Temple Football

Big Owls keep on hootin’

Carry us home to a win

Singing songs about the Linc

I miss Philly once again

And I think it's a sin, yes

“Sweet Home Philadelphia,” idiotically rendered from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s much better “Sweet Home Alabama.” Many apologies to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alabama Crimson Tide fans.

Two weeks and two losses later, the Temple Owls have their first win. At home in Philadelphia, the Owls easily defeated the Buffalo Bulls (confusing with the Bills occupying the city as well, right?) 37-13—a more than satisfying win after a last second Hail Mary spurred Buffalo to a heartbreaking 30-28 win last season.

That occurred in Buffalo; this season, at home, the results were refreshingly different.

This seems to bode well for Temple. Last season, three of five wins were at home. This Buffalo win may be a harbinger of wins to come. Temple takes on Ball State, Army, Miami (OH), and Kent State all at home. Both Ball State and Miami (OH) are winless, and neither Army nor Kent State has looked impressive on the road yet.

Temple used a dominating rushing attack and harassing defense to dominate the Bulls, leading 20-6 at the half and leading 30-6 heading into the fourth quarter. The defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions of sophomore quarterback Zach Maynard. One of those interceptions was returned 95 yards for a touchdown by Elijah Joseph.

Running back Bernard Pierce paced the running game with 116 yards and a score. Special teams came up big with a second quarter 92-yard kickoff return by James Dixon that ignited the Owls thereafter. 

The win also demonstrates the transformation the Owls have undertaken—a transformation that can be directly influenced by coach Al Golden. Uncharacteristically, the Owls didn’t let up. They finished the game strong. This marks a difference from Temple teams in the past, especially last season, where late second half collapses and the inability to finish games resulted in close losses.

If Temple can continue this transformation, Coach Al may lead the Owls to their best record in decades and much coveted bowl eligibility.

Defeating Buffalo was a big win for Temple and Coach Al. Handily beating the defending MAC champions at home allows the Owls to leave behind the two early season losses and readies the team for conference play. Temple boasts maybe the conference’s best defense and has a legitimate shot at MAC championship contention.

Next week the Temple Owls are on the road again (for my Willie Nelson fans) facing Eastern Michigan, a team still searching for its first win. Outside of their native land of Philadelphia, they need to continue their strong play.

While the Owls can always come home, their ability to win on the road will be a strong indicator whether they have a shot at winning the MAC this season. 

There's a word radio sports jock Jim Rome likes to use.

Arse.

Like, they kicked arse.

Like, they whooped arse.

You get the idea.

I had to do a double take at the tailgate prior to the Buffalo at Temple football game on Saturday.

Somebody was wearing a blue University of Buffalo T-shirt that said: "Buffalo Football: A Can of Whoop Arse."

Only it didn't say arse.

For a second, I didn't know if he was referring to the Pitt game or the University of Central Florida game, both whoop, err, arse jobs.

Then I thought, oh, he meant Buffalo was going to whoop arse.

Never mind.

Sometimes you get the can and sometimes the can gets you.

Maybe the Owls will get to whoop some arse, like Buffalo did last year, after Saturday's 37-13 Temple win.

Maybe Temple will get to win the MAC championship, like Buffalo did last year.

One piece of advice to my fellow Temple fans: When we get good, and we will reach the Promised Land soon, never wear a shirt like that.

It's just bad Karma.

I thought the same thing when I read the pregame prediction thread on one Buffalo message board.

No one over there predicted the Owls would win. Few predicted a Buffalo win of less than 14 points.

Bad omen to get too cocky, especially against a Temple team many, including CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd and the New York Times, picked to dethrone Buffalo in the MAC East.

You would have thought last year's well-publicized Hail Mary pass that beat Temple on the final play, 30-28, would have taught them a little respect.

There was plenty of good Karma to go around at the post-game tailgate, thanks to what the Owls did the three hours it mattered on Saturday afternoon.

There's a great photo by Ryan Porter that accompanies this article, showing Zach Maynard about to throw an interception with the stands packed with Temple students in the background.

Great photo, great background.

Who knows if that kind of support in the stands led to what happened on the field?

Couldn't hurt, though.

Not one of those fans was sitting on his or her arse.

They might have stumbled out of their dorm rooms at 10 a.m. and taken the 10-minute subway ride to the game in Philadelphia, but the estimated 6,000 Temple students will be from Missouri for Saturday's game against Buffalo.

You can say the same for 5,000 or so Temple alums and maybe 4,000 "Joe Philly" types who have adopted Temple as their hometown college team. About 15,000 hardcore Temple fans will be there; about 15,000 softcore Temple fans have already said, "Why bother?" after the Sept. 3 debacle against Villanova.

This is about the hardcore fans, though, coming with an attitude.

Huh?

While they all may physically be in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, they definitely are in a Missouri state of mind.

You know, the "Show Me" state.

Almost 30,000 Temple fans, including about 12,000 students, left it all on the field against Villanova, screaming themselves hoarse, standing the entire game, and generally providing what by all accounts was a substantial home-field advantage against a school, Villanova, from the same town.

When they left the stadium, you could hear a lot of students—Temple students who could have gone anywhere—say, "same old Temple" after a 27-24 loss to Villanova.

Same old fumble up 10-0, going in for a 17-0 lead right after halftime.

Same old three interceptions.

Same old 24-14 fourth-quarter lead, followed by the same old defeat on the last play of the game.

Temple coach Al Golden must have sensed the mood of the university community this week when he wrote this letter to the students:

Thank you for your excitement and passion you displayed at our home opener versus Villanova. The sea of Cherry and White on the Temple sideline and in the end zone was truly incredible and it marked the largest student attendance we’ve had since I’ve been head coach of the Owls. Your enthusiasm at our games truly does give us the best home-field advantage in the MAC.

I strongly encourage you to attend our first MAC game of the year this Saturday (9/26) at Noon versus Buffalo. Please see below for bus transportation and student ticket information. We need you in the seats this Saturday! Be loud & proud of your Football team and help us win a MAC Championship this season! Go Owls!

—Al Golden, Head Football Coach

That indicates to me that the incredible disappointment in the overall Temple community over Villanova must have impacted Al to write the letter.

Students, alumni, and fans can only take so much of same old Temple.

So those of us who can muster ourselves out of bed on Saturday morning will get on the subway or head down I-95, and while hoping things will be different in the noon showdown against MAC champion Buffalo, we will be in a show-me mode.

Anybody who sits near me knows that I'm usually the first one off my feet (well, second), exhorting the crowd to get whipped up into a frenzy.

Not this week.

I'm going to sit there quietly and hope this team and, most importantly, coaching staff show me enough to get excited about.

Show me some touchdowns.

Show me some big defensive stops.

THEN I might get off my feet.

I'll be there, but my mind will be 1,000 miles away.

Hopefully, a few long Temple touchdowns will snap me out of my Villanova-induced stupor.

My doctor has a Penn State mural that I have to look at when I go for my annual checkup.

It's one of Joe Paterno leading the football team down the main street at State College, presumably during a pep rally.

If you haven't guessed by now, my doctor is a PSU grad. We always have some small talk about the mural, then he asks me about Temple football.

He just shakes his head from side to side.

It's THAT look, the one every Temple fan seems to get all the time—the "why bother" look.

"I don't think they are going to do it," he said, never referring to what it is—but I know what he means.

I tell him with the right coach, Wayne Hardin, they did do it once, and what was done before can be done again. Hardin won 80 games (and lost only 51) against a schedule tougher than the current MAC one the Owls play.

I tell my doc another coach, Bruce Arians, went 6-5 against a schedule that was ranked No. 10 in the nation one year.

Both had far less tools to work with than Al Golden does now.

I tell him, with the right coach, that someday the Owls will be competitive with Penn State, and by competitive I mean final score and a drive at the end of the game deciding it either way. I tell him it happened before against better Penn State teams.

I tell him if Central Michigan can beat Michigan State, we will have our day against Penn State.

He just shakes his head and gives me that look.

That was my No. 1 goal going into today's game: getting rid of THAT look forever.

It didn't happen because James Nixon dropped a ball he should have held onto, and it didn't happen because we went for a trick play on 4th-and-1 a couple of times when we could have run the ball and probably gotten the first downs.

The final score was 31-6, but add that touchdown Nixon should have had and add that touchdown or two we might have gotten except for those funky 4th-and-1 calls and it could have been 31-20 or better.

I'm tired of adding imaginary points.

I want real ones now and a lot of them.

Could have, would have—that's what I'm tired of at this point.

This is Year Four of the Al Golden Regime. He's had four recruiting classes. There are no excuses now.

Other programs, like Toledo, Navy, and Rutgers, have beaten PSU over the last 30 or so years.

Why not us?

Why not?

Just a guess, but probably because we look confused out there at times. How come the Penn State offense doesn't need to constantly look over to the sideline before they snap the ball? The Lions get a lot more done, too.

How come Penn, a FREAKING Ivy League team, can hold Villanova to 14 points and we can't?

I lay these first two games at the feet of the coaching staff.

They can't do anything about the fumbles or the dropped passes, but they can get this Keystone Cops look on offense fixed. They can blitz more on defense.

So while other Temple fans might have been encouraged by this latest outing, I wasn't.

I'm looking at a two-game body of work, and what I see is Roseanne Barr ugly. No amount of makeup is going to make that big fat pig look good.

Or this one: Oh and two is just that. Zero and two.

Temple fans deserve no less than a long winning streak starting this Saturday, and could haves and should haves won't cut it anymore. 

Al Golden's charge is simple, and you can write this is big, bold letters: HE MUST WIN SEVEN OF HIS NEXT 10 GAMES. At least.

I will take all 10, but I guess I'm more greedy than Al is. He would have had to win only six if not for the Villanova debacle, but that was his fault, so he gets no mulligan for that game. He must make it up down the line.

I don't want to write about should haves anymore.

I want to write about great touchdowns, lots of them, and great defensive stops, lots of them.

The talent is here.

In 10 weeks, we'll find out if the coaching is, too.

Five and six wins is just unacceptable anymore. Unacceptable.

Over these next 10 games, we will find out if Al Golden is the right coach.

Winning, not coming close, not "enjoying the game," should be the only standard by which to judge him now.

Playing Penn State, for this Temple fan, has been a little like playing the lottery.
I know I'm not going to win, but I plunk down my money anyway.
Little risk, great reward.
You can't win if you don't play.
Yet you pretty much know in your gut you're not going to win.
For most of the past 20 years, Temple didn't even have a puncher's chance.
Now the Owls have a puncher's chance.
Problem is, we're Tex Cobb and they are Muhammad Ali.
Cobb is a big-time Temple football fan and a frequent visitor to Temple tailgates over the last 15 years or so.
I chalked his Temple fandom up to 20 years of getting hit upside the head until I found out reading Dan Gross' column that Cobb recently graduated from Temple as a 50-something.
No truth to the rumor that Tex enrolled when he was 18.
One of the highlights of an otherwise uneventful life for me was having his beautiful wife come up to me at one of the tailgates and plant a big wet one on me. I looked over at Tex and was about to shrug my shoulders, but he smiled so I knew I was OK.
I say the Owls have a puncher's chance because if there's one thing Al Golden has done well over the last four years is bring up the talent level.
Not to Penn State's level, but certainly past the Syracuse and Akron's levels and I think the Nittany Lions will find that out Saturday.
Plus, as Joe Paterno has noted, Temple has no more fat guys so he's improved the team's conditioning.
As a point of reference, Akron fell to Temple, 27-6, in the final game of last season. The Zips fell to Penn State, 31-7, in the first game of this season. Last year, Akron beat Syracuse, 42-28.
Vaughn Charlton, for all of his faults, did throw for 318 yards and two touchdowns against perhaps the top FCS team in the nation and I think he's an upgrade over Greg Paulus, who did not pick up a football in four years.
Plus, Charlton already had his day against PSU two years ago, playing in front of 70,000 at Lincoln Financial Field. In that game, he threw one touchdown pass that was called back due to a phantom hold and had another touchdown pass dropped by a freshman tight end. I don't think he will be overwhelmed by the experience this time. He's capable of putting points on the board.
Vaughn is a smart guy, so I think he will avoid throwing the type of pass (timing patterns, mostly) that caused him to throw three interceptions against Villanova.
We can only hope those pages have been ripped from the playbook.
Defensively, Mark D'Onofrio's body of work outweighs some passive play-calling against Villanova. D'Onofrio doesn't look like a passive defensive guy to me and he got away from his DNA against Villanova.
Here's hoping he brings it against Penn State.
Think the A-gap blitz Trent Cole of the Eagles pulled off against the Carolina Panthers yesterday. I'd love to see Adrian Robinson line up in A-gap blitzes against Penn State. Move Robinson around. He's your best pass rusher.
Also, the Owls have four playmakers at linebacker. I'd like to see Amara Kamara spy Darryl Clark and turn the others loose on run and pass blitzes.
If the Owls play an aggressive scheme, both offensively and defensively, they have a puncher's chance to shock the world Saturday.
If they come out vanilla on both sides of the ball, it's just another ripped up ticket to State College.

I was just working out some math equations in my head.
Hmm, what does 27,854 plus 1 equal?
Oh, I'd say about 30,632.
What does 27,854 minus one equal?
Probably around 8,000.
Fuzzy math?

No, just some figures based on observing the very fragile Temple football fan base over the last 30 or so years.
Expect the crowd for Temple's game against Buffalo when it comes back from an expected Penn State beat-down to be around 8,000. That's where the minus 1 comes in ... 27,854 fans minus one must-win, equals 8,000.
Had the Owls beaten Villanova and gave a decent effort in a loss at Penn State, they would have drawn 30,632 for the Buffalo game, which arguably is the most important on their schedule.
I know that.
You probably know that.
Tell that to the 20,000 or so Temple students who believed last night, but no longer do after a 27-24 loss to Villanova.
You could hear the refrain coming out of the stadium.
"Same old Temple," the kids were saying.
And they were OUR students, not Nova's.
Can you blame them?
Until Al Golden beats a team with a winning record (and the last time I checked he hasn't as a HEAD coach), he's all talk, no substance.
Back on Feb. 4, I wrote that I was worried about this game because Andy Talley, quite frankly, is a better game coach than Al Golden.
I thought it didn't matter because Golden had the talent edge to Talley's game-coaching edge.
I was right in both cases

Talley is the better game coach and Golden had the better talent.
I was wrong about the edge part. Talley's football acumen far surpasses Golden's. Edge should not have been an operative word.
What good does it do if you have advantage in a chess match and you can't finish it off by making the proper moves?
Talley made the proper moves and Golden didn't.
I wrote here last week that "Temple's No. 1 priority should be getting to the quarterback."
A freaking blind man could see that.

Al Golden couldn't. If that's defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio's fault, he's got to get in Mark's face and say, "bring the house." That's what the head coach is for.
If you can't get to the quarterback bringing four or five, bring six.
If you can't get to the quarterback bringing six, bring seven.
If you can't get to the quarterback bringing seven, bring eight.
You get the idea.
Temple brought four or five most of the night.
The last time I checked, this is not the North-South All-Star game.
They do allow you to blitz.
Chris Whitney made them pay.
The defensive side of the ball is not the only area where the guys with the headsets on came up small.
The Owls have a career linebacker, Matt Rhule, as an offensive coordinator and that's probably why their offense has no imagination.
At least George DeLeone, a lifelong offensive mind, pulled out the handoff to Tim Brown, pitch back to Adam DiMichele and bomb to Travis Shelton for six against Bowling Green.
Former Temple head coach Bruce Arians once had Matty Baker also throw a pair of long-bomb flea-flickers to Mike Palys for a couple of scores in a 45-28 win over Boston College two decades ago. Arians, now the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champs, knows his stuff. Might be a good idea for Rhule to take a page or two or 12 out of his Temple book.
When backup quarterback Chester Stewart lined up in the slot, I thought, "Great, we're going to TRY at least one throwback pass."
Nothing.
Meanwhile, Talley tries a reverse that goes for 28 yards and his offensive plays had a sophistication far above any package Matt Rhule threw out there.
What we've seen in two years is a 28-24 lead against Buffalo with 38 seconds to go, a 6-0 fourth-quarter lead against Uconn, a 27-7 fourth-quarter lead against Navy and a 24-14 lead against Villanova and losses in all three games. It can't be the kids' fault all the time.
Just once, I'd like to hear Al Golden say, "I screwed up. I take full responsibility."
Instead, he throws Kee-ayre Griffin under the bus after the Navy game and now throws the kids who fumbled and tossed INTs under the bus last night, saying the story of the game "begins and ends" with the five turnovers.
The buck has to stop somewhere else. I, like Golden, love playing this game. You have to win it, though.
Golden can't go out there and hold onto the ball and throw to the right person, sure.
But he can put those kids in a better position to win.
That's what Talley has done for nearly 20 years at Villanova and that's why Villanova has a win Temple needed more.

I haven't been in the mood to post on any of the Temple football message boards recently.
I'm in deep mourning.
Thirty years of losing, then being sold that this year would be different, then losing to a 1AA team, 27-24, to Villanova, will do that to a man.
I don't think Temple coach Al Golden understood the importance of this game to Temple, its current students, alumni and fan base.
I don't think Al Golden understood the intense dislike Temple people have for Villanova people.
I don't think Al Golden understood if you lose this game, you lose an entire fan base (at least the much larger soft part of it, countless thousands of people who could have pushed our average past 30K) for a whole season. That's shy of beating Penn State, which, after that latest brain cramp, is just not going to happen.
In many ways, this was a program-killer. When the story of this program is written, it could include a chapter on redemption, about a win in front of 106,000 people at Penn State that started something big or it could begin and end with five turnovers.
The Zapruder Film of Temple football could be that bullet-to-the-head field goal that we allowed by playing a prevent defense in the final seconds.
Call it The Single Field Goal Theory.
I will always support the program, me and the 15,000 die-hards.
But I won't sugarcoat the truth.
I just won't.
The plain truth is me and the 15,000 die-hards are not enough to keep it running.
We are running out of "next years" because decisions on things like conference affiliations are being made now and will largely be determined by attendance.
You need big wins to fuel the attendance engine.
You need to protect your own house.
Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Kent, Fake Miami, just ain't going to cut it.
Not in this market.
That's why the Villanova game was so important.
Play the game, Al, but win the game.
As Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo used to rant to Mike Francesa on WFAN when those two were the No. 1 tandem in all of talk radio, "Win The Game, Mikey ... WIN ... THE ... GAME!!!"
Win the game, Al. 
WIN ... THE ... GAME!
OK, I understand about the minus-4 turnover ratio. I understand all of that.
But Al Golden could have done things proactively to turn that stat around.
That's why I'll never understand how our linebackers weren't unleashed on Villanova. Blitz left, blitz right, blitz up the middle.
Every one of our linebackers is faster, significantly faster, than Villanova quarterback Chris Whitney. There is no doubt in my mind if the blitz was a big part of our defensive package, we would have been able to put Whitney down 10 times and not just five. We might have jarred a couple of balls loose in Villanova territory. We might have scored a defensive touchdown or two.
We WOULD have won the game. There's no doubt in my mind.
Put him on his ass, hit him enough times, and watch that turnover ratio and field position swing in our favor.
This is not second-guessing. It's first-guessing.
I wrote in bold typeface with a gold background posted prior to the game: TEMPLE'S NO. 1 PRIORITY SHOULD BE GETTING TO THE QUARTERBACK. I guess I didn't make that big or bold enough.
I was buttonholed by an older gentleman, I'll call him Joe, on the way out of the stadium.
He was walking with another older gentleman.
The other guy told him, "Don't worry, Joe. We've got 11 games left to play."
Joe was inconsolable.
"I don't care about those other games. This is the game I wanted to win. You can have all the Akrons and Northern Illinois you want. This is the game I wanted. I'm not coming back."
"I hear you, bro," I said.
"Then you understand," Joe said, nodding his head vigorously. "You understand."
Joe isn't alone.
The sad truth is that you can lose to Penn State, go 10-2 and win the MAC and a good chunk of Philadelphia will say, "Yeah, but they couldn't beat Villanova. The MAC sucks. Who cares?"
I care, but I doubt anyone other than the die-hards care and that's why this loss was a program-killer in many ways.
We've already lost our house.
All we have left is the car.
Anyone want to roll the dice for double-or-nothing with Penn State on Sept. 19?
 

1979. 30 years ago. Jimmy Carter, peanut farmer, was the President of the United States. Geeks everywhere lusted over Ellen Ripley, Sigourney Weaver’s character in Ridley Scott’s  monumental science fiction box office hit Alien. Disco superstars such as Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer led a powerful fiefdom over the billboards, at least until the Disco Demolition Night in Chicago precipitated the genre’s downfall. And it was the last bowl appearance for a Temple football team. The Garden State Bowl at that. 1990. Nearly 20 years ago. Truly a year of historical proportions. Bill Gates and company began their dominance in the computer world with the release of Windows 3.0. Buster Douglass knocked out Mike Tyson in Japan. Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in a South African prison. And,  Temple football’s last winning season.

It’s safe to assume that for Temple football fans and mildly interested students, the seasons since have been unkind. It’s no wonder that after last season’s 5-7 campaign, Coach Golden has fan excited. We’re neophytes to this winning thing. Five wins shows promise or at least possibility. And for Temple fans, that’s enough to leave the Food For Less paper bags at home for once. This year, we simply wear oversized Ray Ban Wayfarers to hide our identities during losing spells. Entering his fourth season as Temple’s head coach, Golden is entering  volatile territory. New studies show that the  7 year itch in marriages is a thing of the past, now replaced by the 4 year itch. Coach Golden, welcome to the 4 year itch. The season where Temple football climbs out of the cellar of MAC mediocrity and into MAC title contention or your job security is akin to that of an Oakland Raiders coach.

However, Coach Golden’s record has improved every year since he took over and this season has the promise to break the squalor of twenty years of consecutive losing seasons.  In his fourth season, Golden is coaching the players he recruited. The players have had  sufficient time to learn, practice and execute (how effectively is yet known)  his playbook. Last season, six of the 7 losses were by an average of  less than 5 points. Only the 45-3 drubbing by Penn State remains the game with seemingly no chance at victory. That means that if Temple could’ve found a way to win half of those close losses, they would’ve finished with a winning record. In the words of Jesse Jackson, “keep hope alive!”

With games against 7 teams with losing records last season and the inaugural Mayor’s Cup against D-1AA Villanova, the 2009 schedule affords Temple a strong chance at turning the page on two decades of losing. Along with an amiable schedule, Temple returns eight starters on defense including senior defensive lineman Andre Neblett, an Outland Trophy candidate. With hungry  eyes only the truest of  Eric Carmen (or Dirty Dancing )  fans could  appreciate,  Temple fans eagerly await the first winning season in 20 years. There’s no better way to usher in the Golden Era.

The Temple Owls football program hasn't been successful in a long time.

As the losing continued, the Owls dug themselves a deeper and deeper hole.

Third year head coach Al Golden is helping the Cherry and White slowly dig out of that hole.

Temple has made huge strides in just two years under Golden.

In his first year at the helm, the Owls won just one game. After starting '08 with four-straight losses after a season-opening win, Golden’s team won four of its last seven games. Of Temple’s seven defeats, five of them were by six points or less, including an overtime Hail Mary heartbreaker to Buffalo.

Last season is proof that the Owls are on the right track.

Now, the challenge is continuing to improve in '09.

Last year’s starting quarterback—Adam DiMichele—is gone, leaving Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart to battle for DiMichele’s spot behind center. 

Charlton and Stewart both have big arms, but Charlton is the safe pick—he’s less prone to make mistakes.

Temple’s strength is on the defensive side of the ball. The Owls big hitting, ball hungry secondary is one of the best in the MAC. Though the defense showed some inexperience at times last year, safety Jaiquawn Jarrett and company hope to benefit from last year’s experiences. 

In the end, the Owls must not only avoid mistakes, they must also learn from them.

The difference between winning and losing a game can be one play. A key stop, a touchdown instead of a field goal; all these things can determine whether you win or lose, whether you’re bowl game bound or you’re not.

That's something Al Golden and the Owls must remember.

This summer, the National Football Post is breaking down every team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) to identify players who might warrant interest from NFL teams in the 2010 draft.

The Temple Owls saw a bit of a resurgence last year and are now starting to put together a decent group of potential NFL prospects on their roster. Expect them to continue to build on their five-win season from a year ago.

Offense

Steve Maneri: No. 86, TE/OL, 6-6, 275

A tall, long-armed tight end who carries his weight well and does a nice job quickly getting into opposing linemen in the run game. Displays average flexibility in his stance, but keeps his base down into blocks and works his legs well through contact.

Plays with impressive leverage for his size and has the lower body strength to walk defenders off the ball. Looks very coordinated extending his arms into blocks and delivering a compact punch on the outside.

Possesses natural coordination and body control when asked to reach a defender at the second level and does a nice job breaking down in space and quickly getting his feet around the target.

However, he isn’t real explosive out of his stance in the pass game and takes a while to get into routes. Strides his way down the field and lacks any kind of burst. Isn’t a real sudden route runner and has a tendency to lean into his breaks when changing directions.

Showcases a good feel for the underneath pass game and does a nice job using his body to box out linebackers from the play, but he isn’t real sure-handed and struggles reeling in the football on contact.

Impression: A big, coordinated tight end prospect who grades out well as a blocker and might even be a guy who could add about 30 pounds to his frame and make his way to offensive tackle at the next level.

APAndre Neblett tackles W. Michigan RB Mark Ponds

Defense

Andre Neblett: No. 98, DT, 6-2, 292

Displays above-average flexibility and quickness off the snap, but lacks physicality on contact. Is consistently jolted away from the play in the run game and struggles anchoring inside at the point of attack. Lacks the length or power to stack and shed inside, and once opposing linemen get into his frame the battle is over. Has a tendency to get too high on slide-down blocks and is consistently washed away from plays down the line.

Does a nice job keeping his pad level down initially on his pass rush and displays good lateral quickness off the ball. Uses his hands well to slip blocks on contact and has the burst to get across the face of opposing linemen. However, he has a tendency to get too high once he gains a step and can get pushed past the play.

Impression: A good athlete who has the ability to create some pressure inside. However, he lacks much power at the point of attack and struggles once an opposing lineman gets his hands on him. Looks like a borderline roster guy in a one-gap scheme.

APJamal Schulters

Jamal Schulters: No. 27, CB, 5-10, 190

His first couple of steps in his drop are a bit long and choppy, but eventually he sits into his backpedal and showcases decent footwork down the field. Displays good straight-line speed for the position and showcases the range to track the football in man coverage.

However, he has a tendency to open his hips too early in his drop and lacks the footwork to cleanly redirect out of his breaks. Is forced to consistently bail out of his backpedal and turn his back to the play in order to regain balance when receivers snap off routes down the field.

Is very aggressive in man coverage and does a nice job being physical underneath and jumping passes in front of him. However, he has a tendency to get overextended with his footwork and can be targeted on the double-move. Lacks the fluidity to quickly flip his hips when he bites and is slow to regain balance and get back up to top-end speed.

Possesses a decent feel in zone coverage and does a nice job closing quickly on plays in front of him. However, he isn’t overly instinctive reading his run/pass keys and is slow to find the football. Isn’t a real secure wrap-up tackler and struggles taking proper angles after giving up a completion.

Impression: Looks a bit overrated. He possesses NFL-caliber size/speed numbers, and his athletic ability stands out on the Temple defense, but he’s very raw with his footwork and has a long way to go before being ready to compete in an NFL training camp.
Jaiquawn Jarrett: No. 16, FS, 6-2, 197

A physical, wrap-up tackler who takes good angles toward the football and explodes through his hips on contact. Processes information quickly and consistently is able to get good jumps on the play by reading the quarterback’s eyes. Displays impressive instincts in all areas of his game, but he isn’t overly explosive out of his breaks and lacks the closing speed to consistently finish on plays in front of him.

Exhibits smooth footwork in his drop and does a nice job keeping his feet under him and changing directions cleanly. Showcases good fluidity and consistently is able to keep his base down and flip his hips when asked to run sideline to sideline. Demonstrates good ball skills in coverage and possesses the body control to adjust to passes down the field.

Impression: A promising defensive back who displays good flexibility and balance in coverage. Is a physical tackler with good size and definitely has the potential to develop into an NFL-caliber safety.

Dominique Harris: No. 21, SS, 6-2, 215

A big, well-built safety, but is stiff in his drop and struggles keeping his pad level down in coverage. Plays top-heavy and lacks the balance or flexibility to quickly get out of his breaks. Has a tendency to chop his feet when asked to change directions and consistently has to gather himself before getting after the football. Isn’t much of a straight-line athlete and lacks severe the range in coverage.

However, he possesses a long wingspan and natural power on contact. Does a nice job extending his arms into blocks and keeping himself clean at the line of scrimmage. Is a physical tackler who loves to attack downhill, but lacks body control in space.

Struggles taking proper angles toward the ball and has a tendency to overrun plays. Isn’t real instinctive and is slow to read his run/pass keys in the secondary. Rarely gets a good jump on the football and always seems to be arriving late to the play.

Impression: Has a nice-sized frame with some natural power on contact, but is too stiff and will be a big liability in coverage at the next level.

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