What kind of a world are we living in where multiple three-star high school athletes change commitments from schools like Maryland, Rutgers, and most recently, Syracuse, to go to Temple?Where two former four-star athletes transfer to Temple in back-to-back offseasons? Where the Owls are bowl eligible? Where they finished the season ranked in the top ten in the nation in any statistical category, let alone defensive scoring?
Temple, once kicked out of the Big East for questioned effort in its football program, is no joke. Not anymore at least.
When did it become a dignified program?
Temple finished 2-10 in 2013. It wasn’t quite a disaster, but it was close to a disaster. The Owls had one of the worst defenses in the nation, maybe the worst. And their offense really wasn’t good either. So what kept them from being a disaster? Low expectations. Nobody counted on the Owls. Expectations for 2014 really weren’t much different. The average Temple fan didn’t expect a big step up immediately. Whether or not the team took a big step depends on how you say it: Temple tripled its win total from the previous season (oh, wow, sounds great) vs. Temple won six games and wasn’t invited to a bowl (typical Temple). But either way, Temple took a step forward.
There is something about your expectation for a team that really determines your final thoughts on its season. For instance, if you expect your favorite baseball team to win the World Series, anything less than that is disappointing. If you expect them to finish in last place but then they win 80 games and still miss the playoffs, you’re happy with that outcome.
For me, it was the game against Vanderbilt this year that was the turning point for Temple. Vanderbilt wasn’t very good this year. They sucked. But when you’re a Temple fan, you don’t look at Vanderbilt in the same light. You see them as “an SEC team” and nothing more, nothing less.
Every football fan sees their team’s schedule and quickly decides their record before the season. As a Temple fan, you see Vanderbilt first and immediately decide the Owls are starting the season 0-1. You don’t even need to give it any thought.
Vandy was the relatively heavy favorite at home for that game, the season opener for both teams which Temple handily won 37-7. But here is a list of outcomes for every one of the Commodores’ offensive drives: Punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, punt, punt, fumble, end of half, missed field goal, fumble, interception, interception, fumble, punt, turnover on downs, interception, end of game. Their only touchdown came on a Temple fumble returned for a touchdown.
For that game to play out the way it did (super-young Temple team, season opener, on the road, against an SEC team, on national television) in the situation that Temple was in (two wins in the previous season, jury was still out on head coach Matt Rhule, possibly exciting time for Temple becomes definitely exciting time for Temple in 60 minutes) was the best possible scenario for the Owls to get a big boost in confidence. Most of all, that win turned off all tempered expectations.
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