to ensure our student athletes get the national attention they deserve?

TFF: Nothing could be done now, I believe. Really, work for a better TV package in the near future. Offer ESPN or even Versus a Thursday night Game of the Week. That’s how I became a big MAC fan long before Temple got involved with the league.

2.) We’ve reached midseason, so take a moment and talk about how your team has either lived up to expectations or ridiculously underperformed. What sort of grade would you give your beloved program if you were asked to sort of give them a midsemester progress report?

TFF: Kinda thought the team would be right where it is, without the loss to Villanova. Also thought the team would have trouble scoring points without a playmaker at quarterback (that’s why I pushed for them to sign an All-American JUCO to no avail) and that could bite them in the butt this Saturday when they need points at Toledo.

3.) This weekend’s Pillow Fight features winless Ball State venturing to winless Eastern Michigan. Who loses this game? Do you see them winning any other game this year, or is the loser virtually guaranteed 0-12?

TFF: Saw both teams and I think Ball State is about 10-15 points better than EMU so I would be surprised if that game doesn’t shake down that way.

4.) There are 4 teams right now with above a .500 overall record, and a whole host of teams either right at .500 or a game under. The odds of most of these teams getting Bowl eligible is fairly good, which means the odds of someone getting snubbed is equally high. Which team do you see getting snubbed and being left home for the Holidays? What are your thoughts on the current Bowl structure, the tie-ins, or the MAC affiliations?

TFF: I don’t really have a feel for that, other than I believe only one team goes from the East and two from the West.

5.) In terms of general college football and away from the MAC… we’re halfway through the season. What team’s have surprised you the most for overperforming? Underperforming? Which two teams do you foresee playing for the giant crystal football?

TFF: I thought Tim Hiller would have a better season, so that’s underperforming. As a team, all I heard in pre-season was how many injuries and true freshmen NIU had, so I thought they’d struggle but obviously Kill is a great coach, so that’s overperforming.
6.) MAC Power Poll 1-13
1. CMU
2. WMU
3. Toledo
4. NIU
5. Temple
6. Ohio
7. BGSU
8. Buffalo
9. Kent
10. Akron
11. Ball STate
12. Miami
13. Eastern Michigan

The Philadelphia pro sports media took a time out (exactly 3 minutes, 29 seconds worth) to recognize the Temple vs. Villanova game this morning by interviewing both Villanova coach Andy Talley and Temple coach Al Golden.

Laugh at the people waiting in long lines at the ticket windows 9/3 by getting your tickets now:

Click on the game logo above for really cheap tickets

Between the seemingly 50 minutes every hour covering the Eagles (and nine minutes on the Phillies), it’s refreshing that at least one local media outlet recognized that there was another attractive sports entertainment option out there.
It was really the first good look at the Mayor’s Cup fans got so far.
Not the World Series Trophy, but a nice-looking piece of hardware.
Hopefully, come next Cherry and White Day, it will be on display at the E-O.

Hell is Coming for Villanova fans 9/3 and they don’t even know it.

By Mike Gibson
Smfh.
That’s tweet talk for shaking my f-ing head.
(I just learned that yesterday, but we won’t go into how.)
Well, smfh is what I was doing after reading some postings by Villanova football fans over on their Rivals.com board recently.
If I were Villanova, I would be respectful of Temple, say only nice things about the Owls and then talk after the game if I was lucky enough to pull off the upset.
But nooooooooooo, as John Belushi liked to say.
They are just doing a lot of talking. If the Wildcats are working on trick plays over at Villanova Stadium as much as their fans are working their jaws, we might be in trouble.
But I don’t think that’s possible.
Here are just some of my favorites:
“Remember #71 Ben Ijalana who will spend the night pancakeing your D linemen.” _ Villanova fan Uncle Ed (I left the misspelling of the word pancaking in for effect).

“Will Coach Talley pass the ball 76 times vs Owls? NO, because the Cats will be running the ball down your throats.”
_ Villanova fan Uncle Ed (Ed Rideout, pictured) on Rivals.com board

I guess the lineman Uncle Ed was referring to might be Outland Trophy candidate Andre Neblett but, unlike the Outland committee, I doubt if that grumpy old uncle even knows who Neblett is. He’ll find out in two weeks, though.
Or more Uncle Ed:
“Will Coach Talley pass the ball 76 times vs Owls? NO, because the Cats will be running the ball down your throats.”
Yeah, I guess a 1AA (or FCS) team can run the ball down the throats of a team that shut out Big East power UConn and NFL first-round running back pick Donald Brown for all but 3:39 of last year’s game.
Yeah, right.
Or 3rd General Wildcat:
“Villanova has two QB’s that could start on your team …”
In that context, it’s who, not that, General but I will let you slide because you were presumably educated at Villanova. Oh. Our third-string quarterback got offered (not just interest) from Ohio State, so I assume your top two guys could play at Ohio State.
Yeah, right.

Or Wideright82:”Step up on the 3rd and maybe you’ll get some respect, because as of now, outside your little Temple bubble, you guys are nothing but a joke.”
I have a funny (pun intended) feeling there are going to be a lot of guys wearing Cherry and White with Temple caps bouncing down the Lincoln Financial Field steps laughing at that joke come 10 p.m. or so Sept. 3.
This trash talking won’t hurt Temple’s cause at all because it will only help fill stronger, quicker athletes with a terrible resolve.
But that’s why they play the game on the field and that’s why I like having guys like Andre Neblett and Dominique Harris and Vaughn Carraway and Jason Harper and Steve Maneri and Adrian Robinson and Alex Joseph on my side.
To name a few.
We’ll give you Ben Ijalana, whoever he is.
Do the neighborly thing and spare Villanova fans three hours of hell by purchasing all of the available tickets …

Al Golden and Bill Cosby agree on importance of Villanova game.

By Mike Gibson
Everyone I go, I get buttonholed by fellow Temple fans who invariably ask me one question.
“What do we have to gain by playing Villanova?”
Then they say, “If we win, say, 20-17, we’re supposed to win. If we lose, it’s a disaster.”
I always tell them to relax.

We’ve got plenty to gain by playing Villanova.
Heck, they used to ask Wayne Hardin that question way back when about both Villanova and Delaware.
“My philosophy is to play ’em and beat the heck out of ’em,” Hardin said.
For the most part, Hardin did beat the heck out of them, 7-3-1 against Villanova and 9-2 in his final 11 games vs. Delaware.
There’s an argument to be made that there’s even more, not less, to be gained by playing them now.

Wayne Hardin Era vs. Villanova

Owls went 7-3-1 against Villanova under coach Hardin.

1970 = L 31-26
1971 = T 13-13
1972 = W 12-10
1973 = W 34-0
1974 = W 17-7
1975 = W 41-3
1976 = L 24-7
1977 = W 38-15
1978 = W 27-17
1979 = W 42-10
1980 = L 23-7

Villanova, unlike us, has built up some street cred in the sport over the last 20 years.
Villanova, rightly or wrongly, is viewed as having a good football team by people in Philadelphia.
Temple, rightly or wrongly, is not.
That’s why a big Temple win, as I and most experts (who live outside Philadelphia) expect, will be the culmination of a hugely positive night for the university and a stepping off point for Penn State.
If Temple beats Villanova, 20-17, I’m not as enthused about the Penn State game as I would about my score: 34-13. I made that prediction in Feb. and I’m sticking with it.
If Temple beats Villanova, 49-0, I’d be worried if I was Joe Paterno.
Villanova fans remember playing Temple in 2003. They think because No. 1 happpened in 2003 that No. 2 will happen in 2009. This is not 2003. Temple football hit rock bottom in 2003 and had a disinterested head coach who lived in Alabama much of the year.

This is 2009. Temple has a head coach who is from this area and virtually lives in his office for 365 days a year. He’s done things the right way. He’s established recruiting connections with local coaches. He’s re-energized the fan base and knows the importance of the game to the Temple community.
“It should be a great game for the city,” Golden said in a terrific interview with Owlscoop.com editor John DiCarlo. “What we need is a unified front here at Temple. I can’t speak for Villanova. We need a unified front here at Temple. We need the alumni, and we need supporters saying, ‘Hey, let’s support the team. Let’s stop worrying about the politics of the game. Let’s support the team, let’s support the administration.’
“And again, if anybody’s got a problem with the selection of the game, blame me. Don’t blame (athletic director) Bill Bradshaw or the athletic administration. I thought we needed this game when we got here. Bill supported me, and we need to support the administration right now.”
Philadelphia needs to know that Temple does have a good football team and what better way to show that than by doing a victory lap with the Mayor’s Cup after a resounding victory Sept. 3.
Philadelphia also needs to know that a healthy representation of the 260,000 Temple alumni and 33,000 current full-time students are loud and proud that night.
“Our most important game is our first game,” Bill Cosby told ESPN radio. “Villanova at home. We want that stadium packed and it should be packed. It’s a city rivalry.”
Sometimes rivalries are one-sided, as this one should be for the Owls both on the field and in the stands.
Let’s put 66,000 Temple fans in the stands and do Villanova a favor by leaving them 4,000 tickets, half of which they’ll return …

The story of Wally Pipp dated several decades before I was born and is now the stuff of legends.
Pipp held down the first base position pretty well for the Yankees in the early 1920s until he had a “headache” on June 2, 1925 and gave way for what was supposed to be one game to a youngster fresh out of Columbia University.
That youngster turned out to be Lou Gehrig. The game turned into a couple of thousand.
I’m not hoping Donovan McNabb and A.J. Feeley go down in the Eagles’ tomorrow night exhibition opener but, if they do, I’m convinced another kid out of a hometown school, Adam DiMichele (pronounced DEE-MIKEALL), would hit a home run in relief.
I know it.

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Technically, DiMichele is replacing backup Kevin Kolb who went down with an injury earlier this week but, given an opportunity to get on the field, the sky is the limit for this remarkable young man.
I got a lot of grief on this site last year when I wrote that, in my mind, Adam DiMichele is a better quarterback than Donovan McNabb.
By my mind, I meant for my team.

I had more confidence in DiMichele getting the job done in a big spot for my primary team (Owls) than I had McNabb getting the job done in a big spot for my secondary team (Eagles).
That’s based on close observations of both over the last three years.
Is the 22-year-old DiMichele better than the 32-year-old McNabb?
No, we’re not saying that, but we are saying that getting DiMichele on the field won’t hurt the Eagles at all in tomorrow’s pre-season game at Lincoln Financial Field.
We’re talking about a young quarterback with a fresh set of legs and a world of moxie against an old quarterback with tired legs and questionable moxie.
You can say that Reid did this out of a professional courtesy to the local team, but DiMichele showed Reid enough at mini-camp for him to place the phone call yesterday.
The Eagles will find out a few things about my favorite quarterback if they give him just three or four offensive series tomorrow night:

• He can make throws on the run;
• He won’t throw balls at the feet of receivers;
• He can still scramble;
• He has a knack of making the big play at the big time;
• He can throw an accurate deep ball;
• He doesn’t wear a flak jacket that limits his mobility in the open field;
• He won’t throw up on the field like a certain other quarterback has done twice at crunch time.

My admiration for this tough-as-nails young man is well-documented here.
I wish he would have had the opportunity, for example, to go up against Penn State for four full quarters, that game would have been a lot closer than a 42-point spread, I really believe.
Maybe 10-15 tops.
Maybe Adam could have made enough plays to keep them in the game to the end.
There are 22 guys on a football field at any given time but, for Temple, it’s been a long time since one man has made such a difference.
That man was (I have to use was now, unfortunately) Adam DiMichele.
Football is a funny game.

Had ADM been fully healthy for the last two seasons, I have no doubt that the Owls would be going for their third-straight winning season.
No doubt.
Adam now has a blog on Owlsports.com and he’s shown a nice ability to express himself on paper. Heck, I even like his blog better than McNabb’s.
The Eagles have had one quarterback who has mostly infuriated me for the last three years. They now have another who has never let me down.
All he has to do is be himself and Andy Reid will love him. So will Eagles’ fans.

When he played running back at Bishop McDevitt, there was no better RB in Southeastern Pennsylvania than Lamar McPherson, who is profiled today.
By Mike Gibson
I’ve never been a big practice guy and that goes back to my pre-teen days when I first started playing organized sports.

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The first practice I ever attended was for my grade school travel baseball team as a 10-year-old.
At our first practice, the coach told us to go to a position where we’d like to play.
I went out to shortstop on the field at Conwell and the Boulevard, made a couple of nice plays diving for balls up the middle and throwing guys out at first and the coach took me aside.
“You can’t play there,” he said.
“What I do wrong?”
“Nothing. You are a lefty. Lefties don’t play short. What other position do you play?”
“Catcher,” I said.
“Lefties don’t play catcher, either.”
So they made me a pitcher.
Never liked practice since.
So, too, it is with Temple football.
In all of my days following the Owls, my eyes have fooled me only in practice.
As Allen Iverson says, “Not a game. Practice.”
Lamar McPherson alluded to it when he said in today’s interview (video posted above) that, “Camp is camp.”

The last 30 or so years, I can count 10 guys who were practice all-timers but couldn’t play a lick in the games.
One quarterback of the Bobby Wallace Era was the greatest practice quarterback I ever saw, but had this annoying habit of throwing the ball to other team’s jerseys in the games. He even fooled an NFL team into giving him a contract because he had terrific (you guessed it) practices. Once he got into a couple of exhibition games, his career was short-lived.
Adam DiMichele was, by his own admission, a terrible practice quarterback but there was no better guy in games.
Give me ADM over anybody else. I trusted him in games. He earned my trust.
That said, I realize more than anybody else that four hard weeks of good practices are necessary to beating Villanova, so I hope the Owls have four terrific weeks of practice, get their timing down and have no false starts or offsides or holding penalties in the game. What I want to see more than anything else at the Villanova game is a Temple team that plays sharp and makes no mental mistakes. That, however, requires a great summer camp where all the players and coaches remain totally focused.
So we’ll keep posting practice videos, with one eye askanse.
Other than that, wake me up when the games start.

Do not leave your seats until the fantastic end of this video, which comes seconds after the practice clips end. Please grab a pen and copy the phone number down