Wake me up when September begins

Al Golden argues holding call against Alex Derenthal versus Penn State.

By Mike Gibson
Green Day had a song not too long ago with a chorus that included the line "wake me up when September ends."
Well, I'm going to take a nap now.
Wake me up when September begins.
Nah, not really but there's real evidence, empirical evidence, evidence based on the science of mathmatics that September could be a very special month for Temple football fans.
Heck, throw in October, November and December and, hell, maybe even January.
That's January, 2009.
Temple football is on the upswing.
It's not because I say so, or because I author a blog dedicated to it.
It's just nice to offer some empirical evidence in support of the claim. Evidence based on real, not imagined, numbers.
Here are just some, in no particular order:
1. One-hundred and seven (107) _ That represents points gained in games against teams Temple lost by more than a touchdown to a year ago. Included in that figure is is 21-point gain against Kent State, a 16-point gain against Penn State, a 23-point gain against Navy and a 24-point gain against Western Michigan _ and that's only a sample. Al Golden's Owls are closing the gap on teams that reappear on the schedule. Next year, the gap could very well be on the other side.
2. Eighty-two, 71 and 60 _ Where Scout.com has rated the first three Al Golden recruiting classes, in order. Note every single one of those classes were ranked No. 1 among MAC teams. Independent recruiting services who rank players are beginning to take notice of the Owls. One of the reasons the Owls are getting players who have been offered by BCS schools. One such player, Unionville's Steve Caputo (see quote of the day) turned down Syracuse to take Temple. Another, Central Bucks South's Eric Reynolds, could turn down Boston College to take Temple. It's all about being a hero in your hometown, which both Caputo and Reynolds would be. It's all about helping to write the biggest story in sports history, the resurgence of Temple football. It's all about being part of something special, about filling up Lincoln Financial Field with 250,000 alumni starving to support a Temple winner. An Erey signing at Boston College would evoke a yawn, maybe at best a curled up smile. Here, it would be greeted with bells and whistles and fireworks. Huge stories in the Bucks County and Philly papers. Mentions by Gara Papa on Action News. We know Erey here. We love him here. Plus, due to injuries and such, there's an opening for running back here that doesn't exist elsewhere.
3. Four (4) _ Number of touchdowns the Owls left on the field against Penn State. I reviewed the tape twice. This is what I found. There was no holding (but there was a call) against Alex Derenthal, a call that negated a great touchdown catch by D'yonne Crudup. There is a photo of Al Golden arguing that call accompanying this story and he didn't even need to see the tape twice. Alex Joseph and Omar McDonough-Hales dropped interceptions with no one in front of them except non-athletic Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli. And who knows what would have happened if the Owls went for a touchdown on their first drive of the game, instead of a 23-yard shanked field goal. It was 31-0, but could have easily been closer. A lot closer. Golden is taking all of those Owls to State College with one Mantra: Making those plays this time.
4. Twenty-three and twenty-two _ That's what the score of the Temple vs. UConn game should have been. Temple 23, UConn 22. Even the few UConn fans living in Egypt along the DENIAL river know that. I'm getting a T-Shirt made up with that score and a photo of the Temple touchdown made up for sale on this website in the coming months.
5. Twenty-nine thousand _ Actually, 28,859, the average home attendance at a Temple game this season, the top figure among MAC schools. That's for a 4-8 team. Imagine what it would be like for an 8-4 team or better?
The numbers suggest Temple fans won't have to imagine for much longer. While recruiting season is nice and spring practice is better, September can't come soon enough.