They don't know what they won't hit

Eric Reynolds is No. 9 in this video.
By Mike Gibson
Webster's dictionary refers to a hypothesis as an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument.
I had a couple of belly laughs and had to shake my head from side to side when I read interpretations relating to how well the Temple University football team will do based on faulty logic.
One fan in particular caught my eye on the Boneyard, UConn's message board. He stated the Owls' running game won't be that good because "Harper is no longer on the team."
Well, (Jason) Harper is on the team but the guy who gained over 100 yards against the UConn defense was moved to wide receiver because every member of the Temple coaching staff, Al Golden included, thought that with the influx of exception talent coming in that Harper could do no better than be the fifth running back.
That's right. Five.



They liked Harper's blocking ability and speed so much they thought they might try him at wideout.
Well, those wideouts are pretty good, too, and Harper is having a tough time cracking the 1-2. No doubt Jason will be a valuable member of the Owls on special teams and that's fine because he has a nose for the football and wants to help out wherever he can.
I had to laugh again when someone who should know better wrote that he "has some concerns" about the Owls' inexperience at running back. The guy writes the MAC blog for PhillyBurbs.com but, when it comes to Temple, he doesn't really have a good grip on how things really are on North Broad Street.
If his opinion is reflective of the rest of the MAC _ and from reading the MAC message boards it pretty much is _ he has no idea of what about is to hit him. Or, more precisely, no idea of how hard a time MAC teams will have trying to hit those inexperienced guys.
Let's see. When you have four guys coming in who are better than the No. 1 back of last year, that's not much cause for concern.
Inexperience?
Ha.
All over the NCAA, true and redshirt freshman running backs have been making an impact for years.
It will be no different at Temple.
Here's the current tailback depth chart, subject to change right up until Friday night's kickoff at Army:
MARQUISE LIVERPOOL _ The 5-11, 195-pound sophomore from Ramsey, N.J. was a SuperPrep All-American at wide receiver playing at Don Bosco High School in 2004, where he was rated the No. 23 high school receiver in the nation his senior year. Signed letter-of-intent with Boston College, but elected to play pro baseball instead. Now back with football. Showed his open field running ability by taking five punt returns for touchdowns during his senior year.
JOE JONES _ Listed as a co-No. 1 on the depth chart now with Liverpool, the 5-11, 206-pound Jones, a redshirt freshman, was the most heralded tailback out of talent-rich Broward County (Fla.). As a senior at South Broward High, Jones had 98 carries for 989 yards and 23 TDs. Was All-Miami Herald first-team running back. Turned down a solid offer from South Florida to sign with the Owls.
AHKEEM SMITH _ Scored 50 (that's right, five zero) touchdowns as a junior and senior at Bethlehem Liberty, one of the marquee programs in the Lehigh Valley. The 6-0, 190-pound true freshman has been compared to the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson in running style by Temple quarterback Adam DiMichele. As a senior, he rushed for 1,010 yards and scored 23 touchdowns. As a junior had even better stats for the District 11 Class AAAA (large school) champs, with 27 touchdowns and 1,340 yards.
ERIC REYNOLDS _ The 5-10, 192-pound true freshman enters Temple with spectacular credentials as well. Reynolds was Associated Press first-team all-state at running back and it's easy to see why. The Central Bucks South product was Pennsylvania Football News' 2007 state football player of the year (large school division) and the Philadelphia Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania player of the year. As a senior, he led the Titans to an 11-1 record by rushing for 2,830 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Yeah, I'm concerned about the inexperience at running back and the fact that Jason Harper is not running with the first team anymore.
Real concerned.
Father forgive these doubting Thomases. They have no idea of what is about to hit them.
Or what they soon won't be able to hit.