Temple @ Army 2010 - Video Stream Availability

Temple/Army live video stream is up, look under the radio tab for that.






_

From Temple's Perspective

Looking around the net for some Army/Temple pregame info I was lucky enough to find a couple of dedicated Temple Blogs


Owlified

Temple Football Forever


I wish I wasn't booked so thick this week because I would have loved to do a Q&A with either of those guys.

Lord knows I have enough questions about the 2010 edition of Temple football.

Is this a better edition of the Owls than last year?  Will Bernard Pierce go?


This is another huge game for Army. A win will set the bar one notch higher for the Black Knights. A loss brings the all the questions about Army's football playing ability swirling back in.

It should be a beautiful day for football on Saturday. It should be 64 with clear skies; a perfect day weather wise for homecoming day which bodes well for a large crowd.

Sal Interdonato has Army/Temple team matchups posted and did a video preview for the game available here.

I should have no problem linking a live stream of the game tomorrow. Hit the Radio tab above near game time for the free candy.

I'm really looking forward to this one; another challenge that win or lose will define the program.

Looking Ahead to Temple

If you didn't get a chance to see the highlights from the Duke game, GoArmySports.com has a video look back at the key plays.



It's nice to finally see the offense in all its glory, both in terms of seeing the Duke highlights for the first time and Army coming into its own on both sides of the ball against a BCS conference opponent.

I'm not trying to bullshit anybody, I'm not going to stand here and say Duke is the top of the ACC. Duke will lose more than they win, they may well fold up the tent after this loss and I'm pretty sure they won't win another game as they move into ACC play. I'm picturing a 1-11 Duke team, not that I don't like Duke or don't care about the Blue Devils - I'm just being honest with what they have done to this point and what I feel they are capable of down the stretch.

This is as close as Rich Ellerson has come to his opus, but in order for the Duke game to not remain 'as close as Rich Ellerson will come to his opus' - Army will have to continue winning football games in their own manner.

This is the last year for some key seniors on both sides of the ball - not to mention the stellar job being done by the offensive line. This team will be lucky to find this kind of leadership next year - not saying the Juniors aren't capable, it will just be a different team next year.
My point is that the time is now. A win vs Temple would avenge another bad loss from 2009 - and could manifest Head Coach Rich Ellerson's magnum opus as a season's worth of work and not necessarily one singular game.

So there is that, and it is all made possible by winning the next game. Temple is a solid opponent, but it's clear they can be beaten.

Temple's defense is merely 73rd against the run, giving up 4.17 yards per carry and 159.50 yards per game. Temple's total defense has given up 370.50 yards per contest.

The teams both done well each holding opponents to under 20 points per game, but Temple had better make their time with the ball count as the Owls are 88th in Time Of Possession holding the ball for only 28:26 per game. Incidentally, Army is the #1 team in the NCAA in terms of time of possession.


# 8 in rushing offense

(and dead last in FBS in passing)




Temple is not Duke. The Owls bring a strong resume into Michie Stadium. Wins against capable opponents Central Michigan and Connecticut plus a last second win at home against Defending 1-AA champ Villanova in their first game... at 3-1,Temple has as impressive a record through the first four games as any team on Army's schedule. I can promise you that Temple isn't going to execute as poorly as Duke did, come Saturday.

Personnel wise, Temple is still hoping to have their star Bernard Pierce back in action for this game. Pierce left last week's game with Penn State with an ankle injury. Army is hoping to get a couple of guys closer to 100% and we should expect a full compliment of backs running the ball for the Black Knights. 


Go Army Sports has Temple game notes up. (pdf) and also posted Rich Ellerson's press conference quotes.

Blogpoll Week 5 Ballot

Here's the blogpoll ballot for Week 5.

Pitt is voted out of the Top 25 for good this year. Much like USC, no matter what they do on the field they will not find their way into my top 25 - unlike USC, Pitt will be left out of the rankings for their play on the field, though the recent rash of Panther arrests would have put Pitt in the running for the offseason's Fulmer Cup.


I have watched every Oregon game and I truly believe they are the best team in the land. I was on the boat of not voting Alabama down until they lost, but UO is playing that well this year.  I have hated the ducks for the longest time, but this year I feel they can win it all - and they absolutely deserve the ranking.

I kind of sense a small gap between the top three teams and the next three or four teams. I maybe should have bumped Stanford up into Oklahoma's #8 spot.

I don't know why I keep placing TCU so low. I haven't watched them play all year so I have very little to go on, but I guess I will have to give them a bump up next week during the shuffle. Auburn keeps up their Houdini act. No other team can has pulled wins out of the fire like Auburn. It is probably a matter of time, but they have done what they were asked to do.

I'm big on the Badgers, but I couldn't justify jumping too many teams above a respected TCU team. I suppose I could have dropped Arkansas down a couple more spots, but they looked pretty good from what I saw of the Alabama game.

I don't know how strongly I feel about this edition of the poll, but things should straighten themselves out soon enough.

 

   

   

The Unbalanced Line Ballot - Week 5

   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	1
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	-1
3	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
4	Florida Gators	--
5	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
6	Boise St. Broncos	1
7	Arizona Wildcats	1
8	Oklahoma Sooners	1
9	Stanford Cardinal	2
10	TCU Horned Frogs	--
11	Auburn Tigers	4
12	Utah Utes	--
13	Wisconsin Badgers	3
14	Miami Hurricanes	4
15	South Carolina Gamecocks	-2
16	Arkansas Razorbacks	-2
17	Michigan Wolverines	2
18	Texas Longhorns	-12
19	Nevada Wolf Pack	1
20	Iowa Hawkeyes	-3
21	Michigan St. Spartans	1
22	Houston Cougars	1
23	Penn St. Nittany Lions	-2
24	Air Force Falcons	--
25	N.C. State Wolfpack	--
Dropouts: Pittsburgh Panthers

   

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

 

 

Army/Duke Wrap Up

Well, well, well. The Black Knights returned from North Carolina with a triumphant 35-21 victory @ Duke.
I really wish I could have watched this one, but it was not to be.

Prior to the game Trent Steelman was profiled in a piece from his hometown Bowling Green Daily News. What a time for a spotlight as #8 led the team in offense with 18 carries for 62 yards and 4/6 passing for a season high 85 pass yards.

“We set four goals before the start of the season,” he explained. “No. 1 was to lead the nation in turnover margin. That’s a big part both offensively and defensively (Army is tied for 16th at 1.33). No. 2 was, of course, to win a bowl game (Army needs to win four of its final eight games against FBS opponents to be bowl eligible). No. 3 was to be the least penalized team in the nation - or top five, preferably No. 1 (Army is tied for 19th at 4.67 penalties per game). And No. 4 was to win the CiC - the Commander in Chief trophy (the Black Nights play Air Force on Nov. 6 and Navy on Dec. 11). Those are our four goals we set our eyes on and we think it’s very, very accomplishable.”

Army simply ate Duke's lunch this time around, and didn't give the Blue Devils room to breathe from the opening kickoff until the game was out of hand.

Coach Ellerson's efforts to lead the nation in turnover margin is paying off, as the Black Knights had five takeaways which they turned into 28 points.


It was a solid game by Army, which were helped by an early lead and Duke miscues throughout the game. It should be mentioned that Duke did everything it could to take themselves out of the contest - but credit Army for doing what they had to do with the lead they were given.

Army dominated the clock, possessing the ball for 39 minutes and 57 seconds. The Black Knights ran 18 more plays than Duke.

Opinions of the Army program are rising and rightfully so; the team is 3-1 and Army's bowl hopes are alive and well. With this light schedule, it will be tough to gauge exactly how good this Army team is, but next week's game against Temple should provide a true test of Army's football playing ability.


Here's your Army/Duke story and stats.