Temple - Central Michigan Writeup

Record: 5-5
Temple Games: 1-0

Alright, time to hit the road for the MAC championship. First up is a game with Central Michigan who is the defending champion. Quite simply, we are the better team in this one. Sure the Owls showed some cracks in their game against Villanova but the Vilecats may be better then the Chippewas.

On the offensive side of the ball, two things bode very well for Temple this year. They have a quarterback finally who I have the confidence to move the team this season. Chester Stewart is 100x better then Vaughn Charlton ever could hope to be. Stewart throws a pretty deep ball and has shown the ability to escape the rush when needed. Pierce and Matt Brown looked like Pierce and Matt Brown against Villanova running behind a hugely improved offensive line. The team has also found a bunch of wide out options including Campbell, Shorter and Evan Rodriguez. Most will look at the score of the Nova game and say Temple didnt play well and should be 0-1. I look at it and say, they played good and can be even better.

Central Michigan defensively returns five starters from a group that was essentially a sieve. The Chips secondary can be thrown upon while the Owls also have a size advantage up front and should be able to open holes. We cant' really take much from the Hampton game.

Temple's defense picked up its intensity towards the end of the contest. Adrian Robinson and Muhammed Wilkerson didnt wake up until later. They won't... [More]

Week 1 and Futures Money from your resident Temple Fan

Record: 0-0

Oh man, I love this time of year...I'm so ready for football season to begin. I spent my weekend at the beach handicapping and getting ready. For those of you new to my threads, I'm the biggest Temple fan there is. Last year I nailed all but two of their games and will provide writeups for almost all of my picks. I really wish Vegas would put out an over/under for them this season because I'd pound the over. This year is a MAC title or bust especially with Vaughn Charlton gone from the QB position.

Futures:
Auburn Over 8.5 (-120) -- Love the Tigers. Think Newton is going to be big for that offense. Plus, they are kinda under the radar right now in the SEC.
Florida State Over 8 (+110) -- I think the Seminoles are going to be better. They have the quarterback and defense to make a run on that half of the ACC. They have all the tough games at home.
Oklahoma State Over 6 (-110) -- They need to get these early because their conference schedule is brutal with all the tough games on the road at Texas and Texas Tech.
Oregon Under 9 (+120) -- Couple of toughies on the road in conference gives me hope this should hit. If Tennessee or Arizona State hold home serve then i'll like this even more.

Heisman Trophy:
Kellen Moore 10/1 -- If they beat VT, they gonna have to do it in the air. If Boise goes undefeated, it could be their year to get notice. They'll need to beat up everyone to move up the rankings. Of course, if they lose to ... [More]

Temple - UCLA Bowl Preview and the rest of my bowl selections

Before we get into all of the other bowls, let's talk about Temple - UCLA. Personally, I'm stoked about this matchup for multiple reasons...First off, the Bruins are a nice name/test for the Owls to use to go into the 2010 season which could be even bigger for Temple if things bounce right for them. The talking heads on ESPN said that UCLA has the better talent and should easily walk all over the Owls. I just can't see that happening unless Golden is gone. No this Cincinnati opening scares the crap out of me but I can't see him leaving...I just can't.

For those not familiar with the Owls, Temple gets it done on the ground with freshman stud Bernard Pierce and Matt Brown along with Lamar McPherson and a little James Nixon around the edge. Pierce is practicing and should be ready for this. Chester Stewart has been an improvement over Vaughn Charlton as he's slightly more accurate and gives them a threat to run. This offense uses the reverse and the play action pass so well in getting it out to Nixon, Maneri and Campbell.

Defensively, I must say that this defense is perplexing. Their front four/five are outstanding. Adrian Robinson can get to the QB along with Neblett and the rest of the boys up front. Lately they havent been as good getting to the QB though and it's forcing this piss poor secondary to get burned. I've never seen a team run zone coverage worse then Temple does. They cover no one at all. I'm stunned at how poor they are. The linebackers are pret... [More]

Temple - Akron Writeup Friday Night

Record: 26-26-1
Temple game record: 8-1

As I've said the past few weeks, im stunned at where the Owls are this season. I predicted eight wins for the team but never figured they'd win eight games in a row which is what they can do on Friday night against Akron. For the 2nd straight week the Owls will take on a freshman QB and a team feeling good about themselves.

Temple's offense keeps rolling along behind Bernard Pierce who is single handedly putting the team on his back. Pierce rightfully so should have been on the Doak Walker Semifinalist list but was left off. The change to Chester Stewart is a welcome one BUT he's not exactly Tim Tebow. Stewart provides more of a running threat then statue-like Vaughn Charlton and his accuracy may be better too but he needs a lot of work too. Temple's got wideouts on this team with talent in Harper, Campbell and Vaughn Carraway. They'll face a defense that was gashed thru the air by Kent State who accounted for 377 yards in their loss. I figure Akron to stack 8 or 9 in the box leaving man to man on the outside.

Temple's defense is rock solid up front and in the front seven. They won't let Akron beat them on the ground at all. Not many teams have beaten the Owls thru the ground. It's the air where the problems begin as Temple's secondary preaches cushions. Even though Akron lost Bowser for the season, im sure LaFrance will get his from Nicely. The key is that Temple has to put pressure on the kid early and of... [More]

Temple Owls - Miami Ohio Redhawks Writeup

Record: 23-23-1
Record in Temple games: 7-1

As a longtime Temple fan, I can't believe what's transpired so far this season. The Navy game was impressive but I couldnt help but think why they didnt put eight or nine in the box. Defenses have to eventually realize that Bernard Pierce is the only threat here. Vaughn Charlton has been an awful awful awful quarterback. He's been inaccurate and has thrown a couple of bad interceptions this season and last game alone. The problem is that Chester Stewart, the backup, isnt learning the offense quick enough. He's got raw talent but seems to struggle at times.

The backbone of this team besides Pierce is the defense. They just don't let the run beat them. Unfortunately, that means they get bitten on the passing attack. Their secondary struggles with giving receivers cushions. Anthony Ferla has improved but still needs work. If the Owls ever decided to play press coverage, their defense would be top 30 in the country but until then their gonna get beaten over the top.

Miami Ohio is coming off their two best efforts of the season. They barely lost to NIU and beat Toledo. An offense that started out the season with 71 points in their first seven has scored 53 in their last two games. The Redhawks are doing it thru the air coming off throwing for 344 yards against Toledo. Granted the Rockets defense is pretty bad but the confidence has to be there on their end.

Clearly, the Owls are the better team. There ar... [More]

Temple Football 2009: The MAC can't handle us.

First off, reading my Phil Steele magazine, i'm stoked for the upcoming season.

Secondly, I look forward to another season of handicapping and exchanging opinions with you guys

Thirdly, Watch out for my Temple Owls. Last year I posted the same thread and told you they'd be bowl bound. They were three plays away from that happening last year and the talent is there to win the MAC outright.

Over the next few weeks we'll examine the factors as to why the Owls will make a bowl game and why YOU will benefit from it.

Schedule: The schedule breaks very well for the Owls BUT I think a lot of this season rides on the first game. I know it's Villanova but the Owls opened up the Linc with the Vilecats a couple of years ago and lost a tough one. Because of this, there was apathy in the fan base and the team coasted to a crappy record.

Temple is better then Vilenova. Bar none. There is no way that the Owls should lose this game. Many of the VU players wouldnt make it on Temple's roster. This should draw a good crowd with a lot of Owls and Vilecat fans in the stands. A win here and the season sets up nicely. A week off before Penn State....I'm not crazy, they will lose this game...it will be ugly....people will jump off....they won't be able to get bowl game tix.

Buffalo at home the next week is a win. No Drew Willy and a Temple team who SHOULD have won there will be foaming at the mouth for this one. @ Eastern Michigan could be tough...then a... [More]