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| The weather at UConn on Oct. 13 (above) was colder than is forecast for today. |
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| The weather (above) for Philadelphia on Nov. 23. |
"Having 500 yards of rushing for Coach Daz is like giving an addict another baggie of crack. We may never see another forward pass."Steve Addazio's affinity for the running game reminds me of my obsession with the lottery.
_ Fan post on Scout.com
It never does me any good, but I keep going back to it every Saturday.
If 1-3-13-19-20 and 6 come up this Saturday, I will be writing my next posts from Clearwater Beach and waiting down there for the six weeks it will take for some of the early pitchers and catchers to report.
Before I hitch my brand new Chevy Volt to a chartered Auto Train in Lorton (Va.), I will donate $200 million to Temple to start its own stadium fund. I think I can scrape by on the remaining $156 mil. (I'll stop by the house of the lone TFF donor from Lorton beforehand and give him a $1 million check for believing in me when I was poor.)
Otherwise, I still will be up here pounding the payment.
If the numbers 351 and 7, as in yards and touchdowns for Montel Harris, comes up Friday, Addazio and his Temple Owls will probably be going bowling. (Yeah, I know the Owls will be a five-win team, but they will be the only five-win team with just six losses and the hottest running back in the country.)
Neither my winning the lotto or those numbers coming up for Daz will happen, but I know I'm willing to lay odds against either of us trying.
The Army game was, as Jeffrey Lurie might say, Fool's Gold. Army was ranked 118th in rushing defense. Syracuse is ranked 43d in the same category. Big difference. If Temple approaches Syracuse with the same game plan it took to West Point, the Owls will be the team losing, 63-32.
Somebody had a great line on Scout.com the other day about that and I wish I could give him credit but I'm afraid he'd get in trouble so here's the perceptive fan post of the year:
"Having 500 yards of rushing for Coach Daz is like giving an addict another baggie of crack. We may never see another forward pass."
Why do I get the feeling that the first three plays Friday morning will be Harris off-tackle right, followed by Harris off-tackle left and a read option that goes for no gain?
To me, that's the wrong way to go but I've been saying that all year and I now know Daz doesn't give a wit what I think.
Temple's best chance of moving the ball and keeping it out of Ryan Nassib's hand is to deftly fake it to Montel Harris on A LOT of first downs, then make "explosive plays in the passing game downfield" to spread the defense and get the eight out of the box.
With Harris' history established as the Owls' chief offensive weapon, a play-fake to him is likely to freeze the defense long enough that Jalen Fitzpatrick and Ryan Alderman and company will be so open in the seams that both will probably be frantically waving their hands above their heads.
That way, the Owls can go back to Harris and the running game a lot more effectively, chew up large chunks of each quarter and salt away an important victory over the Saltine Warriors.
Why do I get the feeling that the first three plays Friday morning will be Harris off-tackle right, followed by Harris off-tackle left and a read option that goes for no gain?
If Daz proves me wrong for the first time all year, that will be a little like winning the lottery without the monetary reward.
If not, I will still always have Saturdays to look forward to at about 11 p.m.
Tomorrow: Complete game analysis and Saturday football picks
