"So, other than the ending, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

The EBB's MVPs (most valuable persons)=Temple's fans

2010 Recruiting checklist:
1. Long-snapper
2. Pass rushing DE
3. Big-time JUCO QB

WASHINGTON, D.C. _ Walking out of RFK Stadium, I thought about this town just about 150 years ago.
Ford's Theater, the place where Abraham Lincoln was shot, is only two blocks away from the Renaissance Marriott, the Temple team hotel.
I thought about the famous phrase born out of that tragedy.
"So, other than the ending, how did you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"
If we have any Temple fans named Mrs. Lincoln who care as much about the Owls winning as I do, she'd probably say the same thing about Tuesday's EagleBank Bowl game with UCLA.
Liked both the play and the game, but the ending was, err, shot.
Lead?
Check. (Owls were leading, 21-20, 2 minutes, 29 seconds into the final act, err, quarter.)
Fans?

Hardin: 'You always wanted to put your team in a position to go.'

"Cal wanted to exchange films of every game," Hardin recalled. "Usually you just take the first one, one in the middle and the last one. So I said, 'Find out which coaches on their staff want them?' Turned out, it was the defensive coaches. OK. We spent night after night after night, digging and digging and digging. We came up with one or two things we had to do.
"We found out that if we pulled our guards up the middle, we'd end up with one of them going down the field untouched into the secondary. So did the back. Get the hell out of the way. There was no one to block. We had 21 points on the board before we even started. We probably would never have discovered that, had we not graded all the film. That's how things work. You just don't know. They did me a favor. We got into the defensive coach's head."

The Owls outrushed the Golden Bears, 300 yards to 23.


"It's unbelievable," Hardin went on. "The quarterback [Rich Campbell] was taught, which we knew, to read when he didn't see anything [to] throw blindly into the flat to the fullback. I mean, game after game. The fullback was catching the ball and making big yards. So we developed a two-man [pass] rush, which we wouldn't have done. We'd have one guy come up to meet the fullback, whichever way he went, 5 yards deep in the backfield. And eight guys would drop into coverage. So there's nothing to read, except a lot of jerseys.

"The first time they do it, they completed it. I told Vince Hoch, the defensive coach, 'We worked on this. If our kid can't get to the guy, put [somebody else] in there.' I had already told [linebacker] Steve Conjar that he was going to intercept one for a touchdown. The second time, he makes a tackle. The third time, the ball hits him in the hands and he drops it. He would've walked in.

"You always wanted to put your team in a position to go."
Complete Mike Kern story here

Well, 20,000 of the 23,000 were from Temple, so check. Great job by our terrific fans, by the way. Loud and proud and everything I dreamed they would be.
In the seconds before Temple scored that second touchdown, the loud "Let's Go Temple" cheer shook the old stadium so much I thought it was going to collapse.
Jonathan Tannenbaum, in his excellent blog Soft Pretzel Logic, wrote that the roar of the Temple fans after the first touchdown was "as loud I have heard for any" D.C. United soccer goal in that stadium.
D.C. United, by the way, has scored a lot of goals in that stadium.
Maybe three or four thousand.
So Temple's fans deserve my MVP (most valuable persons).
Then the game, like the Mrs. Lincoln's play, imploded.
I don't care too much about theater, but I care a lot about the game, the team and the school involved, that's probably why I walked around the stadium about 45 times before leaving Tuesday night.
"I thought you were still walking around the stadium," my friend, Mark, said when I finally arrived at the team hotel.
Hell, if I didn't realize I was in a supposed dangerous neighborhood (I couldn't tell, but my pre-game briefing cautioned me), I'd probably still be walking around the stadium.
On the train down to D.C., I read a terrific article by Mike Kern on Temple's last bowl game and how Wayne Hardin outsmarted Roger Theder, the then California coach.
Hardin said Cal asked for game films, then made a point to ask his assistants which Cal assistants wanted the films. He gave them three, then tailored the game plan to counter what the Cal assistants would see.

In the seconds before Temple scored that second touchdown, the loud "Let's Go Temple" cheer shook the old stadium so much I thought it was going to collapse.

Pure genius.
Pure freaking genius.
I wasn't surprised. Hardin outsmarted everybody, including Joe Paterno.

Other thoughts walking around RFK:

• On my 24th pass around the stadium, I wondered why it's always TU messing up on center snaps and never another team.
  
• On my 27th pass around the stadium, I wondered why Kee-ayre Griffin wasn't out there at right cornerback (I saw him at the team hotel and he looked healthy and wasn't limping).
  
• On my 29th pass around the stadium, I wondered where was Jason Harper, who defined the term "warrior" all season and someone who can make yards after the catch and refuses to go down.
  
• On my 32d pass around the stadium, I wondered what would have happened had their been a smooth transition of Adam DiMichele to a quarterback with similar skills and toughness and leadership.
  (There wasn't.)
  
• On my 37th pass, I wondered what Chester Stewart did wrong to lose his job over the last month.
  
  
• On about my 44th pass around the stadium, with steam coming out of my ears (I swear it was from being mad TU lost, but it was probably just the cold), I thought about that Hardin story.

Could you imagine Al Golden intentionally deceiving a fellow member of the coaching fraternity so Temple could benefit?
Could you see Al Golden cutting Rick Neuheisel's throat (I mean that figuratively, of course) to win a game?
I couldn't.
Al Golden is a very good coach in every way and a great (and I mean GREAT) CEO/Ambassador of Temple football, but I'm not ready to say he's a great game coach.
Or even a better-than-average one.
I will say that when I see Temple do all the little things (i.e., fix the kicking game) a good team needs to do routinely. I mean, snaps on punts are routine for just about everyone else.
Why not Temple?

Jonathan Tannenbaum, in his excellent blog Soft Pretzel Logic, wrote that the roar of the Temple fans after the first touchdown was "as loud I have heard for any" D.C. United soccer goal in that stadium.

From the Ball State game on, snapping on punts has been a needless adventure and the CEO needed to fix that long before now.
That's what he needs to do before I can call him an above-average game-day coach.
Great game-day coach?
Who knows how long that will take, but I don't think it will be long because Al is a smart guy. Remember, Hardin came to Temple as a head coach with prior experience from a then big-time Navy program. Golden, who was never a head coach before, is still learning on the job.
Hardin was a smart guy and great game coach and he'd do everything short of robbing a bank to win a big game for Temple. That's how much Temple winning meant to him.
Afterward, Al Golden said he hopes the team learns from the experience.
I hope he doesn't exclude himself from doing the same.

2009 UMass Football Blog Disclaimer

Following the lead of a Milblog I read, I probably should do a disclaimer periodically. This is 2009's issue.

The UMass Football Blog is not affiliated with the University of Massachusetts, the UMass Football team or any other UMass website or organization. The content of this blog is solely the responsibility of the owner of the Blog and does not reflect the views of the University of Massachusetts or the UMass Athletic Dept. Content is copy write to the author.

The UMass Football Blog does not accept advertising, although a recent offer by Playboy Mansions Tickets, was certainly tempting.

I do not receive compensation of any sort or inside information from UMass Football for writing this blog. The UMass Sports Information Office has kindly including me in their mailing list and has allowed me to take part in their Media Days. I sincerely thank them.

The Blog will be five years old in May, which is incredibly ancient by internet standards.

Comments will remain moderated in 2010. Racist or otherwise patently offensive comments will always be removed. Comments about UMass players grades, personal life or character will always be moderated. I feel that it is not proper to make allegations in an anonymous post on a blog. I don't believe I've ever moderated a negative comment about me or the blog or any other topic in which there was some actual intelligence displayed.

Since I am a season ticket holder and a member of Friends of Football, that makes me an "agent" of the program in the eyes of the NCAA. I therefore cannot have any contact with recruits or their families. If you are a recruit and your search engine took you here, you are in the wrong place. Go to the Official UMass Website or call the UMass Football Office now.

After 2,748 blog posts, I am still having fun with the Blog and I intend to keep it going in 2010. Hope everyone has a great new season and I hope we return to the playoffs in this new year.

I prefer this version of the EagleBank Bowl

This is the way I thought it would play out ...
I'm never going to use this blog to criticize the kids, but let's just say I'm hopeful certain players who had prominent roles last night get diminished ones next year.
I've always said that last year should have been a better year, but this year's gravvy and next year's the year.
If the devil came to me with a contract before the Villanova game and said 9-4, I would have signed off on that.
(Now if he had said 7-5 with a bowl and a win over Villanova, I would have traded for that, but that's another story.)
We'll talk about the X's and O's some other time.
I'm excited to see a healthy Bernard Pierce for a full year.
I'm excited to see that we'll have a Nate Smith or a an Ahkeem Smith or a Nahjee Gibson (no relation) as an option should he go down again.
I'm excited to finally get some balance in our offense.
I'm excited to see what a defensive front four that includes Mo Wilkerson at an end (yes, I'd move him to end) and Levi Brown and Kadeem Custis at tackles can bring.
Heck, I'd go with a 3-4, move Adrian Robinson to RUSH linebacker, put Brown on the nose and Custis and Big Mo at the ends and move Amara Kamara back to his natural linebacker position.
No X's and O's talk today.
Just looking ahead to our next BOWL game.
Villanova.

Wednesday News-- 12/30/09

The Bleacher Report has an article that mentions Vladimir Ducasse being a possible second round pick for Denver in an NFL mock draft.

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There's a senior QB from Mississippi that's not getting much attention in college recruiting. His name is Dylan Favre. I wonder if he'd think of FCS football. You know that the FBS schools will be recruiting over him for his entire career at that level. An FCS team would not.

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If recruiting were not strange enough, now there are fake recruiters.

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Stony Brook adds five mid-year transfers including one from Hofstra.

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Former UMass coach Mark Whipple had a lot of face time during last night's Champs Sports Bowl.

The announcers mentioned UMass' 2003 game with Kansas State.

Not much Whip could do in last night's game. Wisconsin dominated on both lines of scrimmage. The big guys won the game for the Badgers on both sides of the ball.

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Tuesday News --- 12/29/09

Ron Chimelis looks at sports in western Mass and opines that UMass Football's 2006 run to the National Championship game was one of the top events of the decade.

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Vladimir Ducasse and Jeromy Miles make the CSN's "Fabulous Fifty" FCS team. Armando Cuko makes Honorable Mention.

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Mike Leach, the HC of last year's FBS/I-A team Texas Tech has been suspended for allegations of player abuse. The Texas Tech Blog "Double T Nation" has lots of details.

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In another article, Ron Chimelis says UMass is serious about academics.

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Recruiting 2010 Marcus Cunningham

UMass is interested in Marcus Cunningham 6-1 180 pd WR from Lakeland, FL.

His Rivals page is here. Cunningham runs a 4.5 40.

He was a FACA All-Star.

Taking visits to Florida Atlantic and FIU. Interested along with UMass are West Virginia, UCF, FAMU and Troy.

The EagleBank Bowl Survival Guide

Photos by Ratna
The Eagle Bank Bowl gambled and rolled the dice with weather.
Actually, it's a gamble any outdoor Northeast bowl takes this time of year.
It could have won.
It could have lost.
I will call this year's bowl, at least in terms of weather, a push.
The "average" high temperature for Washington, D.C. for Dec. 29th is 48 degrees.
The high on Tuesday is expected to be 16 degrees below that, or freezing.
Yikes.
It's going to be cold.
It's going to be damn cold.
It might be the coldest Temple football game I've ever attended and I've attended most over the last 30 years.
That's the bad news.
The good news is that there won't be a snowstorm.
So weather, at least in my mind, is a push.
You can play football in it and, if you are a smart fan, you can survive in it.
I consider myself a smart fan, so here's my survival plan:

• Two (2) T-shirts;
  
• Two pairs of sweat pants;
  
• Three (3) pairs of socks;
  
• Two Temple sweatshirts, both hooded (I will wear the zippered one on top of the regular Cherry Temple one);
  
• Ear Muffs;
  
• One light pair of gloves to be worn under one heavy pair of gloves;
  
• One heavy winter coat, to be worn on top of everything (also with a hood);

The all-time low D.C. temperature for Tuesday is minus-2 degrees.
Just be thankful you aren't these girls:

If these girls can be there (and they will), so can you ...

Sunday News---12/27/09

Vladimir Ducasse is listed as the top FCS draft prospect in the latest iteration of JBS scouting's "Top Small School" NFL prospects. I've been following the Minutemen for a long, long time, and I can't remember UMass ever having the top NFL pick in FCS. Interesting to see if the actual draft plays out that way. Jeromy Miles is listed as #43.

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As stated above, I've been watching college football for a long time. During last night's BC-USC game a member of member of the USC punt return team was touched by the ball and the ball was subsequently recovered by the Eagles. The officials ruled Trojan football because the player was blocked into the ball. That's a new one on me. I never knew that exception existed. Any referees read this blog? Can someone explain the call?

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UMass and Georgia Southern hooked up in a couple of memorable football games back in the late 90's. Eagle football has struggled lately with Appalachian State dominating in the Southern Conference. Head Coach Chris Hatcher was fired and the new Eagles's head coach is Jeff Monken. He's bringing back the triple option.

Recruiting 2010- Hans Louis

Rivals.com states UMass has offered to Hans Louis a 6-0 210 pd OLB from Hollywood, FL.

His Rivals page is here.

A seven minute highlight film here.

This preseason article features him.

Louis was the Broward County Defensive Player-of-the-year.

He holds offers from Florida International, Toledo and Utah State

Merry Christmas 2009!

Mrs Blog and I would like to wish all the UMass Football Blog community a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

May everyone have a year of health, prosperity and good fortune.

Hope Santa brings you a gift certificate to a travel company, so that you can start planning your trip to the Big House to watch UMass play Michigan.

While Santa is thinking about us, a Rivals three-star quarterback recruit would be nice as well as a couple of I-A defensive transfers...

Thursday News--12/24/09

Vladimir Ducasse and Jeromy Miles made First Team All-American from The Sports Network. Armando Cuko made Third Team.

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UMass loses one recruiting battle to Delaware.

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Montana's Bobby Hauck has been hired as HC at Nevada Las Vegas.

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South Dakota will play two FBS teams (UCF and Minnesota) in 2010.

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Former UMass assistant coach Bob Shoops lost out to NFL assistant Bog Surace for the Princeton VC job. Surace started his coaching career at Springfield College.

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Temple's fans need to respond in a big way

Graphics courtesy of Victory Engineer (I had nothing to do with the incorrect use of the word your, but the graphic is too good to leave it out).
Every morning for the past month or so, I've gotten up and wiped the sand from my eyes, stretched a little bit and sprinted to the door for the morning paper.
I quickly thumbed to the second sports page and checked the bowl pairings.
There it was.
I wasn't dreaming after all.
Thirty years of being bowl-less will play mind games with a person's psyche.
Temple's football team is in a bowl game and the opponent, geez, is UCLA.
Damn.
It's not in Idaho or Kansas, either.
It's in D.C.
It's within driving distance.
How the hell did we not win the Mid-American Conference (err, that would be no pass rush or blitz) and get the marquee matchup of all MAC matchups?
I pinched myself for good measure to see if that part wasn't a dream, either.
I'm so pumped I would walk down to D.C. to see the Owls in a bowl game but, thanks to Amtrak, I don't have to do that.

"I hate to say it but it's doubtful that I will be going ... I don't want to go alone ... secondly, I just can't see myself sitting outside on a December night. ... I can't take the cold ..."
alleged Temple fan Philly Brian on Owlscoop.com

After about 10 days of going through this routine, I logged onto a computer.
Sports message boards are the next stop on the technology train above sports talk radio. You can check the pulse of the sports community by reading these boards and you can even add a viewpoint or two without having to talk to a producer.
Most of the fans were like me, pumped and ready for the trip.
Then I came across a segment of the fan base that pretty much disgusts me.
The posting was entitled "The EagleBank Bowl is pretty much a made for TV game" and the poster went on to say that because "it'll be too cold and I'm all alone I'll be watching this game on TV."
Cripes.
I'm going all by myself and it'll be just as cold for me. Fifty percent or so of the people I know going to this game will be making the trip alone and I'm guessing it will be just as cold for them, too. I know at least four guys driving up to the game from Florida and my guess is that it will be colder for them than all of us.
It's almost fitting that fate would place the Owls in the town of Obama because, for Temple, this matchup is all about hope.
Hope that Temple's football program has arrived to the point it can beat a name BCS school.
Hope that Temple can prove to the nation its fans care.
We'll find out both Tuesday. The Owls must win and they must prove to be a big-time draw.
Conferences are realigning as we speak and nothing would be a better 1-2 punch to the nation that Temple has arrived than winning the game on the field and in the stands. It'll be on national TV. This is a dress rehearsal for the big time in more ways than one.

"Yes, Virginia, there is an EagleBank Bowl. And yes, Temple will play UCLA there on Dec. 29.
Is it just another meaningless bowl? Yes... Will it be the most beautiful football game I've ever witnessed? Yes."
_Todd Stanford, The Daily Item, Dec. 23d, 2009
(Temple grad)

The guy, any guy, who pretends to be a Temple fan and can't even get off his ass to get on a train or a Greyhound Bus or thumb a ride to get down there is really not a Temple fan at all.
This is a time for all Temple fans to answer the Clarion call.
The Temple fan base isn't big enough that we can afford to have even one of the "hardcore base" sit at home and watch the game on TV and I don't care how cold it is. I've always said and I think I'm right that Temple has a hardcore base of 15K and a softcore group of 20K.
In D.C., the entire hardcore base is required to be there and, on top of that, an urgent appeal is being made to many of the softcore fans as well.
In my mind, Temple has two magic numbers to reach to impress people across the nation on Tuesday.
They must draw more than 28,786 (what Navy and Wake Forest drew last year) and they must have more points than UCLA at the end.
I know the football team can hold up its part of the bargain.
The time has come for the fans to do the same.

Recruiting 2010-- Hofstra Transfers

This thread at AGS says that Hofstra coach Cohen sent out an e-mail listing the destinations of Hofstra transfers.

According to the post, UMass has landed:

Anthony Dima a 6-7 271 pd Fr OL from Center Reach, NY.

Anthony Nelson, a 5-10 180 pd Jr WR from Wellington, FL. Nelson was First Team All-CAA as a punt returner in 2007. He was Academic All-CAA in 2008.

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Wednesday News--12/23/09

Former UMass assistant coach Bob Shoop has been named FCS Assistant Coach-of-the-Year as defensive coordination at Richmond.

Footballcoachscoop.com also has him as one of the top candidates for the Princeton HC job.

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Keepers College Football rankings has UMass at #27 in the final FCS standings.

Recruiting 2010 -- Mike Smith

Rivals.com states that UMass has offered to Mike Smith a 5-8 165 pd CB/athlete from Titusville, FL. Smith runs a 4.4 40

His Rivals page is here.

Q and A with him here.

Video interview and highlight film here.

He also holds offers from Louisiana-Lafayette, Bowling Green, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Iowa State and UCF.

Image from Rivals.com

Tuesday News --- 12/22/09

The Bleacher Report says bad stadiums killed two CAA programs.

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ESPN says Hofstra cut more than football.

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Swampscott's Brian Palangi transfers from Northeastern to Northern Iowa.

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Now that the FCS National Championship game is over, the FCS committee is looking at the bids for the 2010 game.

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Final 2009 Top-25 Polls. UMass is not in any of them.

The Sport Network looks at the final polls.

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Montana's Bobby Hauck is a finalist for the Nevada Las Vegas head coaching job.

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T minus 1 week: Are you ready for some BOWL football?

I want to see a crowd this big at RFK Tuesday night, wearing all Cherry and White.

Free tickets

ESPN's Harry Mayes (left) will give away free trips (transportation and tickets) to the Eagle Bank Bowl. Listen at 12:45 and call in to 97.5 The Fan
Tuesday and Wednesday

By Mike Gibson

I had to laugh when I read in the Atlantic City Press this week that "this UCLA team might be better than the Cal team Temple faced in the Garden State Bowl."

It was written by someone who did nothing to support her claim other than throw that opinion out there.
I wondered if she was going to use one fact to back it up but, instead, she went onto the next random baseless thought.

First of all, I respect this UCLA team.
I've read up on this UCLA team.
To paraphrase Lloyd Bensten, I knew Cal 1979 and you, UCLA 2009, are no Cal 1979.

This UCLA team is good, but the Cal team the Owls beat in the Garden State Bowl was better.
That Cal team was 25 points away from being unbeaten prior to facing Temple.
That's not many points.
This UCLA team is 83 points away from an unbeaten season.
That Cal team beat three teams with six or more wins.
That Cal team lost to then No. 1 USC (and eventual Rose Bowl champ) by just 10 points.
This UCLA team while good, doesn't have those kinds of credentials.
Still, this is a huge challenge for the Owls and the best team they will face since the Penn State game. That didn't go well because the Owls got atrocious quarterback play in that game. Other than Vaughn Charlton hitting James Nixon in the hands for what should have been a 70-yard touchdown, they got no (zero, nada) plays from the quaterback position in that game. Heck, even against Eastern Michigan (Eastern Michigan, for cripes sake) they were 1 for 9 on third downs. That all comes back to the quarterback position and making plays.
You've got to get more from your quarterback to win games against a quality team.

I think these Owls will have to get exceptional quarterback play to beat this team.

Cal Bears 1979
9/8 @ *Arizona State (6-6) W 17 9
9/15 @ *Arizona (6-5-1) W 10 7
9/22 vs. San Jose State (6-4-1) W 13 10
9/29 vs. Michigan (8-4) L 10 14
10/6 @ *Oregon (6-5) L 14 19
10/13 vs. *Oregon State (1-10) W 45 0
10/20 @ *UCLA (5-6) L 27 28
10/27 vs. *Southern California (11-0-1) L 14 24
11/3 vs. *Washington (9-3) L 24 28
11/10 @ *Washington State (3-8) W 45 13
11/17 @ *Stanford (5-5-1) W 21 14
12/15 vs. Temple (10-2) L 17 28 @ East Rutherford, NJ Garden State Bowl
6-6-0
UCLA Bruins 2009
Sep. 5 San Diego St. W 33-14
Sep. 12 at Tennessee W 19-15
Sep. 19 Kansas State W 23-9
Oct. 3 at Stanford L 16-24
Oct. 10 Oregon L 10-24
Oct. 17 California L 26-45
Oct. 24 at Arizona L 13-27
Oct. 31 at Oregon State L 19-26
Nov. 7 Washington W 24-23
Nov. 14 at Wash. St. W 43-7
Nov. 21 Arizona State W 23-13
Nov. 28 at USC L 7-28
Dec. 29 vs. Temple 4:30pm

They have before.

I think Chester Stewart gave them exceptional quarterback play in the Akron game when he and Bernard Pierce helped put up 56 points.

Stewart's handoffs established Pierce as a big-time threat, then he played off the fear of Pierce with play-action passes all over the field to Temple's other playmakers.

Make no mistake about it.

Temple's got other playmakers.

James Nixon. Joey Jones. Jason Harper. Evan Rodriguez. Steve Manieri. Michael Campbell. Delano Green.

All these guys (with the possible exception of Manieri, sorry Steve) can do special things with the ball after the catch if the Owls are able to complete the intermediate and long passes.

They'll need something like that. Not the 56 points, but that kind of QB play to win this game. Spread the ball around and hit the play-action passes. Keep moving the ball around the field, not just relying on Pierce. Don't use Pierce on the first two downs and put yourself in situations where everybody in the stadium knows you are going to throw the ball on third.
These are simple, basic football idioms that offensive coordinator Matt Rhule proved he could master at Akron.
The Akron game gave Rhule a workable template of an offensive game plan. The Owls used it effectively in a 47-13 win over Kent State, but were forced away from it when Pierce got injured.
I'd like to see Rhule go back with the very same game plan he used against Akron. By establishing Pierce, then spreading the ball around, you make Pierce that much more effective when you go back to him.

But to say this UCLA team is or "might be" better than that California team is pulling something out of your backside that has no resemblance to the facts.
That Cal team had six wins.
This UCLA team has six wins.
That Temple team had nine wins.
This Temple team has nine wins.
The similarities with this game and that one ends right there.
The opportunity for Temple to gain respect nationally with a win on the field and a good showing in the stands is the same and that's important enough.

Monday News--12/21/09

Happy Winter Solstice Day! The Sun reaches it's lowest point at 17:47 UTC (12:47 EST).

Tomorrow we head towards Spring.

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The Examiner.com recaps honors won by UMass players in football, basketball and hockey over the last week.

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The Bleecher Report says the money received by FCS teams to play FBS games is climbing.

UMass should fill in for Hofstra at Boston College next year and make nearly a milion dollars for two FBS games. With the recession on it would be a smart move.

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Prairie View A&M's Henry Frazier III became the first HBCU coach to win the Eddie Robinson Award as FCS's top coach.

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Notes and quotes post-game from the 2009 National Campionship.

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Sunday News-- 12/20/09

The Bleacher Report has the top 10 electrifying FCS Offensive players of 2009.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer says Villanova could repeat as National Champions in 2010.

The Missoulian looks at the NC game from Montana's perspective.

Another article from the Missoulian: "The Griz were so close"

Relevant quote from the article:"Since winning the 2001 national title, the Grizzlies have lost to Colonial Athletic Association teams James Madison, Richmond and VU in Chattanooga. The winners' rushing totals: 314, 208 and 351 yards.

That's against a team that generally leads the Big Sky Conference in rush defense."

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The CAA's website has video and transcriptions from the National Championship post game press conferences

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BTW, nice win by the UMass BB team yesterday. Mrs blog and I will be taking in some hoops games after the intercession. We haven't seen the team in person yet this year.

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Saturday News--12/19/09

Congratulations to the Villanova Wildcats, who won their first national championship last night.

The Wildcats looked too strong for Montana. It the first half, the Griz could not run the ball, but scored twice on the sharp passing of Montana QB Andres Selle. In the second half, Villanova held the Griz to six first downs.

Villanova's Matt Szczur looked like a replay of the famous Bo Jackson-Brian Bosworth run-over. Szczur flat ran over a Montana LB (didn't catch his number) for a TD.

A couple of questionable coaching decisions by Villanova had an impact on the game. After missing an extra point, unaccountably Villanova didn't go for two points after either of their next two scores. If Montana had made their onside kick, the Griz were one pass play from a game winning field goal.

The other decision was to let Montana get behind the Wildcat defense with a minute left to play. There should have been a safety deep. If Montana had hit that onside kick...

This Google search will connect you with more than twenty links to articles from the game.

Montana's writeup here.

Villanova's writeup here.

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Found this link over on Matty V's UMass Sports blog: The Chattanooga Times-Free Press lists the five best National Championship games (in Finley Stadium). UMass played in two of them.

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Nova's Talley: Temple was best team we faced all year

Not an empty seat in the background ... of the Garden State Bowl.
Dec. 29th is the most important date in Temple sports history.
Not just Temple football.
Temple sports, period.
Not because of what the football team might do that day, but because of what YOU might do.
Yeah, you.
If you ever cared about Temple University or care about the future of Temple sports, you will be in the stands on Tuesday, Dec. 29th.
We all can't be Bill Cosby and donate millions to the university.
We all can't be Dennis Alter and write out a $15 million check to build the best business school in the nation.

Andy Talley with his daughter, Gina.

Enemy/friend Quote of The Day

"Make no mistake about it. We were lucky ... lucky ... to beat Temple. Let's not fool ourselves."
_ national championship coach and person Andy Talley, Villanova coach, in a CAA conference call
and ....
"I knew Temple had a very special team. We thought they would be the best team we saw all year. In hindsight they were."
_ Talley from post-game press conference after 23-21 win over 14-0 Montana

But we all can bring $30 or $50 to the Liacouras Center today and walk away with ducats in hand for the game on Dec. 29th.
If we work, and 90 percent of us do, we all can take a personal day that day or trade that day for another day.
We can all buy an Amtrak ticket.
If we can't afford that, we can all get to a Greyhound Bus station.
We can all drive down I-95 for two hours.
We all can do that.
And we all should.
Imagine the reaction of the nation watching IF all they see is a packed RFK Stadium (it holds 46,000 for football under its new configuration) wearing mostly Cherry and White?
It sure would open up a lot of doors to the university's sports teams that were previously closed.
The Big East, for example, might extend an all-sports invitation on, say, Dec. 30th.
That's how much of an impact a huge Temple crowd would have.
The football Owls would also have their pick of bowls next year because Owl fans have proven they can and will travel.
Today, Dec. 18th, is pretty important, too.
It's the day the tickets for the Eagle Bank Bowl have arrived at the Liacouras Center.
Ticket office workers are busy ripping them apart and sorting them for mailing.
I will be there sometime this afternoon.
If I have to wait in line to get my two ducats (I'm buying one for myself and donating one back to the student pile), it will be a great day.
If I walk into RFK Stadium and see 46,000 Temple fans, that will be the greatest day ever.
These kids and this university deserves it.
Beating UCLA would be the icing on this delicious cake.

National Championship Friday--12/18/09

UMass gets three transfers from Northeastern. I blogged yesterday about LB Chad Hunte.

Also joining the Minutemen will be All-CAA and All-New England RB John Griffin. He will be joined by 6-5 300 pd OL Greg Niland who started 21 games for Huskies in the last two years. Pre-season All-American Nate Thellan is reported to be leaning towards UMass.

Matty V. also says UMass is in the running for Hofstra DE Deron Mayo.

Some images here.

More than 60 colleges have contacted Northeastern about transfers.

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A blogger at the Hartford Courant says maybe the Big East should go after Villanova and UMass.

The same blogger asks what happens if the Big Ten expansion raids the Big East.

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The recession claims plans for a new stadium at Delaware.

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Bruce Dowd is on the road to Chattanooga .

Terrance Thomas, Sr has his latest "CAA Today" essay here.

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The CAA has updates on Villanova's activities at the National Championship game.

JMU's Arthur Moats won the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in FCs.

Armanti Edwards won the Walter Payton Award for the top offensive player in FCS.

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William & Mary gets a big I-A transfer at QB.

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Recruiting 2010 -- Irvin Scott Part II

The same article as below reports that QB/SS Irvin Scott from Brookline will take a recruiting visit to UMass in January.

I've already blogged about Scott back on Sept. 29th.

Image from MaxPreps.com

Recruiting 2010-- Chad Hunte

This article says former Northeastern Freshman LB Chad Hunte will transfer to UMass.

Hunte is a 6-0 205 pd LB from Brookline, MA. He was team captain and All-Bay State at Brookline.

Thursday News---12/17/09

Three articles about UMass senior Vladimir Ducasse making AP FCS All-American: Stanford Advocate, Mass Live and the UMass Athletic Dept website.

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Armando Cuko was named to the American Coaches First Team All-American Team.

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CSN writer Kent Schmidt looks at Big Sky Champion Montana's road to the FCS Championship game.

Chuck Burton looks at the record breaking viewership for the Montana-Appalachian State game.

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From the Sports Network:

Villanova enjoys the moment.

Montana looks for redemption.

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Recruiting 2010---Abdullah Sabir

UMass is interested in Abdullah Sabir a 6-1 200 pd DB from the Community College of San Francisco.

His Scout.com page is here. Sabir runs a 4.5 40

He is also drawing interest from Iowa State, Sacramento State and Stony Brook.

Wednesday News---12/16/09

The four remaining CAA North schools plot strategy.

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The CSN's So South columnist Myron Hosea, says it was a game of inches for Appalachian State.

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Richmond hired Spiders assistant coach Latrell Scott as their new HC.

More here.

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The CAA's weekly football press release here.

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Why coaches stay off the internet: the same day new Jayhawks HC Turner Gill was hired, a Kansas fan started a "Fire Turner Gill" website.

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Tuesday News ---- 12/15/09

The Springfield Republican has a story about UMass senior Jeromy Miles being named to the Walter Camp FCS All-America team.

The announcement of the 2009 All-America team from the Walter Camp website. Five CAA players made the list.

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Chuck Burton reprises the Villanova-William & Mary semifinal game.

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Matty Vautour wastes fifteen seconds of your life. Hofstra lost to Maine, who lost to Albany, who lost to Robert Morris, who lost to DII Urbana.

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Speaking of Hofstra, read this question-and-answer with Pride AD Jack Hayes. Note that there was no financial crisis involved in the decision to drop football. Also noteworthy is the fact the administration kept the decision secret for their convenience (scheduling, etc), but never considered the Pride's players, coaches and recruits. Stay classy, Hofstra administrators!

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The Sports Network's Brett Kahn previews the 2009 FCS Championship game.

There are some interesting quotes coming out of the pregame stories about the Villanova-Montana Championship match up.

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Coach Golden tells Cincy to pound sand

No better time to turn the two Josephs and John Haley loose on the QB than now.
John Haley Photo by Ryan Porter, courtesy Porterhouse Productions

Enemy Quote of Day
"I hear Temple runs the ball a lot. ... They're like 23rd in the country in rushing, I hope they run the ball every play. I'll be waiting."
_UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter in today's Los Angeles Times

Somewhere between the time coach Al Golden told Cincinnati to pound sand (well, sort of) and now, Temple's football team first practiced at the Eagles' facility for two days last week to get away from the inclement weather.
"The Eagles were good enough to let us do that," Golden said last week at the bowl party.
Hopefully, defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio rifled through Sean McDermott's drawers on the way out and stole the book that the late Jimmy Johnson wrote on blitzing.
If the Owls are serious about winning and not just making a good showing on Dec. 29, they will blitz UCLA from the opening introductions until the closing gun. Coach D'Onofrio had a reputation as an aggressive, crazy, no-holds-barred linebacker at PSU. I like that trait in my linebackers and my defensive coordinators. This year, though, for some reason I don't understand, D'Onofrio has orchestrated a conservative, bend-but-don't-break approach on defense.
UCLA has a very capable quarterback, freshman Kevin Prince, who is battling a shoulder injury right now.
Go get him and put him down hard and often.
Bring violence to the football.
People who read this blog know my philosophy of defensive football is a mind meld of Johnson's.
If you can't get to the quarterback with four, send five. If you can't get to him with six, send seven. If you can't get to him with seven, send eight.
Blitz early and often to send a message to UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow that we're not staying back in our base defense and getting picked apart like we did against good quarterbacks from Villanova, Miami and Ohio.
Surely Chow, a smart guy, will be dissecting Temple film and come to the conclusion that the Owls like to sit back in coverage rather than come after the quarterback.
What he won't see is a whole lot of blitzing.
Even though rush end Adrian Robinson leads the MAC in sacks, he'll need all the help he can get against UCLA.
I'll stop only at sending eight, because I believe Dominique Harris, Marquis Liverpool and Kee-Ayre Griffin have the talent to keep anything that breaks in front of them.
I believe a blitzing scheme is perfectly suited to the personnel Temple currently employs on defense.
The Owls have terrific run-stopping linebackers in Peanut Joseph, Alex Joseph and John Haley specifically. But those guys also have the speed and the nastiness necessary in chasing down a quarterback and either making the tackle, stripping the ball or forcing an interception.
They are not great at pass coverage, so why not sic these dogs on the quarterback instead?
That's what I'm talking about.
Hopefully, D'Onofrio smells meat and goes in for the kill on Prince, changing the Owls' scheme to where nine guys line up at scrimmage and either fake the blitz or go for the kill on every passing down.
I vote for going for the kill.
Think about it.

D'Onofrio had a reputation as an aggressive, crazy, no-holds-barred linebacker at PSU. I like that trait in my linebackers and my defensive coordinators. This year, though, for some reason I don't understand, D'Onofrio has orchestrated a conservative, bend-but-don't-break approach on defense

Over your years of watching football, what decides games more than any other factor?
Turnover ratio.
You can hope the other team fumbles or throws the ball between the two numbers on your jerseys or you can force them to do it.
Nothing puts fear in a quarterback's eyes and the ball up for grabs more than a collapsing pocket.
Nothing collapses the pocket like a blitz.
"I've tried (throwing) but I'm not at the stage where it's really comfortable," Prince said.
The whole idea is making Prince feel uncomfortable. His stats are the best of any UCLA quarterback (157 completions in 277 attempts for 1,827 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions). There's a huge dropoff in his backup, Kevin Craft (60 for 107 for 722 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions).
The game plan shouldn't be that complicated to develop and put into practice the next couple of weeks.
It's one word.
Blitz.
Click on logo below to order tickets THROUGH TEMPLE ... PLEASE HELP THE UNIVERSITY BY ORDERING THROUGH TEMPLE ONLY

Recruiting 2010 --- Mike Gallo

A reader sent in an e-mail saying UMass is interested in Mike Gallo a 6-3 210 pd pro-style QB from Cinnaminson, NJ,

His Rivals page is here.

Scout.com page here.

MaxPreps highlight film here.

He's also hearing from JMU, Oregon, UCLA, Temple, Syracuse, Rutgers and Virginia.

Monday News -- 12/14/09

The Sports Network has a couple of articles: Armanti Edwards' career ends in the snow and Jabin Sambrano sends the Griz to the National Championship game.

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Keepers College Football Rankings has Villanova favored by a little less than a TD against Montana.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer has an article about Villanova's wild man Tim Kukucka.

The Bleacher Report looks at Villanova's unsung hero Matt Szczur.

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Sunday News-- 12/13/09

A big "Thank you" to the blog reader who sent me this link about NFL Draft "momentum" for UMass Senior Vladimir Ducasse.

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Mrs Blog and I had some Saturday errands to run, so I set my DVD and watched the Montana-Appalachian State game starting about 9:00 PM my time. It turned out be a wonderful advertisement for FCS football as the Grizz hung on to beat the Mountaineers in a a snow storm. The best player on the field was not Appy's Armanti Edwards, but a 6-0 195 shifty Montana RB named Chase Reynolds. Who'da thunk it?

Highlights, images and quotes from the Grizz home page here.

The Great Falls Tribune says it was a Thrilla.

The Missoulian says it was a perfect storm.

Interesting footnote from the Mountaineers' write up: Appalachian State is 0-9 in games west of the Mississippi River.

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Thought for the day (quoting former UMass HC Mark Whipple): about not being in the playoffs--- "Stinks doesn't it?"

Blow your whistles for Navy today

Temple footbal isn't playing today, nor will it for the better part of three weeks.
It just feels like it to me.
I'll be rooting for Navy today (2:30 p.m., CBS) against Army.
I don't know of a single Temple fan who isn't.
It's not like Temple feels the matchup with UCLA, who the Owls get to face, will be easier.
In fact, I think everybody thinks it will be the harder game of the two.
What's that they say, the higher the mountain, the more satisfying the climb?
(If they don't say that, I just made it up.)
Think about it.
Temple, a non-BCS school, against the big, bad, BCS school from the West Coast.
Does Rutgers (with UCF) have a better bowl matchup?
No.
Does any Northeastern school, with the exception of Boston College (USC) have a more attractive bowl matchup?
No.
I'm from the school of thought that feels we won't have to root much.
I'm still hoping that the infamous Navy fan whistle-blower is there (pictured, who ruined Temple's would-be win two years ago) is there and blows his whistle every time a Navy ballcarrier is stopped near the goal line, only to see the Navy guy continue on his feet into the end zone.
That'll help.
But I don't think Navy will need even his help today.
I've seen both Army and Navy and I can't see Army stopping Navy at all.
That's why even though Temple isn't playing today, it'll be another big win for the Owls anyway come sundown.
Once the sun comes up tomorrow, please plan to purchase your bowl tickets from Temple within the next day or two.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS FROM TEMPLE NOW BY CLICKING BELOW:

Recruiting 2010-- Jaryd Rudolph

UMass is interested in Jaryd Rudolph a 6-3 280 pd OL from Silver Lake HS in MA.

This article features him.

Video highlight film here.

Rudolph is receiving looks from UNH, UMaine, Boston College, UConn, Maryland (I bet Don Brown is behind that one) and Marist.

Image from WickedLocal.com. It's unattributed as to the photographer.

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Saturday News--12/12/09

Chris Zardas , Kyle C. Harrington and Armando Cuko have been named to the New England Football Writers Team. Zardas talks about his NFL hopes and there is some more information about Hofstra and Northeastern dropping football.

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Another year, another CAA team in the FCS Championship. Villanova beat William & Mary last night to make the title game.

More here, and here and here.

I watched the game and the Wildcats Matt Sczcur was the difference.

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Friday News----12/11/09

Football Scoop (scroll down) reports that Mike London has offered the Virginia Defensive Coordinator position to former UMass HC Jimmy Reid.

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David Coulson reviews this week's Final Four FCS playoff games and reviews some great FCS playoff games from the past. He mentions the great UMass-Montana contest in 2006. I have that game on tape. It's a real morale booster.

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Recruiting 2010: Eddie Rouxinol hopes to play for the UMass marching band next season.

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CSN's Chuck Burton previews the the center stage for the semi-final playoff games.

Bruce Dowd says the playoffs don't get any better than this.

Terrance Thomas, Sr looks at the CAA rematch ---- again.

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Thursday News----12/10/09

Jeromy Miles was honored at the 42nd meeting the Touchdown Club of South Jersey as the South Jersey FCS Player of the year.

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Three Richmond assistant coaches have followed Mike London to Virginia.

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Former Hofstra RB Miguel Maysonet will transfer to Stony Brook.

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The Villanova-William & Mary Semi-final game should be a good one.

The Daily Press says that to win, the Tribe must run the ball.

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Three Kansas State players have been selected to the East-West Shrine Game.

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Wednesday News--12/09/09

UMass is one of the top contenders for John Griffin, Northeastern's First Team All-CAA and All-New England RB.

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The New Hampshire Football Report says the end of Northeastern and Hofstra football programs will be a loss of opportunity for a lot of New England kids.

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The CAA has its weekly press release with notes and previews for this week's playoff games.

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Brett Kahn previews this week's semi-finals in the FCS championship tourney and predicts Villanova and Appalachian State victories.

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Alabama will not hold classes Jan 6th to the 8th because all the faculty and staff wants to go to the BCS Championship game.

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I watched a spirited contest between Northwest Missouri and California of Pennsylvania in the semi-finals of the DII Football National Championship Tourney last night. The Northwest Missouri Bearcats won 56-31. The California of PA team's nickname is the Vulcans-----Vulcans?

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Boston College will meet USC in the Emerald Bowl.

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Tuesday New---12/08/09

Mike London did, indeed become Virginia's next HC.

More on London's hiring here.
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Another revision of Josh Buchanan's Top 50 "Small School" players with 40 times. It includes Vladimir Ducasse and Jeromy Miles.

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More pushback about the axing of Hofstra's football program.

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A couple of articles from the Sports Network:

Brett Kahn writes about Villanova's rout of UNH in the snow.

David Coulson recaps last Saturday's FCS playoff games and say the Richmond-Appalachian State game lived up to its billing.

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Blogger sent me a comment from October 12th to be be moderated last night...

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This picture is worth a thousand words

Click on above logo to order tickets through Temple.

Owls and Brian Sanford rejoice in one of the two greatest photos ever (the other is below).
Owlsports.com photo

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC

There's a saying way older than I am that pretty much describes what happened yesterday at the Liacouras Center.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

That might come from an old Chinese Proverb, although some internet sources dispute it.

While on the subject of a picture being worth a thousand words, UCLA will bring its cheerleaders and band to D.C., unless (wink, wink) Army beats Navy.

Until yesterday, I didn't think much of the phrase.

"Yeah, right," I always said. "The Chinese guy who wrote that never read a Gary Smith story in Sports Illustrated or never enjoyed morning coffee over a Bill Lyon column in the 1980s or never heard the beautiful word pictures as described by Vin Scully or Harry Kalas."

Then I saw the photo in today's Daily News by Charles Fox and that changed my mind.

That photo, which is credited to Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC and appears above this story, says it all.

The sheer joy on the faces of the wonderful kids who play football for Temple University is genuine and spontaneous and cannot be conveyed by mere words.

So I publish it here instead with a plea.

Nobody took a photo of us in the parking lot during that 2005 game against Miami, but it would have been a lot uglier than that beautiful shot. There were less than 10 of us left tailgating in the rain but, before we even heard about Al Golden, we had a dream that someone, someday would come and lead us back to a bowl game.

That day and that someone has come.

That's why it's important that all 21,046 of you who showed up for the last home game against Kent State purchase tickets for this "home" game in D.C.

All of you and, hopefully, 21,000 more on top of that.

For maximum impact, please purchase your tickets through Temple University by clicking on the logo above. By buying through Temple, the university will be able to show future bowls that this fan base will travel and have concrete figures to back it up.

Please buy as many as you can and give to those who can make the short trip down I-95 and cheer on these great kids. Or you can wait until Monday morning at 10 a.m. and walk up to the Liacouras Center ticket window. The best seats are on the Temple (South) side 200, 300, 400 and 500 levels. Don't buy the obstructed 100-level seats.

But buy them through Temple and don't procrastinate like thousands of folks did only to be caught waiting in long lines at the ticket windows at the last home game.

Monday News-- 12/07/09

UMass' new recreation center is open.

Ron Chimelis ruminates on UMass football.

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More and more Haitians are playing American football.

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Keepers College Football ratings has Montana and Villanova favorites in the FCS semifinals.

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Former UMass great Bill Durkin lost his job when Hofstra folded.

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Hofstra's Second team All-CAA FB Everett Benjamin (Junior) will be available to transfer without sitting out a year.

So will Pride third team All-CAA OL Derek Moore (Sophomore)

Hofstra's 2009 recruiting class is here.

UPDATE:

Rival two-star DE Matt Huckabee had committed to Hofstra back on 8/22/09. He will now be back in the recruiting pool.

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Northeastern's First team All-CAA RB John Griffin will also be able to transfer.

Northeastern's 2009 recruiting class here.

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Take it to the (Eagle) Bank: Temple vs. UCLA

Eagle Bank Bowl pits Rick Neuheisel (left) against Owl Golden.
Usually, these bowl announcement shows are nothing more than a glorified version of College Gameday, ESPN's weekly pre-game show.
That's pretty much what I expected when I walked into the lobby of the Liacouras Center Sunday night.
That's what I got until there were about 15 minutes left in the show.
I certainly didn't expect to be pumping my fist and screaming, "Wow!" but that's what I found myself doing when Temple scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
... Eagle Bank Bowl ... Temple will be playing either UCLA or Army ....

Wow indeed.
The place erupted.
There were hugs, fist pumps and a very loud "Let's Go Temple" chant roared through the overpacked room. Suffice it to say there were more people in that lobby than attended Villanova's FCS quarterfinal football playoff game on the Main Line Saturday.(Good thing the Fire Marshal wasn't on Temple's campus Sunday night.)
A lot of people weren't expecting the message on that scroll.
"Remember, we have to root for Navy now," my friend, Fred, said.
I looked at him like he was just released from Byberry (that was a mental hospital from the old days for our younger readers).
"What does Navy have to do to beat Army?"
"Show up," I said.
Forget Army. I'm taking Navy and laying large coin on the Mids covering the 15 and I fully expect to collect in the RFK Stadium parking lot come Dec. 29.
I've seen both teams this year. Army's not getting closer than three touchdowns to Navy, so we're looking at playing UCLA.
It's not perfect, but it's the next-best thing and it beats the hell out of what could have happened.
Even though Temple didn't win the MAC East, it certainly got a more attractive bowl than MAC East champion Ohio. The Bobcats are playing Marshall.
That could have been a very dreary late Tuesday afternoon in Washington, D.C., Temple vs. Marshall. Owl fans would have had to hold their nose and down the Prune Juice with that matchup.
Temple-UCLA has a whole lot of juice to it and the good-tasting kind, especially with the news yesterday that The Franchise (Bernard Pierce) was healthy and back practicing with the team.
I'm liking the symmetry here:

• Thirty years ago, the Owls had to beat a PAC-10 team (California) to get to 10 wins and they did.
• Now the Owls can get to 10 wins by beating a PAC-10 team.
• Thirty years ago there were all sorts of dire predictions that Temple wouldn't travel well to the Meadowlands, yet the Owls drew the largest crowd (55,245) in the four-year history of the Garden State Bowl. Trust me, there were no Cal fans there;
• D.C. is, like the Meadowlands, an easy drive from Temple Town;
• Temple had exploratory talks with UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel about its head coaching job in 2005. Neuheisel had all kinds of demands Temple was unwilling to meet, so the Owls looked elsewhere and found Al Golden.
• Two years later, Golden interviewed for the UCLA job that Neuheisel got.

So there are all kinds of interesting subplots here. I will admit, the thought of putting it to the Big East and having that conference fester over a bowl loss to Temple appealed to me but that revenge motive can be taken care of next September when the Owls face UConn.

I think the possibility is there for a 10K to 20K Temple showing but it must be talked up in every workplace where there is a Temple alumnus and every corner of the Temple campus

It's not playing a former Big East foe in Toronto, but that wouldn't have worked for Temple because it would have given a lazy fan base an out for not attending.
Now there is no out.
Temple must get a good portion of its 260,000 alumni and 33,000 full-time students on board for this trip and show the nation the potential of Temple and its fans to respond.
I think the possibility is there for a 10K to 20K Temple showing but it must be talked up in every workplace where there is a Temple alumnus and every corner of the Temple campus.
It must be the main topic of conversation at 15th and Montgomery and at 13th and Norris as well as 11th and Diamond.
Three weeks to do it.
It can be done.
It must be done.