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| Fans need to get crazy like here and not just the student section. |
That sound you heard was Steve Addazio scratching his bald head.
While William and Mary offered a clear blueprint for Temple to beat Maryland and Ohio's Frank Solich wrote the book on how to beat Penn State, there was not much to glean from Ball State's 31-27 win over South Florida a couple of weeks ago.
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| Skip Holtz wants Brandon McManus to squib kick to his team. McManus has 15 touchbacks. |
I know.
I pieced together all of the clips I could find off Ball State's excellent TV network and this is what I found:
Ball State beat South Florida the old-fashioned way:
The Cardinals earned it.
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| Tweet from Greg Auman of the Tampa Tribune. |
No special formula like William and Mary's blitzing of a Maryland true freshman quarterback or Solich's quick-slant passing game moving the sticks against Penn State.
Just a couple of great plays by quarterback Keith Winning, throwing a tight spiral twice into the corner of the end zone and the BSU player making great catches over his shoulder.
Easier said than done.
One way would be for the fans to get off their hands and cheer. The team needs to hear "Let's Go Temple" early and often and not just when they get behind.
My guess is Temple is just concentrating on being the best Temple the Owls can be:
Here's what the Owls must do:
1) Get away from the ground-and-pound philosophy they used so much in the first three games. Sure, the Owls can run the ball but only after establishing the pass as a viable threat. Roll Chris Coyer out of the pocket and hit those five-yard slants to playmakers like Jalen Fitzpatrick, Romond Deloatch and Khalif Herbin. Then go back to the run behind right tackle Martin Wallace after Wyatt Benson leads either Matty Brown or Montel Harris through the hole. Mix it up. Get both Harris and Brown in space by utilizing screen passes, shovel passes and pitchouts.
2) Play Temple defense. That means swarming to the ball and sacking the quarterback. It also means being aggressive when the ball is in the air. That's Vaughn Carraway's ball as much as it is the receivers. Step in front of it and pick it off, rather than let the guy catch it and tackling him 20 yards down the field. Keep B.J. Daniels in the pocket, but get after him, too.
3) Make special teams plays that make a difference. It's time for Brown to bust a big one.
4) Bring the Temple swagger back. The Owls must play confidently and aggressively, not the passive team on their heels that we saw the last two games. Think back to how the Owls played in a 42-0 win over Ball State and a 34-0 win over Buffalo last year for reference.
Picks this week: BOSTON COLLEGE giving 9 1/2 at Army; WEST VIRGINIA getting 7 at Texas; UCLA giving 2 1/2 at California.
Locks of the week: None
Record: 4-1 overall, 1-1 locks of the week (had Toledo as a pick at Western Michigan and Rockets won, 37-17; lost with Ball State at Kent State).
Tomorrow: Complete analysis of the game
