Temple Football

There are five games remaining in the regular season schedule and the Owls are restlessly sitting at an underachieving 3-3. Temple must win three out of the next five games to be bowl-eligible. Three of the final five games are on the road, including undefeated and top-25 ranked Louisville and a Cincinnati (5-1) team that is only one game away from bowl eligibility.

Needless to say, the road to a bowl game is rough and rocky. Temple's next game at Pittsburgh is an absolute must-win and would serve as a huge boost for morale down the season's stretch.

The Panthers are only 3-4 overall but have played well at home where they upset Virginia Tech and battled Louisville valiantly. They have a strong rushing attack behind senior Ray Graham, and with only five games remaining, they must also treat the Temple matchup as a must-win if they hope to play in a bowl game.

Montel Harris has played exceptionally the last three games, and he must be the focal point against a mediocre Pittsburgh rush defense that is allowing nearly 143 rush yards per game.

Temple's passing attack continues to be its Achilles' heel. The passing offense ranks in the bottom five in the nation, and junior Chris Coyer has yet to pass for more than 200 yards in a single game. He has not managed to pass for over 100 yards twice.

An offense that is so obviously one-dimensional makes the play-calling much too easy for the opposing team's defensive coordinators. Head coach Steve Addazio must find some creative ways to get the passing game going, even if that means playing backup quarterback Clinton Granger more.

Matt Brown's limited play due to injury has taken one of the offense's most elusive players away. He returned kicks against Rutgers, so hopefully he is able to take snaps in Saturday's game.

Temple's inaugural season has been, as expected, one of ups and downs. However, there if they can steel themselves to winning three of the next five games, then it will have been a season that exceeded expectations. Their season begins anew at Pitt and, victory there is crucial to extending their regular season.

The Temple Owls were planning to close their annual Cherry-White spring game to the public this year. Due to construction for the renovation of Edberg-Olson Hall Athletic Practice Facility, the viewing area usually open to fans for the spring game is inaccessible.

Because of the limited space available, Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw and head coach Steve Addazio sent a letter to Temple football fans informing them that the spring game will be closed to the public, except for a family and a few invited guests of the program and media.

Since sending that letter, Owl Scoop reported, via Twitter, that the spring scrimmage will be played in Lincoln Financial Field. Perhaps Temple should take a look at what their soon-to-be (again) Big East rivals are doing on the other side of the state.

On Thursday, Pittsburgh announced that they will play their annual spring scrimmage on the field at North Hills High School. The decision was the latest effort to strengthen the ties between western Pennsylvania high schools and the Pitt football program.

"I may be new to Pittsburgh, but I've respected and known about the traditions of Western Pennsylvania high school football for a long time," Pitt head coach Paul Chryst said in a statement released by Pitt's athletic department. "As a first-year coaching staff, we feel it is important to get out and engage the people and communities who have built that tradition. The spring game is a perfect opportunity to do this and we're really looking forward to visiting North Hills in April." 

The Panthers, instead of playing in Heinz Field, are taking their brand and program and placing it right in front of potential high school recruits and their families. While at first this sounds like a silly idea that leaves a door wide open for criticism and mockery, it is actually a pretty savvy move. 

Bringing the college football experience to the high school field allows high school players another opportunity to see what being a part of a big-time program is all about, and what kind of work goes in to being a part of it.

Bringing the college football game to the high school field showcases the university and program as one who cares about the community and illustrates that Pitt wants to be a part of it.

Having an FBS program on a high school's campus will bring attention to that particular high school, at least for one day, and give them something to be proud about.

"Pitt football is opening a new and exciting era under Coach Chryst and we're honored to be part of the program's first spring game under his leadership," North Hills High athletic director Dan Cardone said in the Pittsburgh statement. "This is another stellar example of how Pittsburgh's highest-profile football teams, the Panthers and the Steelers, are invested in the communities of Western Pennsylvania. It is a winning equation for everyone involved and we're excited about hosting Pitt next month." 

Pittsburgh is not the only college program taking this kind of approach. Rich Rodriguez at Arizona is taking various practices to high school football fields. Miami and North Carolina have done or will be doing something similar as well.

This is a growing trend, it would seem, for big-name programs looking to establish a stronger relationship with their communities, and it can pay off with recruiting efforts as well.

So perhaps Temple should rethink their approach to their own spring game.

We know that Temple is not the kind of program that is going to bring in 40,000 fans for a spring game, and there is nothing wrong with that. Why not look around and find a high school that can accommodate a spring scrimmage.

If Pittsburgh can do it, Temple should have little problem doing so, right?

Give Temple credit for trying. Mike Gibson, a dedicated Temple fan and author of Temple Football Forever, wrote that Temple made an early attempt to get access to Lincoln Financial Field for their spring game, but Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie had too high of a price tag to make it worth the cost for the Owls (how kind of Mr. Lurie).

An on-campus field was deemed unsafe for spectators despite previously playing a scrimmage there a few years back. According to Gibson, high school fields were shunned by Temple because of the "small-time" perception (Gibson's words).

After exhausting all other options, it appears that the game will move ahead and be played in Lincoln Financial Field. That brings its pros and cons with it.

Again, if Pittsburgh can make it happen, why couldn't Temple?

Former head coach Al Golden made it a mission of his to make Temple Philadelphia's college football team. What better way to accomplish that than by bringing their game to their community, rather than closing the door on their fans and prospective family?

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.

Although college football expansion is nowhere near the frenzy it was a year ago, things have been consistently active this offseason. The latest university to be the focal point of this conference chess game is Temple, whose football team will be a part of the Big East starting in 2012.

The Big East is in the process of replacing West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh who have decided to take their talents elsewhere.

The Mountaineers, $20 million lighter courtesy of a hefty buyout, will be Big 12 bound next fall. It’s still undetermined when exactly Syracuse and Pitt will make the ACC jump, although CBS has reported that this could be as early as 2013.  

To counteract these departures, the Big East has added Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, San Diego State, SMU, Navy and Memphis.

All of these schools, outside of Navy, will join the league in 2013. Navy will sign on in 2015. They didn't stop here, though.

Next on the recruitment docket was Temple, who had been rumored to have interest in joining for the past few months. These rumors came to fruition on Wednesday when it became official, and the Big East has already agreed to pick up Temple’s $6 million buyout. Just put it on their tab and they’re good for it, maybe.

To celebrate the joyous occasion, the Big East held a press conference to introduce Temple as their newest member. To the surprise of everyone, the Owls wasted little time ruffling some feathers. Feathers, owls, get it? Come for the analysis, stay for the forced bird humor.

Lewis Katz, who is the chairman of Temple’s athletic committee and apparently a fan of PG-13 WWE-type intros, offered up the following while embracing the introduction.

“We’re going to kick Notre Dame’s butt next year.” 

The thing is, barring a change to the anticipated schedule, Katz is jumping the gun slightly. Temple and Notre Dame won’t meet in football until 2014 and Temple won’t compete in other athletics until the 2013-2014 season.

Regardless, his enthusiasm has been noted. Katz also threw the Internet a giant softball when he followed with:

“We’re going to give the Big East everything they deserve.” 

Now, think about that sentence in its entirety for just a moment. Let it all set in while you begin mustering up your finest verbal jabs. Got one?

In actuality, however, the Big East could do much worse than Temple. 

I won’t break off a significant basketball thesis, but Temple’s put together a sneaky impressive 79-20 record on the hardwood (albeit against weaker competition) over the past three seasons. Not bad at all, especially for a conference that prides itself on its hoops and needs to add quality with the losses of three solid basketball schools.

OK, enough basketball.

When it comes to the pigskin, Temple has gone 26-12 over the past three years and picked up a bowl win in 2011.

Head coach Steve Addazio’s play calling drew some criticism at times as the offensive coordinator at Florida (he was a really, really big fan of the halfback dive), but he put together a very solid season in his first year as head coach. He’s likely a guy that will receive some attention from bigger job openings if he keeps this up, but until an actual destination opens it is impossible to predict.

All in all, the football landscape at Temple looks stable and solid.

The school will now have more resources, aka money, and a bigger stage which should also help them a great deal. Although they’re taking a step up in competition from the MAC, it won’t by a significant leap. Big East football, especially with Pitt and West Virginia out of the equation, isn’t going to be a powerhouse conference in the near future.

The schools that will soon be joining have showed their worth in football, especially Boise State, but Temple has no reason to enter these foreign waters intimated.

While both parties appear pleased with the turn of events, make no mistake about it. These aren’t two of the world’s most attractive models exchanging nuptials. The Big East would obviously much rather be in a different position then they are in right now, but the expansion locomotive ran them over and didn’t look back.

For Temple, however, there really is no downside.

Although we don’t really know what exactly the Big East “deserves,” we do know that they’re getting a solid replacement in Temple. I suppose that’s a good place to start.

Temple was kicked out of the Big East back in 2004 for consistently underperforming.

However, after the Big East lost West Virginia to the Big 12, the conference is now in discussions with Temple about rejoining the conference, according to the New York Times.

This would be a redemption story for the Owls.

West Virginia's move to the Big 12 and the $20 million exit fee were completed within the last month, giving the Big East little time to fill out the conference. However, years removed from being sent packing, Temple now looks like a prime program for the Big East.

First off, Temple would replace West Virginia in football. Once disappointing, the Owls have regained their swagger over the past two seasons. They beat eventual Big East champ Connecticut in 2010 and went 9-4 in 2011, rocking Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl by a score of 37-15.

On top of that, the basketball program figures to be a big help for the Big East. In addition to losing West Virginia next season, the conference will also be losing Pittsburgh and Syracuse in the next few years.

Temple has made the NCAA tournament the past four years. Louisville coach Rick Pitino has been very vocal about adding the Owls to the Big East. They are 21-5 this season, upsetting Duke on Jan. 4.

With its resurgence in several sports, the Owls must have the Big East practically begging them to come back.

This just goes to show that nothing is ever final and you can always work your way back from tough times.

If Temple ends up excelling in the Big East, it would be a great story and yet another example of how perseverance can overcome almost anything.

Temple and Wyoming square off in what could be the most evenly matched bowl of the college football bowl season.

Temple has the third-best defense in the entire nation and Wyoming's rush attack is going to see a huge test in the New Mexico Bowl.

Let's take a closer look to see how these two teams stack up.

Where: University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

When: 2:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 17th

Watch: ESPN/ESPN3

Betting Line: Temple -7

What They're Saying

Temple Player To Watch: Bernard Pierce

Bernard Pierce has rushed for over 100 yards in seven games this season. Temple's winning formula has been playing lights-out defense and running the ball with Pierce. He has the potential to take over this game and Wyoming doesn't have the means to stop him once he gets going.

Wyoming Player To Watch: Brett Smith

Wyoming has two capable backs that can step up and establish the run game early, but their passing game is all Brett Smith. The freshman quarterback has to keep his composure and though he doesn't have to throw for over 300 yards like he did against San Diego State for his team to pull off a victory, he's got to be smart with the football and remain poised under the bright lights.

Keys to a Temple Win

Let Bernard Pierce take over. Wyoming doesn't have a defense that can shut down the run and getting them on their heels early will have them broken by the fourth quarter.

Don't make huge defensive adjustments. Temple's defense has got them to this point. There isn't a need for huge changes that throw them off of their game.

Keys to a Wyoming Win

Get Brett Smith comfortable. A true freshman quarterback in a bowl environment needs to feel secure early on. Building his confidence with high-percentage plays and relying on the run game to move the chains is the best way to ensure his success.

Don't get involved in a defensive struggle. Temple has the edge defensively. The second this turns into a battle for field position, all is lost for Wyoming. They've got to figure out a way to balance being safe without being overly conservative.

Prediction: Temple 20, Wyoming 14

The Temple Owls (8-4, 5-3) will battle the Wyoming Cowboys (8-4, 5-2) in the 2011 New Mexico Bowl. Temple finished second in the Mid-American Conference while Wyoming ranked third in the Mountain West. Saturday's game will kick off bowl season for 2011.

Where: University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM

When: Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Listen: WPHT 1210 AM (Temple) or KFBC 1240 AM (Wyoming)

Betting Line: Temple -7

Key Storyline: Will Temple and Wyoming kick off bowl season with a thriller?

The Owls and Cowboys get the college football stage all to themselves on Saturday afternoon. While both teams fell short of their conference championship goals, a bowl win to finish their season would be a nice supplemental prize, but only one can emerge victorious.

Who Might Not Play for Temple: QB Chris Coyer

Coyer has been dealing with a shoulder injury and is listed as probable for Saturday's game, according to USA Today. The good news for Temple is that he's the only player on its injury report, so they enter the game at pretty much full strength.

Who Might Not Play for Wyoming: WR Chris McNeill

McNeill, who was the Cowboys' leading receiver during the regular season, made the trip to New Mexico with his team. It appears he will not play, though, as reported by Gary Striewski. It's a significant blow to an offense which averaged 27 points per game.

What They're Saying

Temple sophomore QB Chris Coyer pinpointed one reason why Saturday's game is so important to Temple (via Philadelphia Inquirer):

"These seniors [including 13 starters], they've been through so much since they've been here, they've really seen this built from almost right at the bottom to bringing it all the way here. Sending them out with a win like this, with a ring in hand, would mean a lot."

Wyoming coach Dave Christensen alluded to his team's no-quit attitude as one of the main reasons they have reached this point (via Yahoo! Sports):

“You like to go out and play four quarters of great football every week, but it doesn’t happen like that. And what these kids have done is they have found a way to win games. We’ve been in predicaments like that before, and every game we’ve been in a predicament like that, we’ve won the game. It’s a testament to the type of kids we have in our program.”

Temple Player To Watch: RB Bernard Pierce

Pierce will be the biggest star on the field. Temple's junior running back scored 25 touchdowns and gained nearly 1,400 yards on the ground for the Owls. His touchdown total finished second among RBs, behind only Heisman finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin.

Wyoming Player To Watch: QB Brett Smith

Even though he was only a freshman, Smith stepped right in and had a major impact on the Cowboys. He threw 18 touchdowns and ran for 10 more while totaling more than 3,100 total yards. He'll need to have another big performance against a solid Temple defense.

Key Matchup: Head coaches, Steve Addazio vs. Dave Christensen

Keeping a team's intensity level up during the down time before a bowl game is crucial to having a good showing. Both Addazio and Christensen were charged with that task as they prepared their teams to face an unfamiliar foe. Whoever did a better job will likely watch their team prevail.

Prediction: Temple 31, Wyoming 20

Where: Albuquerque, New Mexico

When: Dec. 17, 2011 | 2:00 PM ET

Predicted Outcome: Temple 24, Wyoming 17

Temple Breakdown

Temple plays ball the old fashioned way; by running the rock and playing defense. They have one of the nation's top runners in Bernard Pierce who has accounted for 1,381 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.

Temple is ranked third in the nation in scoring defense behind LSU and Alabama and give up an average of 13.8 points per game.

They have had a relatively easy schedule, playing only one team currently ranked in the top 25, a 14-10 loss to Penn State.

Temple finished the season at 8-4, second in the eastern division of the MAC.

Wyoming Breakdown

Wyoming is a much more balanced team. They have about a 50-50 split between their rush and pass attacks.

Their best and most dynamic player is their quarterback Brett Smith, who is an efficient passer and leads the team in rushing touchdowns.

Wyoming has had a much harder schedule then Temple, having played three teams currently ranked in the top 25—TCU, Nebraska and Boise State (all losses). 

At 8-4 the Cowboys finished third in the Mountain West, behind TCU and Boise State.

Game Breakdown

If Wyoming is going to win they need to do two things: Move the ball with a balanced offense and avoid turnovers.

These two things are going to be very difficult to do seeing how they haven't faced a team with a defense like Temple's and come out on top.

For the owls to win they need to do what they do best, run the ball and play D.

Wyoming has faced some of the nation's top running attacks during the regular season (Nebraska, Utah St. and TCU) and lost all three games.

Temple's physical style on both offense and defense is going to be too much for the Cowboys to handle.

The 2011 Gildan New Mexico Bowl will kick off the college football bowl season. The Temple Owls from the MAC conference will battle the Wyoming Cowboys from the Mountain West conference. Both teams come into the game with 8-4 records.

Temple comes in on a three-game winning streak. The Owls have lost to Penn State out of conference and Toledo, Bowling Green and Ohio in conference. Temple is the seventh-best team in the country rushing the ball at 256.7 yards a game; their defense gives up only 13.8 points a game.

Wyoming comes in winners of five of their last seven. Losses to TCU and Boise State in conference go with losses to Nebraska and Utah State out of conference. The Cowboys used a balanced attack running for 185 yards a game while passing for 213.

Their are five key players to watch in this matchup:

1. Junior Bernard Pierce (Temple): Pierce has eight 100-yard rushing games this season with 1,381 yards overall to go along with 25 touchdowns.

2. Junior Matt Brown (Temple): Brown is Temple's backup running back and should see some playing time. He has five 100-yard games this season. He sits at 867 yards on the season.

3. Freshman Brett Smith (Wyoming): Smith has had a great freshman year, throwing for almost 2,500 yards and rushing for 645. Smith has accounted for 28 touchdowns for the Cowboys.

4. Junior Alvester Alexander (Wyoming): Alexander comes into the game with only 678 yards rushing; he will have to make a bigger impact to take pressure off of Smith.

5. Wyoming defense: The Cowboys can't stop the run. All the Owls do is run, so if Wyoming doesn't step up on defense and slow them down, then this game will get out of control.

I can see Temple being about a six to seven-point favorite in this game and covering. The Owls rushing attack is to much for Wyoming.

Final Score: Temple 35-Wyoming 24