The phrase “pulling out all of the stops” means to use all available resources to achieve a desired outcome.

At least that’s what both the Merriam-Webster and Oxford English dictionaries say.

The good news is that Temple head coach K.C. Keeler is starting to get that term in the sense that he admitted that the two close losses to the service academies caused him some introspective in analyzing what one or two things he could have done to get him over those 1-point humps in losses.

A message to the Seniors 🙌#TempleTUFF pic.twitter.com/Ee5Gwzn6LX

— Temple Football (@Temple_FB) November 20, 2025

He was kind of referring to next year.

Here’s a thought: Do it now.

As an outside observer, we’re going to offer a couple of theories how that desired result could be achieved for Saturday’s Senior Day home game against 24th-ranked Tulane (3:45 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field).

One, keep doing what you are doing 97 percent of the time.

That means offensive coordinator’s Tyler Walker’s innovative motion offense, which involves a lot of moving parts causing defensive confusion. It also means Brian L. Smith’s core belief of pressure on the quarterback, ostensibly with the front five, but also including blitzes if needed. Make Jake Retzlaff as uncomfortable for the entire game as you did to UTSA’s Owen McCown in the second half a few weeks ago.

Speaking of McCown, take a page out of the book he used to beat Tulane, 48-26. Go 31-for-33 with 370 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions against that secondary.

To do that, you’ve got to give Evan Simon a chance to throw the ball at least 33 times against a banged-up cornerback room even more depleted than the one McCown faced three weeks ago.

That leaves the other three percent of the time, which will probably determine the outcome of this most important Temple game in a decade.

Temple, especially on the offensive side of the ball, has done very little to “fool” the opposition in terms of “using all available resources to achieve a desired outcome.”

The last few games showed that Keeler and Company are starting to get it in terms that they used a third-string quarterback on a number of surprise packages that called for a QB run or a QB pass.

When the Army defense recognizes No. 14 is a backup QB and calls the reverse pass before it happens, that’s probably not the kind of play you want to use.

Ditch that. Ditch the entire Tyler Douglas package.

You will know Temple is going to win this game maybe early as the first offensive play from scrimmage. That’s been almost always a boring straight handoff to Jay Ducker. Let this one be a Jet Sweep to Kajiya Hollawayne. I don’t care if he gains 3 yards, 12 yards or goes to the house, it will be a successful play for Temple.

I know Hollawayne is a 4*star quarterback recruit from UCLA. You might know he is a 4* QB recruit from UCLA and both Keeler and Walker might know that, but it’s highly doubtful Tulane does. That Jet Sweep sets up another Jet Sweep down the road where the Tulane corners come up on run coverage and allow Hollawayne to use that 4* arm to hit JoJo Bermudez in stride for six points.

This is how open Bermudez would be on that kind of pass:

Especially since Temple hasn’t used that play all year.

To date.

That’s one of our 3 percent suggestions.

Here’s another: Temple hasn’t used the “tush push” or “Brotherly Shove” so far.

Do it with 6-6, 265-pound tight end Peter Clarke doing the pushing for one or two 4th-and-1s.

You know what that sets up?

Certainly not a pass, but a “fake tush push” to “Temple’s Saquon Barkley” a pitch the speedy Keveun Mason, for maybe another six points.

Those dozen points might make a difference for the seniors who deserve one after three long years with this program.

Pulling out all the stops hasn’t been tried once this season, especially in the two 1-point losses.

Now that approach deserves the kind of chance it hasn’t been given for the first 10 games.

Very, Very Late Saturday Night (since I will be at the stadium until 9): Game Analysis