Steve Addazio implores fans to take it to the next level.
About two minutes before the start of Temple's game at UConn last week, a very loud chant of "LET'S GO TEMPLE" could be heard from the corner of the end zone where about 900 Temple fans stood.
Montel Harris, standing right next to Steve Addazio and loosening up, turned around and gave a "thumbs up" to the Temple cheering section and raised both palms as if asking for the volume to be turned up.
I'm glad Harris is on Temple's side for tomorrow's game (noon, Lincoln Financial Field) with Rutgers.
He hears it and he gets it.
Michael Basiden has a phrase he repeats on WDAS-FM (105.3, Mondays through Fridays, 3-7 p.m.) when he says something people might construe as outrageous.
When you see the "this is our house" in the video, it's a cue for a "Let's Go Temple" cheer.
"That's right, I said it!" Baisden, who has a popular nationally syndicated radio show, will repeat.
Harris doesn't need to repeat it, but this quote has all but one Harris YouTube clip so far this season:
"I want to help my team to the Orange Bowl. That's our goal."
Harris wasn't talking about Boston College.
He was talking about Temple.
That's right. He said it.
Last week's game against UConn might have been a bowl elimination game.
Tomorrow's game against Rutgers might be an Orange Bowl elimination game.
Win, and the dream remains alive.
Lose, and the dream in all likelihood is dashed.
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| Set the alarms for 7 a.m. tomorrow and enjoy the beautiful day at LFF. |
If Temple wins the league, it will go to the Orange Bowl and no amount of backroom dealing can keep the Owls out.
I like the way Montel Harris reaches for the stars.
Some Temple fans poo-poo such talk. Some might even call it embarrassing.
It is not embarrassing to tell people your goal is to be the best you can be.
Right now, the 2-0 Owls can be the Big East champs.
That's a fact.
Whether they will be in a position to do it depends I think on a couple of things:
1) Can the fans take it to the next level? Can we get the 30K TEMPLE fans in attendance to stand and chant "Let's Go Temple" at the top of their lungs and sing the fight song in unison like they did several times in the second half of the USF game? (If you don't think the kids on the team hear it, see the first graph above.)
2) Will the offensive game plan be diverse enough to get the job done? In other words, maybe open up with a two-minute drill, throw in a trickeration play or two, throw on first down enough to set up Harris' on second- and third-down runs?
I saw enough evidence in the second half of the Maryland and USF games to think No. 1 can happen.
No. 2, I'm not so sure about but I have to trust that a coaching staff with muliple national championship rings can figure that out.
Harris and the rest of the Owls will be ready.
Will you?
Tomorrow: No story due to power tailgating but complete analysis on Sunday
