Trash talking and the Villanova game

Teddy Roosevelt once said to walk softly and have a big stick.
I thought a lot about Teddy while walking out of the Temple-Villanova football game last year.
The trash talking, particularly from the Temple side of the field, on some Villanova message boards was pretty alarming to me.
Hell, nobody knew more than me that Temple should pound Villanova in football.
I picked 34-13.
Should have, would have, if Bernard Pierce carried the ball oh, say, 30 more times than the paltry six touches he had.
I was thinking of that walking out of the Villanova game last year, too.
But more than that, I was thinking about how all the Temple trash talking came back to bite those fans in the ass.
I say talk all the trash you want AFTER the game.
Don't say a word before it.
I'm writing this because I recently read a tweet from a Temple fan I respect saying, "all this trash talking is really getting me excited for the Villanova game."
We all know we're carrying more than a big stick into this game.
We're carrying an H-Bomb (Heisman bomb).
That, and a great defense and a quarterback who can finally make more positive plays than negative ones, should be enough.
If you want to trash talk before the game, bring a banner that reads, "Big 5 champs."
Otherwise, keep quiet until your Temple Owls make a victory lap with the Mayor's Cup in tow.

Hunt for the Heisman bumper stickers available

Breaking news:

... As of July 27, we have received no (zero) orders for bumper stickers, so if you order one today, there's a good chance you'll get the free Bernard Pierce for Heisman one that goes to the first nine orders ...full details below




If this happens, it could not happen to a nicer young man. Stay healthy, happy and humble, Bernard.
Support Temple Football Forever (and be the envy of the tailgate) by purchasing this simple bumper sticker, three inches high and 10 inches wide:

One low price ($20), two great ways to pay:
1) Any contribution of $20 or more via paypal (click over donate below) on or after July 6, 2010 will receive one. Please be sure to include address.
Or .....
2) Mail $20 check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
Mike Gibson
P.O. Box 243
Quakertown, PA 18951


First nine (9) contributions of $20 will not only receive that bumper sticker (it's a little blurry but in an artsy way), but this one for free in honor of Bernard Pierce's Heisman campaign kickoff (also 3 inches high, 10 inches wide). The Pierce bumper sticker is very sharp:


I am currently the only person in America to have this sticker on my bumper. You can be one of 10. Allow two weeks for delivery. As always, thanks for supporting the only online site exclusively dedicated to Temple football.

The Paul Palmer Comic Book story

Time being as fleeting as it is, I didn't realize that 1986 was so long ago until I tried to find the Paul Palmer Comic book I lost.

It's the one the Temple SID department mailed to 1,050 Heisman Trophy voters back in 1986. I got a Heisman ballot because I was the Calkins' Newspapers college football writer that year and had stories on the sport regularly published in the Bucks County Courier Times, the Doylestown Intelligencer and the Burlington County Times.
The old comic book is somewhere, tattered I fear, in the middle of a whole bunch of Temple-related junk that I never really had a chance to categorize.
In those days, I was in the middle of apartment-hopping in Doylestown and just threw most of my stuff into my storage room.
It might be still there, but I can't find it. All I did was find a pretty well intact media guide from that year. You can see the cover photo and page two photo of Palmer in a post somewhere below this one entitled "Where's my Bernard Pierce comic book?"
Well, the Paul Palmer comic book story is relevant today because the campaign for the Heisman WITH POTENTIAL HEISMAN VOTERS is something, I believe, the university should be doing today.
Scott Walcoff, from the school's promotion department, is handling the back end of this campaign (for potential ticket-buyers) rather brilliantly with a Hunt of the Heisman billboard strategically placed at locations within a mile of Lincoln Financial Field.
The billboard states simply "Hunt for the Heisman" with the words below "you are 1 mile from history" and directs folks to owlstix.com for ticket information.

Support Temple Football Forever (and be the envy of the tailgate) by purchasing this simple bumper sticker, three inches high and 10 inches wide:

One low price ($20), two great ways to pay:
1) Any contribution of $20 or more via paypal (click over donate below) on or after July 6, 2010 will receive one. Please be sure to include address.
2) Mail $20 check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
Mike Gibson
P.O. Box 243
Quakertown, PA 18951


First nine (9) contributions of $20 will not only receive that bumper sticker, but this one for free in honor of Bernard Pierce's Heisman campaign kickoff (also 3 inches high, 10 inches wide):


I am currently the only person in America to have that one on my bumper sticker. You can be one of 10. Allow two weeks for delivery. As always, thanks for supporting the only online site exclusively dedicated to Temple football.

Heady, smart, stuff.
Not enough, though, is being done from the front end, which, to me, is targeting the voters themselves.
That's where the comic book or something like it comes into play.
Back in 1986, Temple football information director Mike Kaine, working under SID Al Shrier, came up with the idea of mailing the comics with Paul Palmer on the cover and 16-pages of illustrated Paul Palmer information to the 1,050 voters.
"How much did it cost?" Kaine told a newspaper reporter back then. "I have no idea.
"It cost a lot, but the promotions department covered all the costs. We came up with the idea, wrote it, paid an illustrator and made the mailings. It was a significant investment."
It was critically acclaimed, too.
Last year, a Spokane (Wash.) newspaper called it one of the top five Heisman campaigns of all time, lumping it with a Vanderbilt quarterback's video that came with a bag of popcorn and Notre Dame's changing of the pronunciation of Joe "Theesman's" name to Joe Theisman (he spells it that way, but pronounces it the other) to rhyme with Heisman.
I could find only one negative comment on the campaign and that was a writer from the Los Angeles Times.
"What is Temple trying to do?" he wrote. "Insult our intelligence? We're writers. We can read."
He missed the point of the whole thing, which was to get Paul Palmer's name out there to the people who mattered the most, the Heisman voters.
Would that writer even mentioned Palmer's name if Temple didn't do something so eye-catching?
No.
It doesn't have to be another comic book, but that wouldn't be a bad idea.
Scott Walcoff started this ball rolling with a terrific billboard campaign. Make modified bumper stickers out of those billboards and mail one to each of the 1,050 Heisman voters.
If cost is an issue, have the Owl Club raise the money.
Do something innovative.
Bernard Pierce deserves a Heisman launch that targets both fans and voters.

Beating Penn State would mean the world to TU

Beating Villanova is one million times more important than beating Penn State. It's imperative. It's a demand, not a request. You cannot lose to Villanova again and retain any hometown credibility for the program.

At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, I will take a moment to do just that.
Let's talk about, say, the Penn State game three months from today.
(Let me just say before going any further, beating Villanova is one million times more important than beating Penn State. It's imperative. It's a demand, not a request. You cannot lose to Villanova again and retain any hometown credibility for the program.)
Still, I've fast-forwarded myself to Beaver Stadium (great name, by the way, just sayin'), sitting with 110,000 of my fellow college football fans, 5,000 of whom may be rooting for the Owls against Penn State on Sept. 25.
Making that 250-mile trip has been usually as futile a project for Owl fans as trying to end World Hunger or getting the Republicans to pass a Health Care bill with a public option.
It's been that way since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
That's the last year Temple won.
Maybe not so much this year.
Temple's got a little more than a puncher's chance this year.
You know it.
I know it.
The rest of those 105,000-plus fans don't know it, though.
Most of the Penn State fans in the Philadelphia area give lip service to the Temple program.
"Geez, Al Golden is doing a great job there."
"Being in the MAC has done wonders for Temple."
"Al's building a nice resume there."
When I mention that it's only a matter of time before Temple pulls a Central Michigan and beats the highest-profile college football program in its state, I get a whole different reaction.
"Whoa. Let's not get crazy."
"It's never going to happen."
"Temple is never going to beat Penn State."
Never say never.
It may not be this year.
It may not be next year, but it's not impossible.
It's almost like one of those people you see in the park, who assume that your dog is a puppy when it's really grown into a pit bull.
They never forget the puppy days.
"Nice doggy. Doesn't bite?"
Then a minute later:
"Ouch."
This current Owl is cute, but don't assume it doesn't bite.
There's a stellar defense with six first-team All-MAC players returning, PLUS a Heisman Trophy candidate in the backfield with a quarterback who might be able to find open receivers on the run. (My Kingdom for an Adam DiMichele.)
This isn't your father's Temple team, unless your father played for Wayne Hardin. This is a real good team.
Real good might be one way to put it.
Loaded might be another.
Beating Penn State, especially if the Nittany Lions went on to win the Big 10, would rocket the Owls toward greatness.
Beating Penn State would immediately legitimize Temple football not only in its own town but in the state and the nation and would be a boost of immeasurable proportions in terms of prestige and gate receipts. Temple students, faculty and alumni would be puffing up their chests so much for the next 12 months, you'd think all of them looked like The Incredible Hulk. By my calculations, that's 250,000 living alumni, 33,000 full-time students and 12,300 full-time employees. Those are a lot of chests. And 90 percent of them live here or damn close to here.
They might have to shut down North Broad Street, like they did when the basketball team won at North Carolina, 82-66, in 1988.
With all due respect to Villanova, none of the above happens with a win over the Wildcats.
I know a lot of Temple fans think it's possible. In fact, I don't know of a single Temple football player who doesn't believe in the delicious thought.
I think it's a good thing that I can't find a single Penn State fan who thinks it's possible.
I hope their football team approaches Sept. 25th the same way.
Click on logo below to read my interview with Linebacker U.:

Temple and Rutgers close to a 2-for-2 deal

My interview with
On the Banks.com

Rivalries are a beautiful thing.
I'm old enough to know when Temple and Delaware were rivals.
One of my fondest days was spent in Newark, Del., when Temple beat Delaware, 31-8, in front of a still-record and still-stunned crowd of 23,619.
An even fonder day was Temple's 45-0 win in Newark on another beautiful Saturday. The hot dogs in that post-game tailgate tasted like Filet Mignon.
Temple even got grief from the local media by scheduling Delaware.
"I believe in scheduling Delaware ... and then beating the crap out of them," was the way Wayne Hardin was quoted in response.
I loved it.
Could you imagine Al Golden saying that about any opponent?
"Temple's program is a big-time song and dance," Delaware coach Tubby Raymond said.
Ouch.
Now that's a rivalry.
That's what I'm talkin' about.
Hardin must've really enjoyed it because he beat Raymond seven of the last nine times he faced him on the football field. Hardin could talk the talk, but one of the most admirable things about him (of many) is that he backed that up by walking the walk.
Penn State is a rival but, to be one, you've got to prove that you can beat one.
Temple's proven that against Rutgers numerous times and the proximity of the schools combined with an animosity factor qualifies this as a real rivalry.
You've got to have a little animosity to stir the rivalry pot and, in Rutgers, there's some of that.

That's why the news today of a 2-for-2 deal (twice in Philadelphia, twice in Piscataway) is terrific for me.
Since Delaware, Rutgers has always been Temple's biggest rival.
With the Big East expulsion backdrop, there's plenty of animosity.
This is something Rutgers wanted five years ago, but approached Temple with a 3-for-2 deal.
Temple, I'm told, said no dice.
"We want to play you, but it's 2-for-2 or nothing," was Temple's response.
So, for five years, it's been nothing.
Temple would have been very happy waiting until Kingdom Come with the nothing and Rutgers' brass finally realized that the extra game demand did not make sense if it meant the schools would never play again.
Rutgers finally gave in last week.
I'm amused when I hear from my Rutgers friends (and I have a few) demanding that Temple give Rutgers an extra home game "because Temple is a MAC school."
Dude, you are the reason we're a MAC school.
If you supported us, Virginia Tech and Pitt would have joined in and blocked the Big East expulsion.
So there's some animosity there.
There's no animosity, for me at least, against Buffalo, Kent State and the fake Miami.
The only discordant note is that this series won't start until 2015. Al Golden will be 45 years old and working on a Wayne Hardin-like legacy in Philadelphia (I hope).
By then, I hope he talks the Hardin talk and walks the Hardin walk.

Where is my Bernard Pierce comic book?

Page 2 of the 1986 Temple football media guide.

More than anything else, the Heisman Trophy is the byproduct of an excellent and deserving candidate playing under the right circumstances with just the right level of promotion.
Temple's Paul Palmer certainly was that back in 1986.

The Owls' Bernard Pierce, who broke all of Palmer's freshman rushing records last year, certainly is that now.

People told Palmer he could not make a serious run for the trophy because he played at Temple.

Because he didn't listen and the people closest to him didn't listen, he was at the New York Athletic Club on the day Vinny Testaverde got the trophy finishing as the deserving runner up. Palmer wore a neat brown suit with an Owl lapel pin and he was as deserving of the recognition as was Testaverde.

Not bad at all.
It was a great day for Palmer and for Temple University.
The only advantage the Palmer of 1986 had over the Pierce of 2010 is that Palmer played against what was then the No. 10 toughest schedule in the country and helped the Owls of Bruce Arians finish 6-5 against that schedule, beating the likes of Virginia Tech and East Carolina.
Yet Pierce will be on the field against Big East contender Connecticut and Big 10 contender Penn State, so he will have those kinds of chances, too.

What I'd like to see the university do for Pierce right now is nudge him toward the Heisman the way the SID office nudged Palmer. Get him into the conversation now, not after he rolls up, say, 514 yards and seven touchdowns against Villanova.
Back in 1986, the SID office put out a 16-page comic book with Palmer depicted as Superman and mailed the book to all 1,016 Heisman voters. The comic depicted Palmer's meteoric rise from a small under-recruited tailback from Maryland to the big man on campus in a major metropolis, complete with stats and supporing facts. Back then, the SID office put Palmer on the cover of the 1986 Media Guide with the caption "Heisman Trophy candidate Paul Palmer" and the headline: Temple: the Philadelphia Team America's Watching.
Page Two included quotes from Don Nehlen, Joe Paterno, Dick MacPherson and others touting Palmer's ball-toting ability.
Clever stuff.
The only promotion I've heard for Pierce is a free schedule magnet.
As Derrick Coleman once said, "Whoopty-damn-do."
I don't see the same level of promotion right now for Pierce a couple of months before the season, but maybe the school is working with a couple of illustrators in New York City.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Then again, maybe not.
Don't give me any grief about this not being in the budget. Budget smudget. Do you know how much having a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy does for the university's coffers in terms of attendance, TV revenue, etc.? This is a gold mine. Gold. The 49ers (the gold-miners, not the football team) didn't walk away from Sutter's Mill because they didn't have the money for a pan.
That's why I'd like to see the university set the table for what I expect to be a terrific year for Pierce and the Owls by mounting a serious campaign now. Bang the drums hard. Set off smoke signals.
Do something.
If Pierce leads to the Owls to an upset win or two and helps them dominate the MAC, he will be right there in the conversation  up until December.
If he does it after the kind of campaign Al Shrier's excellent SID office ran leading up to Palmer's senior season, he might have to start shopping for brown suits.

Temple isn't ignoring Bernard, as proven by these billboards about to go up at Interstate locations exactly one mile from the stadium. I would just like to see them just as go hard after the Heisman voters right now, too, but that's more the job of the SID office than the promotions department.
You can be part of history, too. It's the price of a Temple football season ticket. Buy one now by clicking below:

Now's the time to gush over BP (Bernard Pierce)

Temple football Fan Fest coming to Ocean City (N.J.) main pier between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on July 10.

I've never met David Sourber but, from what I gather, he beat me to the punch with what I thought was an innovative ideal _ create a "Bernard Pierce for Heisman" Facebook page.
Type in "Bernard Pierce for Heisman Facebook" on google and you are likely to find it.
Sourber is from Manheim, Pa., and is on target to graduate from Temple University in 2012.
He represents the current students who bring a passion to and support for the school too many of the older grads can't begin match.
All you have to do is go to the games, especially last year's Villanova game, where about 15-16,000 of the fans were students dressed in Cherry and pouring their hearts and lungs out for the Owls in the stands. Walking out of the stadium that night, I was more heartbroken for those kids in the stands than I was for myself (and nobody takes a Temple football loss harder than I do).

Six Owl numbers that will (maybe) get you some lotto money:
White Balls:
Six _ The number of 1986 Heisman Trophy runnerup Paul Palmer.
Fourty-four _ The number of Palmer's blocking back, fullback Shelley Poole, who went through the hole preceeding Palmer like a bowling ball knocking down pins. An unsung hero if there ever was one.
Thirty _ the number of the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner (hopefully) Bernard Pierce. Also the number of 1979 Garden State Bowl MVP Mark Bright.
Eleven _ The number of Big East offensive MVP Walter Washington (2004), the most dominating year by a player on a losing team maybe ever.
Twelve _ The old number of Vaughn Charlton, this year's Owl who made the greatest sacrifice for the team in switching to tight end (and becoming No. 3). Another unsung hero.
Powerball (red ball):
Nine _ The number of quarterback Steve Joachim, who holds the highest honor (Maxwell Trophy) heretofore ever bestowed upon a Temple football player (1974)

This Bernard Pierce for Heisman thing is getting some legs mostly because of the legs Pierce showed last year.
Bernard Pierce is, in my mind, the complete package.
If puts up a similar year to last and stays healthy, he should be in the conversation right up until the night the five finalists get together.
Unlike David Sourber who wasn't born then, I got to know Paul Palmer up close and personal like during his Heisman Trophy run in 1986.
Paul Palmer was a great, great back. Fast. Shifty. Could break tackles. Great vision.
While playing for Temple, he finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year only to Vinny Testaverde of Miami.
Yet having watched both Paul Palmer for four years and Bernard Pierce last year, I'm convinced there is nothing ... NOTHING ... Bernard Pierce can't do that Paul Palmer did.
In fact, there was little Paul Palmer could do his first year that Bernard Pierce didn't do.
After one game in which Palmer carried the ball 43 times, a reporter asked then Temple coach Bruce Arians why he gave him the ball that much.
"We gave him the ball because he could handle it," Arians said. "You know, it ain't that heavy."
Good line, Bruce.
If I had to give Palmer the edge over Pierce in any category, it would be his durability.
Pierce carried the ball a lot last year, but so did Palmer. On the other hand, Boo-Boo was fast, but not as fast as Pierce. I think Palmer avoided the big hit more than Pierce and that might have something to do with the injuries.
Pierce, though, combines world-class speed with great moves in the open field and an ability to break tackles and punish defenders.
I watched a lot of college football on network TV and did not see anyone as good. Unlike most non-BCS backs, Pierce has Penn State and UConn on the schedule, as well as the MAC, so he's got opportunities to lead his team to eye-popping wins that will get him into the conversation as early as September.
So the Heisman is right there for the taking.
If David Sourber helps him get one step closer to the New York Athletic Club, his Bernard Pierce for Heisman page is a worthwhile endeavor.
When Temple goes 13-0 and wins the national championship in Jan. 2011 and Bernard Pierce takes home the Heisman, 100,000 people will claim to be Owl season ticketholders. You can show them your season-ticket stubs by clicking below:

Temple Football Four-Month Countdown

Al Golden contract extension a good deal

Oddly, Al Golden bears a facial resemblance to Bruce Arians here.

"I'm thrilled ... for the opportunity to continue our commitment of making our football program a vital component of the Temple Community, support the mission of the university and to strengthen the Temple Brand on a national scale."
_ Al Golden

I like the way Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw works, quietly and behind the scenes.
I ran into Bill at the signing day function and mentioned something about Al's contract and Bill said, "Al Golden can have a contract extension any time he wants."
Bradshaw didn't elaborte.
He didn't need to for a Joe Schmoe like me.
I didn't take it as a good sign at the time because I interpreted it as a "contract extension" of the current contract with the same financial terms in place.
Evidently, though, from what I hear, this is a significant increase in Al's salary with a comenserate increase in staff compensation.
Someone tweeted me this morning that Al is now making money similar to head coaches in BCS conferences, a more-than-double salary increase.
I like that, but what I like more is that there are hightened protections in place for my beloved Temple University.
I hope Al stays here for a Joe Paterno-like run, but I live in a real world.
Others have come after him hard the past two seasons and, someday, someone is going to get him for the right offer.
Once that happens, though, I want Temple protected and this deal does that.
The school that hires Golden away from Temple will have to pay the school the kind of money West Virginia got when Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan.
That's the best part of the deal and assures Temple will have the financial wherewithal to hire a big-name coach should Al leave.
Let's hope Al settles in here and develops the kind of love for the school that Wayne Hardin, John Chaney and Harry Litwack had.
This school has a special mission and only very special people understand that.
For the historic-like turnaround Golden has already achieved here, he deserves to be compensated handsomely.
I hope he attacks the enormous task ahead to move the program forward with the same verve he has in working his magic so far.
Today was a great day for both Al Golden and Temple football, but there are greater days ahead.
It should be fun finding out what rewards those days bring to the Owls and their fans.
Temple has put its money where its mouth is ... time for you to do the same and buy more season tickets:

Required summer fiction: Owls' depth chart

Just a hunch, but this guy will be Villanova's biggest nightmare on Sept. 3.

Not quite up there with the Harry Potter Series, but the best work of fiction this spring has been penned by Al Golden.
Or at least part fiction.
It's called the 2010 Temple Football Depth Chart.
For something to while the time away in the "reading room" I like it.
There's some humor in it and I like comedy.
There's a strong purpose to it, mostly to light a fire under some of the more talented Owls.
That's all OK because this is a rough draft and not the finished version.
It's not this depth chart that needs to be taken seriously, it's the one released in the pre-game notes on the day of the Villanova game that matters.
I have a feeling, except for positions like quarterback, running back and kicker, there will be a lot of tweaking to it before the Mayor's Cup game.

OFFENSE
QB - Chester Stewart, Chris Coyer or Mike Gerardi
WR1 - Michael Campbell OR Hammond OR Deon Miller
WR 2 - Joey Jones OR Rod Streater followed by Haldeman
TE - Charlton OR Brown, then Alex Jackson, Cody Booth
RB - Bernard Pierce, Ahkeem Smith, Matt Brown
K - Brandon McManus
DEFENSE


DE - Adrian Robinson, Blueford
DE - Kadeem Custis, Johnson
DT - Big Mo Wilkinson, Paulhill
NT - Joseph, Jeff Whittingham OR Levi Brown
OLB - Tavir Whitehead, Quenten White OR Blaze Caponegro
MLB - Peanut Johnson, Marcus Green OR Johnson
OLB - Amara Kamara OR Jordan
CB - Marquise Liverpool OR Johnson, Nixon
CB - Jones, Griffin
FS - Jaquain Jarrett, Parker, Parker, Gildea
SS - Kevin Kroboth, Vaughn Carraway
P - Jeff Wathne or Cerrette

I think Evan Rodriguez, someone not even listed on the four-deep version, wins the TE job by Villanova. Gosh, I hope so because the ceiling of this guy's talent is about as high as the Volcanic Ash cloud from Iceland. He looked pretty good to me in the Cherry and White game.
I think the staff is intrigued enough by the 6-6 size on one side that Miller gives and he grabs that WR1 job.
If Charlton starts and plays significant minutes at tight end against Villanova (say, half the game), I will be stunned out of my mind.
Who knows what happens at quarterback, but I think Golden got it right. Chester Stewart has been here for awhile and it was his job to win in the spring and he might have just done enough to win it.
He certainly did enough to get Charlton moved to tight end.
I like Amara Kamara at linebacker and I like the size and athleticsm that Custis brings to the other end spot. That should help Adrian Robinson a lot.
Imagine being Chris Whitney on opening day, if you will:
A nasty 6-foot-4, 265-pound Custis coming at you from one end and a speedy equally nasty Adrian Robinson coming at you from the other end and people like Big Mo, Jeff Whittingham and Levi Brown helping to collapse the pocket from the middle.
Call that novel War and (Whitney) Piece.
And that would come under the category of non-fiction.

Thoughts from Cherry and White Day 2010

Some questions answered, some answers questioned and otherwise random thoughts from Cherry and White Day 2010:

I think this Mike Gerardi kid bears watching. If he doesn't have the "it factor", he's damn close to having it.

1) It's hard to make a decision about quarterback _ I liked all three quarterbacks, but no one really stood out on this day. Chester Stewart aired it out on the last play of the first half, but it didn't come close to a receiver. I like the fact that CS competed. I also like the fact that Chester Stewart had no interceptions all last season. I liked Mike Gerardi's poise. I thought that Chris Coyer had too many passes dropped. Slightest, if any, edge to Stewart on this one day. Great to see Vaughn Charlton out there competing at tight end and showing the a positive attitude and leadership he always displays. Gerardi looks like he's been there before. He looks like he expects to start. Everybody tells me he has no shot at playing, but it's always those guys you have to keep an eye on. The same people who poo-poo Mike Gerardi said Matt Brown wasn't going to do didly and he got 155 on Ohio on the MAC East title game. I think this Mike Gerardi kid bears watching. If he doesn't have the "it factor", he's damn close to having it. That's all I'm going to say on the subject. None of the three QBs did enough, but I'd have to rate Stewart's deep ball the best and Gerardi's poise the best based on this one day. Coyer probably blows them away in the elusiveness category, but everytime someone touched him, that was ruled a sack and that's just not fair to a guy who can duck out of danger and make positive yardage.
2) Event really is too big for the Edberg-Olsen Complex _ It's saying something when the best seats in the house are in the high-rise apartment complex across the street. It's got to be moved to Ambler next year. Bring the field up to standards. They have a nice horticulture program up there anyway. Put those students to work. I didn't go up on the deck because some day that thing is going to collapse below the weight of too many people and I don't want to be there when it does. Another reason to move it to Ambler.
3) Thank God Bernard Pierce didn't get hurt _ It says something that all three quarterbacks were wearing the orange ("don't hit me") jersey, yet it was open season on next year's Heisman Trophy winner (hopefully). I say take the orange jerseys off the quarterbacks next year, too.
4) Vaughn Carraway can catch after all _ The most heralded pass receiving recruit in a number of years finally found the field and the ball with a real nice interception. Hopefully, that's a portent of things to come.
5) Liked the contributions of big DT Levi Brown,   DE Adrian Robinson, WR Rod Streater, WR Delano Green, Pierce (of course) and the pride of Wall Township (N.J.) High, Blaze Caponegro (two interceptions on tipped balls), among so many. Brandon McManus, the best kicker in the MAC, nailed about a 51-yarder, which was a good sign particularly in a 24mph crosswind. Didn't like that there were so many tipped balls, but that can be worked on in the coming days.
Overriding thought was that I can't wait until Sept. 3.

Spinning Charlton's move to tight end

"Everybody was blown away by his vertical stretch, by how soft his hands were, and how well he ran with the ball after the catch."
_ Al Golden

Today's operative word is spin.
It's a form of propoganda making a move or position more sellable.
There have been a few famous "spin doctors" in the arts and media over the years.
My favorite was a guy named Mike Flaherty, played by Michael J. Fox, in the sitcom Spin City. Flaherty, the deputy Mayor, specialized in getting the mayor out of trouble by spinning an issue that otherwise wasn't flattering.
I could only think of one word when I heard the quotes coming from Al Golden's lips about Vaughn Chartlon's move to tight end on Wednesday.
Spin.
"Everybody was blown away," Golden told Owlscoop.com. "Everybody was blown away by his vertical stretch, by how soft his hands were, and how well he ran with the ball after the catch. So of all the things that you guys ask me every day, it's probably the biggest news, probably since I've been here."
Yeah, right.
Hmm.
Charlton has played no other position than quarterback since Pee-Wee ball, yet Golden gives a glowing report on the potential of Charlton as a pass-catching and route-running Division IA tight end.
Basically, Golden is telling us _ exaggerating just a little for effect, here _ that we might have had a John Mackey or a Pete Retzlaff right here under our noses for four years without realizing it.
If that's not spin, I don't know what is.
I'm not buying it.
Listen, I'm on board with the decision, whether it was Golden's or Charlton's. Vaughn is a great kid and a terrific team leader.
A lot of people I've talked to say it doesn't make sense because they've been grooming him to be quarterback for five years and he deserves a chance.
I've seen enough to know that they could groom him for five more years and he'll never be half the quarterback Adam DiMichele was or Henry Burris was or Brian Broomell was.
Temple needs a playmaking quarterback who can make good throws (often) under pressure. I don't think Charlton ever responded to pressure quite the way, say, DiMichele did. I don't think Charlton ever put enough points on the scoreboard.

I'm betting that the immensely talented Evan Rodriguez is better equipped to put up those kind of numbers, if properly used

Temple's program has reached the point where it needs to go from one Adam DiMichele to another Adam DiMIchele. There should never have been a disastrous drop in talent at that position, particularly when you have a recruiter as accomplished as Golden.
What happened, I think, is that both Chester Stewart and Chris Coyer (and possibly even Mike Gerardi) have passed Charlton on the depth chart.
The move to tight end was pure spin, a way to lessen the impact of the fall to the bottom of the depth chart.
If Chartlon catches 60 passes for 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns next season and blocks like Mike Ditka, I will admit I'm wrong.
I'm betting that the immensely talented Evan Rodriguez is better equipped to put up those kind of numbers, if properly used. Rodriguez's backups are more likely to be named Matt Balasavage, Cody Booth and Alex Jackson than Vaughn Charlton.
And that's no spin.

Has Cherry and White Day outgrown the E-O?

That's me behind the railing trying to get a peak last year.

Watched a little bit of the North Carolina football spring day on ESPN last weekend.
I was interested in a quarterback that they kept bringing up as being a future star, Bryn Renner.
Virginia High school football fans will remember Renner being involved in quite a few battles with rival Oakton High and its star quarterback, Chris Coyer.
Experts put both quarterbacks pretty much on the same level and Coyer earned player of the year honors.
I'm sure any questions that North Carolina fans had about Renner's arm or leadership skills were answered in the spring game. He had a productive day.
I'm wondering what questions will be answered about the Owls on Saturday in the 2 p.m. scrimmage at Chodoff Field.
Some I'm interested in, no particular order:
1) When will Coyer get to show his running skills?
I hope they allow the quarterbacks to get hit (I doubt it) because Coyer's ability to make plays in the open field with his legs will separate him from the other three quarterbacks, in my humble opinion. All four quarterbacks can throw the ball. Owls need to be multi-dimensional at that position. The Catch-22 here is that you end up starting the same guy who started last year if all the Cherry and White game becomes is a glorified passing drill.

2) Has the Cherry and White Game gotten too big for the E-O?

My vote is yes because I arrived some two hours before last year's game and could not find a spot in Lot 10. I had to park four blocks away at the Baptist Temple. If the game can't be moved to Lincoln Financial Field, I vote for Ambler.
Or Northeast High.

3) Will we see an improved pass rush?

Not unless they take the orange jerseys off the quarterbacks (see No. 1).

4) How much action will Heisman Trophy candidate Bernard Pierce get?

My hunch is plenty, but not 40 carries. I'd say between 10-20 for C&W, shooting for 20-25 quality ones per game during the season.

5) Where is the best place to buy Temple gear?

Err, Cherry and White. You can't buy good Temple stuff in any store not on campus, yet I get hundreds of comments from people throughout the year about "where'd you get that cool Temple (sweatshirt, T-Shirt, hat, etc.)?" I'd always say, truthfully, Cherry and White day. No other day compares when it comes to that stuff. Bring cash.

We'll never top last year's April Fool's joke

So here it is, an instant classic, based on the convergence of a report in New York Newsday concurrent with April Fool's Day.
We picked it up and ran with it and, surprisingly, a number of people fell for it despite seeing the day of the post.
That's the best kind of April Fool's Joke anyway.

2 plus 2 equals 4 (p.m.) for Temple-Villanova

Blame Friday game on shore and Joe Banner, not in that order.

There's this thing called The Shore and it's a phenomena peculiar to Philadelphia that the town virtually empties out the weekend of Labor Day

So I'm driving on I-76 today and thinking how It's too bad I don't have a digital camera.
(When I get enough donations to buy a camera and a portable computer called a netbook, so I can take Temple Football Forever on the road with me and post daily news and photos on the Owls, I will.)
Back to the desire for a digital camera, though.
I'm driving by at 50 mph in a monsoon today on the Schuylkill Expressway and I see a Temple billboard that proclaims "Friday, Sept. 3" as the date of the home football opener with Villanova.
It meant only one thing. Temple's "negotiations" with the Eagles over its preferred date, Sept. 2, fell through.
Then I put two and two together and come up with four.
Oddly enough, that's the starting time of the game but it's not how this mostly mathematical equation was solved.
Two plus two equals 4 p.m. basically because Sept. 2, the date Temple AD Bill Bradshaw long sought as primo time for the game was denied the Owls by the landlord Eagles, leaving 4 as the only logical time for the game.
Hmm.
Temple could have played on the Saturday of the Labor Day weekend, when no one would have been in town. There's this thing called The Shore and it's a phenomena peculiar to Philadelphia that the town virtually empties out the weekend of Labor Day, leaving only the homeless and poor behind. Philadelphia is unique because The Shore (capital T, capital S) is only 50 miles away and Philadelphians see this weekend as their abosolutely last chance to get away before a long, cold, winter. The magnetic attraction of that to a region of 6 million people cannot be minimized.
So Saturday was out.
The Eagles could have done the "community" a favor and moved their game to Sept. 3 and allowed Temple and Villanova to play on the date best suited for a big college crowd. The Eagles being the Eagles could have gotten their 70K on either date but, no, the Eagles had to put the screws to Temple and Villanova.
"We want to play Thursday night," was basically what Joe Banner told Bradshaw.
"But, Joe, you'll get your crowd either night...."
"No, we still want to play Thursday night. Good luck, though."
Typical Eagles.
The Phillies were already scheduled for Friday night (7).
Since two crowds in excess of 40,000 (hopefully for Temple, definitely for Phils) would be showing up at the same time, the Owls reluctantly were forced to pick 4 p.m.
It's a stroke of genius, in my mind.
The Temple and Villanova fans get to arrive, say, at 2 p.m. for tailgating, taking all of the tailgate spots used by Phillies fans.
Phillies fans arrive at about 4, then start frantically texting "WTF?" messages to their fellow 20-somethings.
If there's a silver lining to this scheduling nightmare, that's it.
Now let's get a crowd large enough to steal all of their parking spaces.
Better yet, let's get them into our game first by offering half-priced tickets for those who show Phils' stubs.

March 20: The first day of spring (practice)

Temple fans want to see more sacks like this one.

I have a feeling the Owls are going to find a couple of reliable long-snappers, a quarterback who has moxie and becomes a weapon both with his arm and feet and a defense that can provide a relentless pass rush

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, someone once said.
I've never believed that because I think the facts around the story are often more interesting than the story itself.
I'll relent, though, when it comes to headlines.
Yesterday, not today, was the first full day of spring football practice at Temple University. It's just a better headline when you combine the first day of spring with the first day of spring practice.
It was also the last full day of the men's basketball season, the only other marquee sport at Temple University.
Coincidence?
No doubt.
An interesting fact?
Yes.
I've never hided that I consider Temple men's basketball nothing more than a worthwhile distraction between the final day of the football season and the first day of spring practice, but I didn't think the two would run so seemlessly as they did this year.
I often get grief from my Temple football friends on why I only attend two or three basketball games a year, but I tell them the same thing I write here.
I just don't enjoy the sport as much as football.
I understand, though, that many of them do.
For me, though, it's not even close.
I like the fact that a football field is split in two and that strategy is involved in both protecting your turf and probing into the enemy's.
If you have better men and material, like the Union did in the Civil War, you are probably going to win the war. If you have a better Field Marshall, like the Nazi's did with Rommel in the Sahara and the Confederates did with Johnson and Stewart at Bull Run, you are going to win your share of battles.
There's some of that in basketball, but when a dude sticks a 35-footer three straight times down the court, that game is a little too skewed for my taste. So hat's off to Fran Dunphy and crew, who did this university proud by winning three straight A-10 titles and 29 games this season. There are few people who do more for this university than Fran Dunphy. In fact, I can't think of any. There are no two better ambassadors for this great university than Fran Dunphy and Al Golden.
As I write this, it is 10 in the morning on the Saturday on the first day of spring.
The birds are chirping, it's going to be a 75-degree day, and my beloved Temple (Football) Owls are working to find better ways to defend their turf and grab as much of the bad guy turf as possible.
The particulars will unravel over the next month.
What we already know is that 17 of the 22 starters return from a 9-3 team and some of the redshirts who sat  last year may be better than a handful of the starters, let alone as replacements for the five departed.
Defensively, I see this team as perfectly suited to a 3-4, rather than the current 5-2 alignment. That way, you have two athletic 6-5 defensive ends (Mo Wilkerson and Kadeem Custis) coming at the quarterback with a future NFL tackle in Levi Brown playing nose guard and being a lock-down run-stopper. You can move Adrian Robinson to linebacker and just have him blitz on every passing down, but from all different gaps.  If I was a quarterback facing that, I'd run the other way.
Offensively, I'd like to see a quarterback who can make plays both running and passing. I think that quarterback is here.
On special teams, I'd like the see the long-snapping situation tighten up.
Fix all of those fixable items and you have a team with designs on much better than 9-3.
I have a feeling the Owls are going to find a couple of reliable long-snappers, a quarterback who has moxie and becomes a weapon both with his arm and feet and a defense that can provide a relentless pass rush.
Hope springs eternal, but this time the hope comes with a lot of supporting facts.

The strong case for a 3-4 defense at Temple

If I'm Mark D'Onofrio, I'm seriously considering going to a 3-4 with Amara Kamara and Robinson returning to their natural outside linebacker positions and using Robinson as a "rush" linebacker, like the Giants did with Lawrence Taylor

Every once in a while, I check in with what Al Golden has to say on Twitter.
You can, too.
It's permanently on the sidebar of this website, about halfway down the right side.
According to Al's latest tweet, the coaching staff is in the film room right now.
Here it is:
"Spring practice is getting close," Al said. "Only a couple of weeks for the staff to fine tune and evaluate the film from the fall to improve the team."

Evidently, they haven't come out because the last tweet was on Feb. 22 and that was four days before the last big snowfall and that seems like a long time ago.
Well, we've been studying the film, too.
We've got high definition DVDs of many of the games and this is what I would do to improve the team:
1) Have a real competition for starting quarterback. Take the red shirts off and allow the guys to get hit. Allow them to run the ball against a live defense. Let them throw the ball with a guy in their face.
If somebody gets hurt, so be it.
They'll have all summer to get healthy.
We're going to need to find a gamer at that position and you don't find that person in a seven-on-seven passing drill. Mike McGann was the greatest seven-on-seven practice passer I ever saw at Temple, yet when he got into the game he had this annoying habit of throwing to guys who weren't wearing Cherry or White jerseys.

You can't have a turnover machine at that position or someone who can't duck out of a pass rush and make positive yards.
The Owls need more than a "game manager" at that position this year. They need a "game changer."
I think they'll find one. God, I hope so.
At last count, they have Vaughn Charlton, Chester Stewart, Chris Coyer, Mike Gerardi at the top of the depth chart. They have other guys who have played the position in high school either already here or coming in, like Aaron Haas, Matt Falcone, Andre Coble, Connor Reilly.
2) Get the gang of 100 players in a circle and ask who snapped the ball in high school. Ask them to have their high school coaches send film of them snapping. Pick the best three and have a competition. If one, two or three are excellent or even good, make long-snapping a part of their daily routine (even five minutes). Long-snapping is a routine play at about 118 other Division IA schools. Let's make it that way again at Temple.
3) Improve the pass rush. I'm a big fan of blitz packages that send more than one linebacker or safety on certain down-and-distance situations. Temple needs to turn up the heat on opposing quarterbacks. Adrian Robinson is the best pass-rusher in the league, but wouldn't it be nice to consistently collapse the pocket with another "Adrian Robinson" coming from the other side.
If I'm Mark D'Onofrio, I'm seriously considering going to a
3-4 with Amara Kamara and Robinson returning to their natural outside linebacker positions and using Robinson as a "rush" linebacker, like the Giants did with Lawrence Taylor. Moving Robinson all over the field will make him harder to find.
I'd use Big Mo Wilkerson as one defensive end, Levi Brown as the nose guard and Kadeem Custis as the other defensive end and rotate guys in after that. Imagine, if you will, what a nightmare, say, Chris Whitney's life would be if he had two 6-5 athletic guys coming at him from both DE positions and still had to account for Robinson's presence? I'm liking it already. I want to see Whitney and every other quarterback who plays Temple hit the ground hard multiple times before being able to release the ball.
I'm hoping that is the plan Al Golden and staff have come up with between Feb. 22d and now.
The time to implement it would be in a few days when spring practice starts.

Thoughts on the 2010 schedule

(some dates and times unofficial :) )
Fri., Sept. 3: VILLANOVA Lincoln Financial Field, 5 p.m.

Thu., Sept. 9: *CENTRAL MICHIGAN Lincoln Financial Field, 7 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 18 CONNECTICUT Lincoln Financial Field, 12

Sat., Sept. 25 at Penn State University Park, Pa., 3:30

Sat., Oct. 2 at Army West Point, N.Y., 12

Sat., Oct. 9 *at Northern Illinois DeKalb, Ill., 1

Sat., Oct. 16 *BOWLING GREEN Lincoln Financial Field, 12

Sat., Oct. 23 *at Buffalo Buffalo, N.Y., 12

Sat., Oct. 30 *AKRON Lincoln Financial Field, 2

Sat., Nov. 6 *at Kent State Kent, Ohio, 1

Tues., Nov. 16 *OHIO Lincoln Financial Field 8 p.m. ESPN2

Tues., Nov. 23 *at Miami (Ohio) Oxford, Ohio 7 p.m. ESPN2

I don't know about you, but I've given up on circling wins and losses on a schedule a long time ago.
It was about the season that Jeff Garcia replaced an injured Donovan McNabb and took the Eagles on a six-game winning streak.
That was the year the Birds were at Giants, at Redskins and at Cowboys all in consecutive weeks.
All the talking heads had the Eagles losing all three.
When McNabb got hurt, they all said it was over.
Wrong on all counts.
The Eagles won all three and did it without McNabb.
Who knows what the future holds for any team, although it appears the Owls are swifter, stronger, more talented and more experienced than any other team in their league.
I wouldn't bet against them.
When this schedule came out, though, I thought this was the perfect for me schedule because:
1) I hate byes
2) It opens up with three straight home games.
After the way the team opened up last year against Villanova, don't think that they aren't excited about getting that bad memory out of their heads forever.
I think they will.
If they do, it sets up a well-attended next two games.
If they win those, the attendance momentum will just continue.
Picture, for example, the EagleBank Bowl experience in terms of a roaring loud crowd and a real homefield advantage and you'll get what I'm talking about. At the EBB, I saw a loud, involved, Temple crowd. It stunned UCLA and it sure stunned a lot of us who had season tickets for the past 30 years.
A good start brings that kind of excitement back in a way nothing else can.
I'm selfish about the byes. I know they sometimes help heal an injured team, but I don't see the use in them.
Kids are, what, between 18-22, and they should be able to play every week.
Plus, the Owls get 10 days between a couple of games so it shouldn't hurt them too much.
I hate byes because that means a week without Temple football and my autumns have been consumed with the Owls.
That's why this is the perfect schedule for me.
I get to talk, breathe, blog and live Temple football each week.
It's a good schedule.
Bring it on, the sooner the better.

How loaded is loaded?

Tom Leonard's cellphone photo of the TU side of the field.

Belated EagleBank Bowl Thoughts
EBB was without a doubt the most memorable TUFB experience in my 18 or so years following the program. My wife and I arrived in DC the night before the game. Hotel was in an excellent downtown location, although under renovation. Spent the night bopping in and out of restaurants and bars.

Numbers of folks dressed in in TU garb and cherry and white climbed as the evening went on. Woke up on gameday with a slight case of the Irish flu, but nonetheless happily pushed on to the Metro station en route to the Armory, where I stepped into a zone of TU pre-game energy of historic proportions. The band, video footage, combination of familiar and new faces, and overall level of downright giddiness for TUFB was delightful. I spoke with TU faculty and administrators, alumni and students, folks with family ties to TU, and some who had no affiliation with TU whatsoever--which I found particularly pleasing. A couple guys behind me in line were from James Madison U. They travelled to DC simply to behold an easily accessible bowl game, and touted that JMU had FBS aspirations. The indoor tailgate was an exceptional experience. Zero regrets. I even got a photo (soon to be framed, with no spousal objection) with the UCLA cheerleaders (ok, technically dance team or pep team or something, but it worked for me).

As gametime neared, I strategically applied the lasted techno heating elements into shoes and pockets; checked that tickets were in hand, and hastily gulped down the final Absolute and Cranberry (scotch was unavailable) of the afternoon while working towards the exit. The throngs of fans channeling into RFK was a beauty to behold.

There were a lot of TUFB fans at RFK. A lot. I was especially pleased to see so many unfamiliar, aged faces. These weren't students or die hards, these were Temple folks who have perhaps exhibited sporadic interest here and there but hadn't previously been uniformily motivated. Folks around me were looking in their program for names and asking about "that #22" and posing questions about next year's QB, and such. Novice aside, they displayed the same excitement about TUFB as the rest of us. In a word, refreshing. Prior to the game, I was concerned that perhaps 6 or 7K faithful would show. AG referenced 16K. Not sure where got that figure, but he should know. 16K passes the test, at least my test. We have the coach and the talent, but I questioned the alumni. There is hope.

No reason to comment on the game. Nothing new to share. The experience, however, was novel. And worthy of comment.
Tom Leonard
long-time Temple football fan
"Hootsalotisme" on OwlsDaily.com

If you type in "how loaded is loaded" into a google search engine these days, the first result will be this very thoughtful and well-researched post by MH55 on Owlscoop.com.
Before this post goes into oblivion caused by Rivals.com's limited serving capacity, we thought we would store it here.

MH55 got the idea, I presume, from the night of the bowl party.
Three or four of the boosters who had a chance to speak to Golden that night said that Golden used the words "we're loaded" for next year and followed that up with big cat-eating-the-canary grin.
A knowledgeable Temple football fan knew that before Golden said so, but it's nice to get some affirmation from the top guy.
MH55 did one better, loading up on names and positions.
It was one of two great posts on Temple football this offseason that deserve to be preserved for posterity.
The other was written by Tom Leonard, Hootsalotisme, on the OwlsDaily.com board about the EagleBank Bowl experience.

Here's MH55's in its entirely (quotes around MH55's words):
"I still haven’t heard Al Golden actually say “We’re Loaded” but it sure looks that way when you consider experience, size and talent. Its still hard to believe the caliber of talent AG has amassed when one considers how desperate we were when he took the job and he's operating in a battlezone of BCS Schools. Here's the roster w games played in (XX)

Defensive Line:
Eli Joseph (36)
Kamara (35)
Robinson (25)
Blueford (24)
Wilkerson (24)
Morkeith Brown (21)
Custis (10)
Frenk (1)
Nwasike
Wise

Red Shirts

Levi Brown
Shahid Paulhill
Kamal Johnson
Geoffrey Prather
Tyreek Spain

Recruits
Caray wrestling, honors star, ARob heir
Daniels-keeping talent local
Hush-Sopranos 1st team all state
Newman-PaPreps Predicts Pro
Weaver-will play on TV in summer all star game


Linebackers
P Joseph (27)
Martin (25)
Whitehead (13)
Namude (12)
Q White (10)
M Green (12)
St Johnson

Red Shirts
Caponegro
Onukwuesi
Beatty
Van Norton
Zach Kane (U Mia X)

Recruits
Adewole-Chose Best MAC Offer
Benson-All SEPA LB
N Smith-NJ Friend says a future star

Defensive Backs
Jarrett (37)
Liverpool (37)
Griffin (23)
Gildea (12)
Kroboth (11)
Mo Jones (12)
Falcone (12)
K Johnson (8)
J Williams (2)

Red Shirts
Terrell (2)
Deonte Parker
Byron Parker
M Gould

Recruits
Burns _ Only had 2 BCS Offers
Goods _ Track Star
Robey _ Speed merchant begins the Norristown pipeline


Quarterbacks

Charlton (28)
Stewart (20)
Gerardi (1)

Red Shirts
Coyer
Bryan Morris

Recruits
Reilly-Baseball, Brains and Big Plays

Running Backs

Pierce (12)
Brown (11)

Red Shirts
A Smith (6)

Recruits
Myron Ross-Could be a stud

TE
Balasavage (20)
Rodriguez (13)
Pekarski (1)

Red Shirts
Booth
A Jackson
Parthemore
L Turner
Brookhart
Recruits

T Johnson-Probably lucky to be at Temple Since he didnt Receive any BCS Offers possibly because he committed to Temple or maybe he's just a mediocre player that we shouldn't even mention

Wide Receivers
D Green (37)
Crudup (33)
Campbell (31)
Nixon (25)
Jones (25)
Hutchinson (18)
Bynum (14)
Carraway (9)
Hammond (1)
Baker

Red Shirt
Anthony Parker Boyd (North Car X)
Ryan Alderman
R Streater JuCo

Recruits
Belt-our Andre Rison?
Coble-No to Tobacco Road
Miller-Superb Athlete
Shine-Cali Find
Silvera-BE Capable Temple Ready

Offensive Line
Morris (32)
Madison (28)
Dennis (27)
Tribue (25)
Sean Boyle (25)
Palumbo (22)
Caputo (19)
Brown (17)
Pat Boyle (17)
Schonnbruner (9)
Whittingham (4)
Yuan (1)

Red Shirts
Martin Wallace (Northeastern X) 6’6 295
Scott Roorda 6’3 318
Cody Bohler 6’7 305
Evan Regas 6’4 313
Sean Pearson 6’5 312
Daryl Pringle 6’6 315

Recruits
Centapiempo 6’7 315 Just started FB for Kicks
Grant 6’6 340-Fork Union Crusher
Metz 6’5 310-1st local OL/ BCS Talent to choose TU
Walton 6’4 320-One Bad Ass Chef"

It should be noted that the above words from the first quote to the last quote were all MH55's. He was speaking sacastically about TE recruit Tyler Johnson, a rebuff to a small minority of Temple fans who think anybody who doesn't have a boatload of BCS offers isn't any good.
EBB experience continues at the Linc:
Get your season tickets now