Will Al Golden start the New Year with a bang?

We can only hope Garrett Barnas is somehow involved in Al Golden's New Year.

By Mike Gibson
A few years ago, a radio personality in Philadelphia would have a regular feature where he'd ask the callers to preface their remarks with one phrase:
"Hey, Jody Mac, do me a favor ..."
Then the callers would ask Mac for a trade or opinion on sports.
Pure radio schtick and sometimes entertaining fodder for a long drive to work.
Well, I'm asking Al Golden for a favor. Not necessarily for me or for the 260,000 Temple alumni living in the area and 33,000 full-time students, but for him.
"Al Golden, do yourself a favor ..."
"What?"

Barnas 2008 numbers
Height: 6-1
Weight: 205 (solid)
40 speed: 4.45
GPA: 3.4
Touchdown passes: 27
Interceptions: 9
Yards passing: 2,568
Yards rushing: 758
Touchdowns rushing: 9
Record: 11-1
(National Champion)

Get Garrett Barnas in here faster than you can shake a lamb's tail. Or two lamb's tails. (And who shakes lamb's tails anyway?)
This is a guy who should have been on Temple's recruiting radar screen from the get-go. If Al can fly to Peoria, all he has to do is rent a car and drive north about an hour to Walnut, Ill. and use his considerable powers of persuasiveness to convince Garrett that Temple is the place for him.
Heck, I can't think of a bigger bang to start the New Year for Temple fans than to grab the consensus No. 1 JUCO quarterback in the country.
What a way create a buzz, sell season tickets and, in one swoop, do nothing worse than solidify depth and quality around the most important position on the roster.
All good things with no ill side effects.

Cincinnati's cautionary QB tale

In the summer the NCAA denied a sixth season of eligibility to Cincinnati's Ben Mauck, who threw for 31 touchdowns a year ago. Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones could have been the next candidate, but he never fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. So senior Dustin Grutza started the first two games, before suffering a fractured fibula in a 52-26 loss at Oklahoma. Junior Tony Pike took over.
Two weeks later, he broke his left (nonthrowing) forearm against Akron. Coach Brian Kelly used two freshmen the next two games, Chazz Anderson and Zach Collaros. Pike, who is playing with a cover over the arm to protect a plate and six screws that are holding things together, has started the last five games. Cincinnati has won them all. Against Pitt he threw for three scores.
That's four quarterbacks going down in one season.
What would Temple do if something happened to both Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart? Something for the football braintrust to think about. ...

Barnas, a JUCO All-American at Harper College in Illinois, was released from his scholarship by Syracuse recently.
For Temple, it could be both like Manna falling from Heaven and a wonderful New Year's story.
The beauty in getting Barnas would be three-fold:
A possible mobile starter at quarterback to replace the great Adam DiMichele;
A possible ready-to-go, no-excuses, Nos. 2 or 3 quarterback behind Vaughn Charlton or Chester Stewart;
Instant depth at the most important position on the field where Temple only has two current scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.
Forget that, though, this is all about Al Golden giving himself a Christmas present.
If Vaughn or Chester don't pan out at No. 1 in September, can Al get on the phone and call Adam DiMichele back?
No.

I've held out hope that Chester Stewart or Vaughn Charlton have the kind of moxie and talent to get the job done next year.
But hope doesn't get me to a bowl game.
It doesn't get Al Golden there, either.

Can he call on an Adam DiMichele clone?
Yes, but only if Barnas is here.
Since he can and should, Golden doesn't need to give himself that headache in nine months.
Barnas has better speed than DiMichele _ he runs a remarkable 4.45 in the 40 for a QB _ and he's got DiMichele's arm and escapability.
It's all about mobile quarterbacks in big-time college football today.
I've watched so much video on this kid and there's only one player he reminds me of ... Adam DiMichele. From a quarterback standpoint, he's a spitting image of Adam DiMichele.
Grab him, Al.
Grab him now.
He's a freak of an athlete with a brain (3.4 GPA) to match.
He's worth the scholarship and it would be fun to have opposing coaches call time out just to look inside his helmet and see that the Owls haven't illegally held Adam DiMichele over for one extra year. His numbers are insanely good against better pre-Temple competition than Chester Stewart or Vaughn Charlton had.
Heck, just for giggles, give him No. 13. Competition for the position will make all three better quarterbacks and the competition is something even Vaughn or Chester should welcome.
Great speed, escapability, arm, feel for the pocket, decision-making, play-making.
Check. Check. Check.
He's also a sure-to-qualify smart (3.4 GPA) kid who won't bring the APR down.
If Chester Stewart and Vaughn Charlton beat him out the No. 1 job, fine. He'd be a terrific No. 3.
I have more than even money if we get him in here he will beat out both.
Competition for the position will make all three better quarterbacks and the competition is something even Vaughn or Chester should welcome.
I've held out hope that Chester Stewart or Vaughn Charlton have the kind of moxie and talent to get the job done next year.
But hope doesn't get me to a bowl game.
It doesn't get Al Golden there, either.
Garrett Barnas gives me more than hope to go on right now.
Al Golden, do yourself a favor and grab this kid now.
In doing so, you'll be giving not only yourself but the rest of the Temple football family a tremendous New Year's present.