Sep 23, 2010

Bill Cosby. Paul Palmer. The 1935 Sugar Bowl.

There you have it: The entire history of Temple football.

There is Cosby, the ever-loyal Philadelphian and even-more loyal Owl, who has faithfully backed his school, year-in and year-out, for his entire life, despite the fact that, you know, there is no really no reason to back it.

There is Palmer, the sensational tailback talent who left leafy Bethesda, Maryland, behind and inexplicably decided, way back in 1982, to play his college football in North Philly—then, even more inexplicably, put together (in 1986) one of the most sensational seasons the Northeast has ever seen. Palmer rushed for 1,866 yards. Scored 15 touchdowns. Was named consensus first-team All-American. Led Temple to a 6-5 record. And (you won’t believe this, but it’s true) finished second in the Suzuki Heisman Trophy race. Behind a guy named Vinny Testaverde.

And then there is the 1935 Sugar Bowl, in which an Owls team led by the powerful Dave Smukler blew an early 14-0 lead against Tulane, gave up a 43-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, and eventually lost, 20-14. It was a loss, and yet also represents the high-water mark of Temple football; the Owls have not been to a big-time bowl game since.

So, to review, once more, here we go:

Cosby.

Palmer.

1935 Sugar Bowl.

For the better part of a century, that was Temple football. The entirety of it.

Outside of a miracle moment here or there (anyone remember the stunning comeback in Blacksburg back in 1998?), there has been approximately, well, absolutely nothing for the Owl faithful to cheer about.

Temple football has been, mostly, a joke.

A sad joke.

Which is why more than a few college football watchers through the years have encouraged Temple to drop its program entirely.

I used to be among those calling for Temple to give it up.

Today, I’m not.

And there's one reason why.

***

Al Golden is an impressive guy, folks.

Because I serve as college football scribe for the good folks at About.com, I had the opportunity this past summer to interview Golden, who was nice enough to take time out of his Jersey Shore vacation (in review, and for the record: Joe Paterno vacations at the Jersey Shore; Al Golden vacations at the Jersey Shore; and Your Editor vacation at the Jersey Shore; which, of course, raises the following question, folks: Why don’t you vacation at the Jersey Shore?) to chat with me, a relative unknown in the college football writing world.

Now, Golden could have very easily blown me off.

He didn’t have to take my call. He didn’t have to actually, you know, answer my questions. I would have been neither surprised nor offended if he had hurried me off the phone after five minutes or so. Besides, the man was on vacation. Vacation!

And again, it’s not like he was talking to Dan Jenkins or anything.

But you know what?

Golden was nothing but ... polite. He was engaged. He listened to my questions. He answered my questions—thoughtfully. He explained things. It seemed to me that Golden really did want to me understand what he was building up there—or, at least, trying to build up there—in North Philly.

He had a message, and he wanted to get it out.

And as impressive and polite and generally good-guy-ish as it was for Golden to treat me so well—to take that 30 minutes out of his hard-earned vacation—it’s not the way he acted that day that ultimately convinced me that this guy has a great future ahead of him (maybe at Temple, maybe elsewhere).

It was that message.

It was a damn good message, folks.

It sold me.

And from all accounts, it’s selling a bunch of other folks, too.

***

The one line that got me—the one line that really made me understand what Golden was doing up there in North Philly and, maybe more importantly, how he was doing it—was this: “Let’s control all of the things that aren’t related to talent.”

That's what Golden tells his team.

Great line. Great, great line.

And so very, very smart.

See, Golden understands that he’s not going to end up with a roster full of five-star talent at Temple. The dynamics of college football being what they are, Temple simply can’t out-recruit a Penn State, or a Rutgers, or a Maryland. It just can’t.

But Golden also understands that those dynamics ultimately do not matter.

What does matter, Golden knows, is making sure that you’re doing the absolute best you can with the material you have. And when you’re building a football team—or, in his case, rebuilding one—doing the best with the material you have involves a lot more than drawing up creative schemes, or having high-energy, high-impact practices, or pushing your players to the ultimate limits of their abilities.

No, doing the best with the material you have also means making sure that you are building a team of good people.

People you can trust.

Players with character.

When Golden says he wants his guys to “take care of everything that doesn’t involve talent,” he’s talking about making sure that his kids do things like show up for class—and pay attention in class. He’s talking about making sure his kids are there for all of those off-season “voluntary” workout sessions. He talking about making sure that his kids stay out of the kind of trouble that has derailed so many promising college football careers in years past. He’s talking about making sure that his kids are conscious at all times of the great honor and privilege it is to be a scholarship-holding Division I football player.

Yeah, maybe it’s a bit trite.

Maybe Golden has done nothing more than repackage and rebrand the same messages that coaches have been telling their teams for years now. Maybe what Golden is telling the Owls today is exactly the same message he heard when he was a college football player, up at Penn State, playing for a guy by the name of Joe Paterno.

Maybe Golden isn’t a genius.

Maybe he’s not the transformative figure that I’m making him out to be.

But you what Golden most definitely is?

A winner.

***

Nine and four.

The Temple Owls, led by coach Al Golden, went 9-4 last season.

I mean, think about that for a minute, folks.

Temple—a program that hadn’t been to a bowl game in 30 years, a program that hasn’t had a stadium to call its own since 1977, a program that enjoys less support in Philadelphia than the FCS programs at Villanova and Delaware, a program that was so awful for so long that it actually got kicked out of the Big East (an achievement, I assure you)—went 9-4 last year.

Nine and four!

They actually made a run at the MAC Championship. They actually went to a bowl game. And, when they got to that bowl game, they actually threw a scare into a program with, you know, just a bit more cache. The UCLA Bruins, coached by Rick Neuheisel, needed a second-half comeback (and, notably, an injury to star Temple tailback Bernard Pierce) to get past the Owls in the EagleBank Bowl.

Yes, folks, the Owls of Temple pushed mighty UCLA to the very limit.

It was the greatest moment in Temple football history since, well, the 1935 Sugar Bowl.

But here’s the thing: Much greater moments await.

***

The 2010 Temple Owls are currently 3-0.

They’ve already knocked off last year’s MAC champion, Central Michigan. They’ve also knocked off UConn, a preseason favorite to the win the Big East.

And now?

Well, now comes the game that some are calling the single biggest regular season game in Temple football history: A road trip, up Pennsylvania Route 322, to take on those mighty Penn State Nittany Lions, the team that has tortured the Owls like no other.

Some call the Temple-Penn State series a “rivalry,” but that would seem to be a stretch: Besides, the Nits own a 35-3-1 all-time record against the Owls. Temple hasn’t beaten the Nits since 1941 and, really, the last time the Owls even threw a scare into the Nits was back in 1985, when Palmer—who else?—ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-25 loss in Happy Valley.

Since then?

Well, since then, it’s been, shall we say, a lopsided series. The Nits have won the last four meetings by the scores of 47-0, 31-0, 45-3 and 31-6.

I wouldn’t count on a similar result this weekend.

And yes, I'm serious,

Yes, Paterno’s Nittany Lions still have more talent. Yes, Penn State should beat Temple—this year, every year, for all time. Yes, Penn State will always dwarf Temple on the Pennsylvania college football landscape. And yes, it seems all but impossible to imagine a day when Temple will manage to be consistently competitive against the big boys of college football—Penn State included.

So, no, I cannot and will not promise you that Temple will knock off the Nits this weekend Happy Valley.

But I can promise you that they will be more competitive than they've been in years.

Because those days of Temple being terriblle? Well, those days are over. Golden has made certain of that.

In so doing, he’s added one more happy chapter to the otherwise sad book that is Temple's football history.

Cosby.

Palmer.

The 1935 Sugar Bowl.

And now ... Golden.

Out And About: News And Notes You May Have Missed

• Georgia is in trouble. How do I know the Dawgs are in trouble? Well, two reasons: 1. I have watched their last two games—a bruising loss to South Carolina, a heartbreaking loss to Arkansas—and, in the watching of those two games, realized that they’re not very good; 2. My good friend, Unsouthern Southern Guy Brian Schleter, has barely talked college football at all so far this season. Few texts. No phone calls. It’s just not a good situation, folks. Not for Georgia. Not for Brian. How not-good is the situation? Well, it’s this not-good: The Dawgs have now lost six of their last eight SEC games (!!!). Oh, and for those Georgia fans hoping for a miraculous turnaround (and, of course, a spot in this year’s SEC Championship Game, aka, The Only Game ESPN Cares About Anymore)? Well, they should know that their hopes trend against the tide of history. Because as it turns out, no SEC East team has ever started the season 0-2 in SEC play and still made it to the title clash. The ‘Dawgs play Mississippi State this week (and, no, that's no easy win). Said Georgia coach Mark Richt, He Of The Warm Posterior: "They're desperate for a victory and so are we. I'm sure it's going to be a whale of a game." Or not.

• Suffice to say, it’s a big weekend coming up in the beautiful village of Boise, Idaho. The Boise State Broncos, the team I have had pegged as the nation’s best since January (YEAH ME), welcome not only the No. 24 Oregon State Beavers to The Land Of The Blue Turf, but ESPN’s College GameDay as well. All indications are that the Boise faithful will break the all-time record for GameDay attendance; all indications, also, are that the Broncos, led by the sensationally effective Kellen Moore, will absolutely eviscerate Oregon State’s so-so-at-best defense. And if and when Boise and Moore do eviscerate the Beavers' so-so-at-best defense? Well, then the debate about Boise’s “credentials” as a true national title contender will be ignited once again. Now, for the record, folks, I would like to say that there should be no debate about this; if you still don’t think Boise is legit, you either don’t understand college football or you are a very, very unintelligent person. But do you know who is a very intelligent person? Pat Hill, that's who. Hill, coach of the Fresno State Bulldogs, was asked this week by the Idaho Statesmen what makes the Broncos so good. His answer? That Boise is big. That Boise is fast. And that, most importantly, Boise plays really hard. Said Hill: "Physically, they match up with anybody. [But] the thing that makes them good is they play so hard. That's the key. Playing physical is one thing, but playing hard and playing with passion is what you have to do."

Quick Hits: Straight And To The Point

• ESPN.com Senior Writer Ivan Maisel, a guy whose work Your Editor generally enjoys, actually wrote a story this week that included the following sentence. "Though it annoys to no end the rest of college football to hear it, the SEC is different." Hey Ivan: No it's not. The best I can tell, the SEC is a college athletic conference. There are a lot of those.

• More brainless SEC blather! Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, whining about how hard his job is: "I know there's a lot of conferences around the country where people have one or two big games that they've got to win during their seasons or say, 'Hey, this is the team's big game of the year.' In the SEC, that's every single week that is your big game of the year." This is funny, folks, because in reality, Mississippi State has never actually played a big game. Ever.

• Notre Dame will play Navy at the beautiful new Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland in 2012. Usually I am against these goofy “let’s-play-our-‘home’-game-somewhere-other-than-home” situations, but in this case, I am supportive, because Ireland is a wonderful country and Dublin is my No. 2 favorite city of all time. Plus, Aviva Stadium (pictured --->) is apparently something to behold. Said Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuck:  ''To see this stadium is to believe it has to be one of the finest venues in the world. … I guarantee those who travel to Ireland and attend this event will enjoy an experience that will be awesome and a memory not to be forgotten.'' YEAH MY HOMELAND.

• Texas is ranked No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Even though the 'Horns have the 50th (yes, 50th)-ranked scoring offense in the nation. Nebraska, currently ranked No. 7 in that poll, has the No. 5-ranked scoring offense in the nation. Nice job voters.

• LSU is ranked No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Even though the Tigers have the 61st (yes, 61st)-ranked scoring offense in the nation. Stanford, currently ranked No. 17 in that poll, has the No. 3-ranked scoring offense in the nation. Nice job voters.

• I am very happy to report that The Fastest Person In The History Of The Big Ten is officially a better quarterback than Terrelle Pryor. And it only took him three games to get there. Yes, Our Friend Denard is a better runner than Terrelle. A better passer, too. And, as a bonus, he doesn't talk about Michael Vick and/or The Worst Person To Ever Be Born And Raised In Akron. Viva Denard. That being said, Ohio State will still beat Michigan by 40 this year.

• Here's Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers, describing the scene at the Rose Bowl during last week's 31-17 UCLA win over Houston: "The press box in the Rose Bowl sits two floors up, the same area that's home to the UCLA chancellor and the school's big donors, this year the muckety-mucks walking to their seats after passing a table loaded with booze. From left to right, it's Seagram's gin, Smirnoff vodka, Bacardi rum, Ketel One vodka, Grey Goose vodka, Blanco tequila, Tanqueray gin, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jose Cuervo tequila, Jim Beam bourbon, Maker's Mark bourbon, Black Label Scotch, Hennessy cognac, Jack Daniels, Crown Royal whiskey, Amstel Light beer, Heineken, Corona, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Chardonnay wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot." My reaction? Simple: Miller Lite? Coors Light? Bud Light? Why? Why? Why? These are apparently super-wealthy people. They obviously demanded the finest in liquor. So what in the hell with the crappy beer? [Bangs head against wall; passes out; wakes up; left to ponder tragedy]

• Early last season, after it became clear that Temple tailback Bernard Pierce was going to have one of the best careers of any tailback in Temple history, a reporter asked him if he understood that he had a chance to break Paul Palmer's career rushing records. Pierce's response? "Who's Paul Palmer?"

• Quotable: Pierce, on playing in Penn State's Beaver Stadium last season as a true freshman: "I'm not going to lie. I got up there and I was extremely nervous. All of the noise, and how bright it is in that stadium because everybody had on white. It's a whole different world. But now that I got a taste of it last year, it's really not going to surprise me this year."

• Temple Coach Al Golden, speaking to David Jones of the Harrisburg Patriot, on why it's not necessary to pump crowd noise into the team's outdoor practice facility in advance of tough road games" “We have the trains; we’ve got buses; we have some police cars that go through. Even when we don’t have the music on, we got the music." The practice facility is located in North Philly, just East of Temple's campus. Your Editor passes it every day on the SEPTA R7 to and from Chestnut Hill. Nice facility. Bad neighborhood.

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