Mayor's Cup: Villanova v. Temple, Linc

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Video of the game, if anyone is interested, is $8 and comes from All MAC-Cess:

http://livegames.mac-sports.com/

I'm listening on the radio.

Temple 17
Villanova 7

Mid-3rd

[Lehigh Football Nation]

TD 'Nova, 5 yd TD pass Whitney to Cancy
Jako XP Good

Temple 17
Nova 14

:22 left, 3rd Q

[93henfan]

I predicted a Nova OT victory and I don't look like a chump just yet. :D

[Lehigh Football Nation]

44 yard TD pass Temple, Campbell caught ball in traffic

Temple 24
Nova 14

Early 4th

PS. Come on, Nova!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Went for it 4th down, receiver dragged the foot in bounds for a huge reception by the WR. Play under review.

Play stands, but Temple knocked them out of FG range. 3rd and 25.

WR Harvey makes a huge catch at the 9 yard line. FG Unit coming out.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

FG Good 29 yards Jako... line drive through

Temple 24
Nova 17

12:33 left, 4Q

[joecooll6]

Go Nova! Itd be nice to rack up some FCS vs. FBS wins early on. Whatd we only get 2 last year?

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

PWN 'EM NOVA


xflamemadxxflamemadxxflamemadxxflamemadx
:D

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Fumble... Temple.

No call.....

1st down 'Nova, at own 35

5:00ish to play

[Lehigh Football Nation]

1st down Whitney, scramble, Nova 47

[93henfan]

OT, OT, OT (say it with me)!

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Keep the updates coming LFN.

We are pushing the refresh button repeatedly to get updates.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

3rd and 2...

Pass to WR Harvey, 1st down to the 29 yd line

3:35 left

Brandon Harvey has been a beast today.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

1st and 10, Temple 18 affter (who else) a Harvey reception

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Run down to the 10 yard line by ??? (I think it was Whitney)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Aaron Ball rush for 1st down, 1st and goal

Under 2 to play

[Lehigh Football Nation]

1st goal at 6, Whitney to pass, just missed

2nd down

1:29 left

[Lehigh Football Nation]

2nd and goal from 6

Whitney...

TD HARVEY

PAT COMING

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Jako XP is....

GOOD

Temple 24
Nova 24

1:24 to play

I smell OT

[Gringer1]

I'm gonna pee myself... and I don't even really care about these teams. I'm just that hyped up for football and the FCS getting some upsets.

[93henfan]

Thanks for the updates. What a game!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Did I mention Villanova's radio announcers have to be the best in FCS? I like Lehigh's, but Villanova's are great.

Temple takes over 26 yd line

1:17 to play

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Temple 1st down own 40 yd line

1:06 left, Temple 2 TOs left

[Lehigh Football Nation]

INTERCEPTION!!!!!!!!!

Dempsey had 1 guy to beat... and slipped!

1st and 10, Temple 46!

[downbythebeach]

nice

[downbythebeach]

by the way EKU is not doing too bad right now against Indiana

[93henfan]

INTERCEPTION!!!!!!!!!

Woo hoo!

(holy poop - I'm rooting for Nova)

[ur2k]

Did I mention Villanova's radio announcers have to be the best in FCS? I like Lehigh's, but Villanova's are great.

Temple takes over 26 yd line

1:17 to play

do you have an online radio link?

[brownbear]

Awesome, Go Nova!!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Announcers said the INT was right at Dempsey.

1st down at Temple 35, Szcur.

Nova students ready to storm the field.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Pass complete to 14 yard line!!!!!

31 seconds left.

Reception under review.

[Skjellyfetti]

Let's go Nova!

[Uncle Buck]

cmon nova!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

do you have an online radio link?

I'm listening to it over the air. Not sure where online link is, sorry.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Harvey: 9 catches, 142 yards.

Call stands. 1st down at 14.

[brownbear]

Catch good?

[93henfan]

I'm listening to it over the air. Not sure where online link is, sorry.

What station? I may break out the boom box. :D

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Ball runs 1 yard, to get to middle of field. TO Temple.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

What station? I may break out the boom box. :D

I think it's AM 990.

[downbythebeach]

how much time we gots?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

QB draw, right to 15. TO Temple. 22 seconds to go.

Correction: Whitney takes a knee, taking the clock down to 2 or 1 seconds.

TO Nova. Jako's FG to come...

[seattlespider]

how much time we gots?

22 secs. Nova ball in the middle of the field. Setting up for a FG.

[Head Cat]

Villanova is setting up Nick Yako for a winning field goal. Come on redshirt freshman.

[Uncle Buck]

cmon!!!

[downbythebeach]

game tracker isnt working on villanova site...

[Head Cat]

Time out with three seconds left. Will be from 32 yards.

[seattlespider]

3 secs. Ball on 15. Nova set up for GW field goal.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

The kick is...

[Uncle Buck]

cmon!

[downbythebeach]

you dont want a freshman kicking at the Linc to win a game against your crosstown rival

[Lehigh Football Nation]

GOOD!!!!!!!!

[seattlespider]

It's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

NOVA 27
TEMPLE 24

FINAL

[93henfan]

Congrats Nova. Now don't pull a Cal-Stanford.

[Skjellyfetti]

Nice win, Nova!

[brownbear]

YEAH!!

[TxState_GO_CATS!]

yessssss!!!!!

[downbythebeach]

1 down 60 or so to go

[Uncle Buck]

Nice W for the cats.

[TexasTerror]

GO WILDCATS!

DOWN GOES FBS! DOWN GOES TEMPLE!

[slycat]

Awesome.

[SonuvaHenx2]

Congrats Nova! Good win

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

GAME OVER!!!

GOOD JOB NOVA!!!

[Uncle Buck]

Chalk one up for the little guy

[93henfan]

Congrats Nova. Great win. I even called the score correctly. :D

[ur2k]

Sweet! Good job Nova. First FBS scalp of the year, let's get some more.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Congrats NOVA! You have raised the bar for the rest of us.

I watched this game on the computer ... this wasn't your daddy's Temple team either ... Nova just beat a GOOD team.

[Fordham]

Congrats Cats!!!!

[WrenFGun]

WTG NOVA!

[UNHFootballAlum]

Congrats Nova

[ngineer]

Wow--I just finished running through the series of posts and it was exciting just following the pages. However, this is not a huge shock. I and a lot of others were picking 'Nova to win this game, and not just for 'ulterior motives';).

Hopefully, we take care of business Saturday afternoon, and then get ready to make the earth move...:D

[JohnStOnge]

Nova just beat a GOOD team.

Let's not get carried away. My bet is that Temple will not prove out to be a "good" team in the context of FBS. By that I mean they're going to be weaker than average for FBS.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Let's not get carried away. My bet is that Temple will not prove out to be a "good" team in the context of FBS. By that I mean they're going to be weaker than average for FBS.

Maybe, but they will be one of the better teams in the MAC.

[strike00]

Let's not get carried away. My bet is that Temple will not prove out to be a "good" team in the context of FBS. By that I mean they're going to be weaker than average for FBS.

Agreed, but great win Nova! Hopefully other FCS teams can follow your lead.

[malibudude]

Congrats 'Nova. Well played.

[soccerguy315]

well played by Nova, congrats.

[LacesOut]

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH BUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!

Way to go 'Nova!!!

Congrats on a very very good win, what a way to start the season!

[Philliesfan980]

I was at the game tonight - not sure if it was a great game by either team, but it was a close game.

Temple once again manages to clutch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Nobody in this town is going to take them seriously until they learn how to close out games. As a Temple fan first (and Nova second), this is a tough loss to swallow. I'm not sure if they can recover from it to be honest. It smells like another .500 season.

Chris Whitney did an excellent job leading the Cats in the 4th quarter though. The guy may not have the best "on paper" QB skills, but he definitely has the intangibles. Harvey looks like he's poised to have a huge season at WR. Matt S (always botch spelling his last name) never really factored in the game, although I believe he had one nice KO return.

All in all, great win for Nova, this really springboards them into the year. Really tough loss for Temple, and as I said, I'm not sure if they can recover from this one.

[JDC325]

I love it only because here in Atlanta there is a Sports Talk radio dou.che named John Kincade (680 the fan) who constantly rips GSU and the FCS and just happens to be a Temple grad. He also rails against FBS teams playing FCS teams saying the "bigger" schools should just have bake sales for FCS teams instead of playing them. Karma is a b#$% John. It is also funny since GSU is a client now of the station running commercials. So now some of his paycheck is generated by GSU as well. Rough year for a elitist a hole so far.

Be sure to email him and let him know AGS could have a bake sale for Temple.

[email protected]

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Let's not get carried away. My bet is that Temple will not prove out to be a "good" team in the context of FBS. By that I mean they're going to be weaker than average for FBS.

All I'm trying to say is this isn't your daddy's 1-10 Temple Owls. This team will win its fair share of games.

What 1-A team has your squad beaten?

[IaaScribe]

Yay. This was the only FCS over FBS upset I picked this week ... called for 'Nova to win 22-20. Dang close. Nice win for the Wildcats.

[Elon Fightin' Christians]

Nice win for NOVA but not an upset when a top-10 FCS beats a bottom-dwelling FBS.

GOOD JOB !!!



GO PHILLIES !!!

[wideright82]

Awesome Game!!! Just got home. My god... unbelieveable.








N-O-V-A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BDKJMU]

Let's not get carried away. My bet is that Temple will not prove out to be a "good" team in the context of FBS. By that I mean they're going to be weaker than average for FBS.

I said this on the Nova vs Temple thread:
"Temple was 5-7 (4-4 MAC) last season and will be better. Their losses last yr were by 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, and 10. Only game they were blown out was Penn State. Temple will be one of the better teams in the MAC, finish above .500, and in a bowl (albeit a toilet bowl)" and I predicted a Temple win.

I went to the game. Course if someone had told me that Temple would turn the ball over 5 times (to one turnover for Nova) and miss a short FG to boot I would have of course predicted a Nova win. Temple's QB in I believe his 1st start look goood at times, horrible at others. He threw 3 very bad picks. Had 2 long bomb TD throws. One was a nice pass, but the other the receiver had to stop for and just won a jump ball.

This is a game that without the turnovers (one was a fumble Nova ran baclk for a TD) Temple wins handily by 2-3 TDs. Assuming the Temple QB improves, I STILL think Temple will be one of the better teams in the MAC this season and end up 6-6 or 7-5 and go to a toilet bowl. So don't knock Nova's win.

This was a very impressive win for Nova against a decent MAC team. Remember, this decade I-A have won about 91% of the matchups. Last year it was 85-2. It wouldn't surprise me at the end of the season if this was the only I-AA over a I-A that finished .500 or above.

Congrats to Nova on their big win.

[BDKJMU]

Maybe, but they will be one of the better teams in the MAC.

Assuming that QB improves, yes Temple will.

[Philliesfan980]

I said this on the Nova vs Temple thread:
"Temple was 5-7 (4-4 MAC) last season and will be better. Their losses last yr were by 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, and 10. Only game they were blown out was Penn State. Temple will be one of the better teams in the MAC, finish above .500, and in a bowl (albeit a toilet bowl)" and I predicted a Temple win.

I went to the game. Course if someone had told me that Temple would turn the ball over 5 times (to one turnover for Nova) and miss a short FG to boot I would have of course predicted a Nova win. Temple's QB in I believe his 1st start look goood at times, horrible at others. He threw 3 very bad picks. Had 2 long bomb TD throws. One was a nice pass, but the other the receiver had to stop for and just won a jump ball.

This is a game that without the turnovers (one was a fumble Nova ran baclk for a TD) Temple wins handily by 2-3 TDs. Assuming the Temple QB improves, I STILL think Temple will be one of the better teams in the MAC this season and end up 6-6 or 7-5 and go to a toilet bowl. So don't knock Nova's win.

This was a very impressive win for Nova against a decent MAC team. Remember, this decade I-A have won about 91% of the matchups. Last year it was 85-2. It wouldn't surprise me at the end of the season if this was the only I-AA over a I-A that finished .500 or above.

Congrats to Nova on their big win.

I have to agree with you. When I left the game, I still felt that Temple was the better team. They really controlled the line of scrimmage for the most part, they just fell apart in the 4th, which is pretty normal for them. Great Nova win though.

Also Charlton started a few games in 2007 when DiMichele broke his leg, pretty much had the same results. The guy can throw a nice deep ball, but it's troubling that he seems to be making the same mistakes he made 2 years ago. They guy can't read a zone defense to save his life.

[BDKJMU]

I have to agree with you. When I left the game, I still felt that Temple was the better team. They really controlled the line of scrimmage for the most part, they just fell apart in the 4th, which is pretty normal for them. Great Nova win though.

Also Charlton started a few games in 2007 when DiMichele broke his leg, pretty much had the same results. The guy can throw a nice deep ball, but it's troubling that he seems to be making the same mistakes he made 2 years ago. They guy can't read a zone defense to save his life.

Of course Temple would beat Nova in a series, just like most of the I-A would that lose to a I-AA, but of course in FB you don't play series. You only have to be better on one day.

As far as controlling the line of scrimmage, I think Temple did on both sides of the ball. Didn't dominate, but had the edge. That Temple O-line was huge. According to the program I bought they avg almost 6'5" and 313. I was wondering why they didn't try to pound the ball a little more given their size advantage and green QB. Nova was having some trouble with the Temple d-line, esp #2 the listed at 6'2" 300 LB NT Nesbitt? who I read was on the Nagurski watch list. I don't think a NT should be able to wear a #2 BTW. It looks ridiculous.

As far as that Temple QB not being able to read a zone defense, it appeared that way. The 2nd INT near the goal line was just a horrible pass (I was sitting right in the corner of that endzone opposite the Nova student section, the 1st row). The 1st and last ones there wasn't a Temple receiver near the ball as I recall. Like I said, IF Temple can get improved QB play I see them still going at least .500 in the MAC and overall. They are going to get their a** kicked next week in Happy Valley though.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Just got home from the game, absolutely sick. We were the better team and choked away the "W" like always. All we did was stop our selves all night with turnovers. Without them we win this game by 3-4 TD's. 'Nova is pretty good but i still don't see them as one of the 5 best teams in the country right now. I just can't believe how we completely choked. It is who we are though, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

If Lehigh plays well on Saturday i deffinitely think they have at least a shot next week. 'Nova's "D" was average at very best. Their oline wasn't too strong either as they got pressure on Whitney almost all night. 'Nova's strength imo is their wr's. Lehigh is going to have trouble stopping them. Temple has more size and speed than 'Nova and Lehigh, i'm just not sure how much difference there is between VU and LU.

[TheValleyRaider]

Way to go Nova! THAT is how you start a season! xthumbsupx xnodx xthumbsupx xnodx xthumbsupx

[appmountaineer]

congratulations Nova!!!! I thought you guys would pull it out!

[BDKJMU]

Here's some interesting stats:

QB comparison:
Whitney from Nova: 24 of 35 for 278, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
Charlton from Temple: 19 of 28 for 317, 2 TDs, 3 INTs

Whitney really impressed me. Sometimes he had ample time to throw. Other times when Temple blitzed,or guys didn't get blocked, or initially there wasn't someone open, Whitney was forced to scramble. He did get sacked 3 times, but he also made a lot of scrambles where he either completed a pass or went for positive yardage. He was listed with 17 carries for 33 yards, but take off the 3 sacks, and it was 14 for 54, most of that on scrambles. I did notice Nova put Young in for one series in the 1st half when Nova was struggling to move the ball.

I thought Matt Szur (#4 for Nova) would have a bigger game, but he was held to 5 yard on 3 carries. He did have 4 receptions for 31 yards and the big 50+ yard kick return.

Harvey (#3) for Nova looked impressive. 9 receptions for 42 yards and a TD.

I noticed Ball was held to 21 yard on 9 carries, an Nova was held to 64 yards rushing. That will certainly be Nova's rushing low for the season, and will probably be the only time this season that Nova is held to under 100. Like was previously already stated, Temple pretty much won the line of scrimmage battle on both sides of the ball (Nova did hold Temple to 139 yards rushing). Temple outgained Nova 456-357, but that was all for naught with the turnovers and also the play of Whitney at QB.

http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/game1.html
http://www.owlsports.com/news/2009/9/3/FB_0903092656.aspx

[Hoyadestroya85]

This was one of the best football games i've ever been to.. (i'll finally admit about the JMU game at Villanova Stadium.)

[Ivytalk]

A very nasal congratulations to the Wildcats! Come again soon!

Sincerely, Mayor Michael Nutter:p

[ur2k]

Just got home from the game, absolutely sick. We were the better team and choked away the "W" like always. All we did was stop our selves all night with turnovers. Without them we win this game by 3-4 TD's. 'Nova is pretty good but i still don't see them as one of the 5 best teams in the country right now. I just can't believe how we completely choked. It is who we are though, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

If Lehigh plays well on Saturday i deffinitely think they have at least a shot next week. 'Nova's "D" was average at very best. Their oline wasn't too strong either as they got pressure on Whitney almost all night. 'Nova's strength imo is their wr's. Lehigh is going to have trouble stopping them. Temple has more size and speed than 'Nova and Lehigh, i'm just not sure how much difference there is between VU and LU.

You do realize turnovers count as part of the game, right?

I love when teams lose and the fans come back and say - we should've won except for all the times we turned it over. Well maybe they shouldn't have given the other team the ball so many times. xrotatehx

[henfan]

Upset?! Temple is now 1-3 in their last 4 games versus CAA competition.

[Franks Tanks]

All I'm trying to say is this isn't your daddy's 1-10 Temple Owls. This team will win its fair share of games.

What 1-A team has your squad beaten?

His squad (McNeese) did beat LA-Lafayette last year

[McNeese75]

Congrats to Nova!! xthumbsupx Any FBS win is a good one xnodx

[Tribe4SF]

Just got home from the game, absolutely sick. We were the better team and choked away the "W" like always. All we did was stop our selves all night with turnovers. Without them we win this game by 3-4 TD's. 'Nova is pretty good but i still don't see them as one of the 5 best teams in the country right now. I just can't believe how we completely choked. It is who we are though, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

If Lehigh plays well on Saturday i deffinitely think they have at least a shot next week. 'Nova's "D" was average at very best. Their oline wasn't too strong either as they got pressure on Whitney almost all night. 'Nova's strength imo is their wr's. Lehigh is going to have trouble stopping them. Temple has more size and speed than 'Nova and Lehigh, i'm just not sure how much difference there is between VU and LU.

Well, you get to find out next week. Based on last year's 33-14 outcome, Lehigh will need to be much, much better to hang with a Wildcat squad that appears to be improved themselves.

[DTSpider]

Congrats Nova!

Looking forward to tomorrow to see if the CAA can take some ACC skin as well...

[EmeryZach]

Is there any video of this game anywhere? Any clips or anything?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Upset?! Temple is now 1-3 in their last 4 games versus CAA competition.

With two losses to the Wildcats, I'd like to point out.

[OL FU]

Congrats to Novaxthumbsupx

[GannonFan]

I said this on the Nova vs Temple thread:
"Temple was 5-7 (4-4 MAC) last season and will be better. Their losses last yr were by 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, and 10. Only game they were blown out was Penn State. Temple will be one of the better teams in the MAC, finish above .500, and in a bowl (albeit a toilet bowl)" and I predicted a Temple win.

I went to the game. Course if someone had told me that Temple would turn the ball over 5 times (to one turnover for Nova) and miss a short FG to boot I would have of course predicted a Nova win. Temple's QB in I believe his 1st start look goood at times, horrible at others. He threw 3 very bad picks. Had 2 long bomb TD throws. One was a nice pass, but the other the receiver had to stop for and just won a jump ball.

This is a game that without the turnovers (one was a fumble Nova ran baclk for a TD) Temple wins handily by 2-3 TDs. Assuming the Temple QB improves, I STILL think Temple will be one of the better teams in the MAC this season and end up 6-6 or 7-5 and go to a toilet bowl. So don't knock Nova's win.

This was a very impressive win for Nova against a decent MAC team. Remember, this decade I-A have won about 91% of the matchups. Last year it was 85-2. It wouldn't surprise me at the end of the season if this was the only I-AA over a I-A that finished .500 or above.

Congrats to Nova on their big win.


I have to agree with you. When I left the game, I still felt that Temple was the better team. They really controlled the line of scrimmage for the most part, they just fell apart in the 4th, which is pretty normal for them. Great Nova win though.

Also Charlton started a few games in 2007 when DiMichele broke his leg, pretty much had the same results. The guy can throw a nice deep ball, but it's troubling that he seems to be making the same mistakes he made 2 years ago. They guy can't read a zone defense to save his life.

Let's not make out Temple to be something other than they are - they were 5-7 with a full MAC schedule last year, and lost to teams like Kent St. Golden's best job so far as Temple coach has been to make people believe that Temple has really turned the corner and is anything other than a bottom tier FBS team, which they still are. The MAC, outside of the handful of top teams, has had a few down years of late, so Temple being .500 in that conference isn't something to really hang your hat on.

I said it before - a real telling stat is that over the last 5 years, Temple is 0-4 against Navy. During that same time an up and down UD program is 2-1 against Navy. It's a good win for nova, but you also should expect a top FCS team to beat Temple most of the time. xthumbsupx

[Hoyadestroya85]

22 scholarships is still 22 scholarships

[Go...gate]

Congratulations to Villanova!! Nice work!!

[Anovafan]

Let's not make out Temple to be something other than they are - they were 5-7 with a full MAC schedule last year, and lost to teams like Kent St. Golden's best job so far as Temple coach has been to make people believe that Temple has really turned the corner and is anything other than a bottom tier FBS team, which they still are. The MAC, outside of the handful of top teams, has had a few down years of late, so Temple being .500 in that conference isn't something to really hang your hat on.

I said it before - a real telling stat is that over the last 5 years, Temple is 0-4 against Navy. During that same time an up and down UD program is 2-1 against Navy. It's a good win for nova, but you also should expect a top FCS team to beat Temple most of the time. xthumbsupx

Gotta disagree with you GannonFan, this Temple team would go about .500 or better if they played the top 10 FCS teams week in and week out. They would win or tie for the CAA crown this year in my opinion. They were bigger, faster, stronger and better than Nova in just about every position except QB. Nova played a perfect 4th quarter and pulled out a gutty win. Whitney was terrible in the first half, but exceptional in the second half. Temple was able to do something that pretty much nobody else has done so far, shut down Nova's running game. The Nova coaches did a great job adjusting at half-time and took what they could get in the second half. The defense played much better in the second half forcing turnovers. Overall, it was a remarkable win for the program. 6 years ago, I thought Nova was the better team and should have won. This year, Temple was the better team, but Nova won.

Everyone can trash Temple as much as they want, but they are a solid team. Seeing them in person from the sideline, they are much improved. They just need to get a QB.

[jmufan999]

i'm just not sure how much difference there is between VU and LU.

i'm pretty sure. i'm predicting a bigger blowout than last year's 19 point Nova win.

this is a fast, fast, fast team. you'd better have an incredibly fast defense.

[EmeryZach]

So no video of this game anywhere? I looked all over youtube for fan video but couldn't find a thing.

[GannonFan]

22 scholarships is still 22 scholarships


And yet somehow teams like Idaho and most of the Sun Belt have actually declined in quality since they added the additional scholarships. The number of scholarships given is always less important that the quality of player you give the scholarship to. xthumbsupx

[ChickenMan]

I believe that Temple is a good team and I think that they will have a successful year.. but it's pretty tough to beat any opponent when you are -4 in the turnover department.. let alone a good opponent.. which Nova certainly is this year.

[GannonFan]

Gotta disagree with you GannonFan, this Temple team would go about .500 or better if they played the top 10 FCS teams week in and week out. They would win or tie for the CAA crown this year in my opinion. They were bigger, faster, stronger and better than Nova in just about every position except QB. Nova played a perfect 4th quarter and pulled out a gutty win. Whitney was terrible in the first half, but exceptional in the second half. Temple was able to do something that pretty much nobody else has done so far, shut down Nova's running game. The Nova coaches did a great job adjusting at half-time and took what they could get in the second half. The defense played much better in the second half forcing turnovers. Overall, it was a remarkable win for the program. 6 years ago, I thought Nova was the better team and should have won. This year, Temple was the better team, but Nova won.

Everyone can trash Temple as much as they want, but they are a solid team. Seeing them in person from the sideline, they are much improved. They just need to get a QB.

Hey, feel free to disagree. But having watched a UD team play without a QB last year, saying they are just a QB away from being a good team is a pretty big chasm between being good and not being good. I think UD has a better chance again this year of beating Navy than Temple does. The MAC is just not a good conference right now, and that will gloss over Temple's failings. If you plopped the MAC into FCS right now and let them keep their schollies I'm not sure you'd see a MAC team get past the quarterfinals in the playoffs this year. Like I said, Golden is great at spinning a story. xthumbsupx

[ChickenMan]

Hey, feel free to disagree.


I do... ;)

[Hoyadestroya85]

And yet somehow teams like Idaho and most of the Sun Belt have actually declined in quality since they added the additional scholarships. The number of scholarships given is always less important that the quality of player you give the scholarship to. xthumbsupx

regardless, they had better players for the most part and better depth. They dominated the line of scrimmage against a team that should shut down the run. This is a decent Temple team.

[phillyAPP]

Congrats Nova. Great win. I even called the score correctly. :D


Thats pretty good calling the score.

I said that NOVA's winning experience would make the difference at the end of the game.

NOVA's GOT MO(MOmentum) from last year.

Way to go NOVA !!!!!

[Anovafan]

Hey, feel free to disagree. But having watched a UD team play without a QB last year, saying they are just a QB away from being a good team is a pretty big chasm between being good and not being good. I think UD has a better chance again this year of beating Navy than Temple does. The MAC is just not a good conference right now, and that will gloss over Temple's failings. If you plopped the MAC into FCS right now and let them keep their schollies I'm not sure you'd see a MAC team get past the quarterfinals in the playoffs this year. Like I said, Golden is great at spinning a story. xthumbsupx

Now you got me agreeing with you. If UD had Flacco or Devlin last year, I think they would have been a NC contender.

[Philliesfan980]

Let's not make out Temple to be something other than they are - they were 5-7 with a full MAC schedule last year, and lost to teams like Kent St. Golden's best job so far as Temple coach has been to make people believe that Temple has really turned the corner and is anything other than a bottom tier FBS team, which they still are. The MAC, outside of the handful of top teams, has had a few down years of late, so Temple being .500 in that conference isn't something to really hang your hat on.

I said it before - a real telling stat is that over the last 5 years, Temple is 0-4 against Navy. During that same time an up and down UD program is 2-1 against Navy. It's a good win for nova, but you also should expect a top FCS team to beat Temple most of the time. xthumbsupx

I have to agree with most of what you said. As I've made clear in this thread, I'm a big Temple fan, and until they learn to FINISH games, they can't be taken very seriously. I agree with the other poster that Villanova played a spotless 4th quarter (and hats off of them for doing so). If DiMichele was the QB in yesterday's game (I know, would have could have...) instead of Charlton, they win the game pretty easily. That's how bad Charlton is. He threw one great pass, and that's about it. Don't let the numbers fool you. Not sure if I agree with you on the "If we had a QB" last year Delaware comparison. Delaware had holes all over the offensive side of the ball last year and Temple really doesn't. They could use another playmaker at WR, but they're pretty solid (for the MAC anyway).

I do agree that Al Golden has been made out to be the golden-boy (no pun intended) of Temple. I mean, after Bobby Wallace, anyone looks like Joe Paterno. He's done a nice job of recruiting, but after watching him coach for 3 years now, I really question a lot of the calls he makes on the field. He seems to get ultra-conservative when they are up late in the game. Again, it's about finishing games for this team.

[BDKJMU]

Upset?! Temple is now 1-3 in their last 4 games versus CAA competition.

Yeah, but this is suppose to be the best Temple team (at least talent wise) since.....when was the last time a Temple team went to a bowl game? I know that's not saying much, and Nova is a contender for the NC, but Temple was favored. If you lined up Temples top 50 players vs Nova's top 50, overall in terms of size, strength, speed, Temple would have a clear edge. It was an upset. Maybe a slight upset, but an upset none the less.

[ChickenMan]

Not sure if I agree with you on the "If we had a QB" last year Delaware comparison. Delaware had holes all over the offensive side of the ball last year and Temple really doesn't.

Not really.. early in the year vs good opponents like Furman and Maryland.. UD had a pretty decent running game.. but no threat in the passing game. As the season moved on.. opponents relaized that fact and began to game plan to take away the run and UD had NO ability to make them pay via the pass. Things began to snowball from there and the offense just got worse and worse. But there is no doubt in my mind that if the Hens had a Flacco or a Devlin at QB last year that 4-8 seaon would have been totally reversed.

[BDKJMU]

Let's not make out Temple to be something other than they are - they were 5-7 with a full MAC schedule last year, and lost to teams like Kent St. Golden's best job so far as Temple coach has been to make people believe that Temple has really turned the corner and is anything other than a bottom tier FBS team, which they still are. The MAC, outside of the handful of top teams, has had a few down years of late, so Temple being .500 in that conference isn't something to really hang your hat on.

I said it before - a real telling stat is that over the last 5 years, Temple is 0-4 against Navy. During that same time an up and down UD program is 2-1 against Navy. It's a good win for nova, but you also should expect a top FCS team to beat Temple most of the time. xthumbsupx

In the PAST yes, since as little as 3 years ago Temple was HORRIBLE, but I still think this will be Temple's best teams since the last time they had a winning record (1990-7-4). Golden has only been there 3 years (1-11, 4-8, 5-7) with this years team probably better than last yr's. THIS year I wouldn't expect a top tier FCS to beat them most of the time (in a series). I was watching the game almost at field level, and Temple did have more horses than your top FCS teams do.

[BDKJMU]

Gotta disagree with you GannonFan, this Temple team would go about .500 or better if they played the top 10 FCS teams week in and week out. They would win or tie for the CAA crown this year in my opinion. They were bigger, faster, stronger and better than Nova in just about every position except QB. Nova played a perfect 4th quarter and pulled out a gutty win. Whitney was terrible in the first half, but exceptional in the second half. Temple was able to do something that pretty much nobody else has done so far, shut down Nova's running game. The Nova coaches did a great job adjusting at half-time and took what they could get in the second half. The defense played much better in the second half forcing turnovers. Overall, it was a remarkable win for the program. 6 years ago, I thought Nova was the better team and should have won. This year, Temple was the better team, but Nova won.

Everyone can trash Temple as much as they want, but they are a solid team. Seeing them in person from the sideline, they are much improved. They just need to get a QB.

Bingo. The points I was trying to make.

[Ivytalk]

What was the announced attendance, and what percentage of the crowd backed Nova?

[Anovafan]

What was the announced attendance, and what percentage of the crowd backed Nova?

Announced was 27,759, which felt pretty accurate to me. It was about 50/50 in pure numbers, maybe a slight edge to Temple in number of fans by the end of the game. It started out with more Nova fans, then more Temple fans arrived later. The Nova side was pretty vocal and supportive.

[Philliesfan980]

Announced was 27,759, which felt pretty accurate to me. It was about 50/50 in pure numbers, maybe a slight edge to Temple in number of fans by the end of the game. It started out with more Nova fans, then more Temple fans arrived later. The Nova side was pretty vocal and supportive.

Did you really get that impression? I was at the game, and Temple had their entire side of the field filled, plus a good amount in the other sections. Nova did have one section filled as their student section, but that's all I really saw, except for a smattering of fans throughout various sections. If I had to guess, I would say about 3:1 Temple, maybe even 4:1.

[Anovafan]

Did you really get that impression? I was at the game, and Temple had their entire side of the field filled, plus a good amount in the other sections. Nova did have one section filled as their student section, but that's all I really saw, except for a smattering of fans throughout various sections. If I had to guess, I would say about 3:1 Temple, maybe even 4:1.

Well, maybe 50/50 to start and then 3:1 by the end. I felt like the Temple crowd was really late to arrive. The side behind the Nova bench was pretty much all Nova fans.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

i'm pretty sure. i'm predicting a bigger blowout than last year's 19 point Nova win.

this is a fast, fast, fast team. you'd better have an incredibly fast defense.

Villanova had 4 fg's and 1 int for a td. I believe the Wildcats had about 340 total yards of offense against Lehigh last year. Lehigh has the horses on "D" to keep 'Nova's offense honest if they can get pressure on Whitney. If Whitney plays like he did in the 4th quarter it'll take an epic performance by Clark imo. The two biggest questons for me is if Lehigh can produce some big plays on offense and how do they handle those big 'Nova wr's.

Much like Temple last night, turnovers cost Lehigh. I'd wait until tomorrow to see what Lehigh does against CCSU. I really don't see this game as a blowout. Much like the 'Nova-Penn games, the Lehigh-'Nova matchups have all been pretty close. I think Villanova is going to win but to think it's going to be a blowout doesn't make sense at this point. If Lehigh loses tomorrow then the Hawks are in big trouble. A solid double digit win and i think they have a realistic shot. It should be about a 50/50 crowd if Lehigh wins tomorrow.

[Go...gate]

Announced was 27,759, which felt pretty accurate to me. It was about 50/50 in pure numbers, maybe a slight edge to Temple in number of fans by the end of the game. It started out with more Nova fans, then more Temple fans arrived later. The Nova side was pretty vocal and supportive.

Sounds like a fine turnout.

[henfan]

...Temple was favored. If you lined up Temples top 50 players vs Nova's top 50, overall in terms of size, strength, speed, Temple would have a clear edge. It was an upset. Maybe a slight upset, but an upset none the less.

Whatever.

Of course, teams aren't granted wins based on size, strength, speed or subdivision classification. The score at the end of the game is what matters. There's just no getting past the fact that TU has come up short 3 of the last 4 times vs. CAA teams, all at home no less. VU's smaller, slower, weaker FCS players were the better team yet again.

TU will be considered an automatic favorite just as soon as they begin dominating CAA competition.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Whatever.

Of course, teams aren't granted wins based on size, strength, speed or subdivision classification. The score at the end of the game is what matters. There's just no getting past the fact that TU has come up short 3 of the last 4 times vs. CAA teams, all at home no less. VU's smaller, slower, weaker FCS players were the better team yet again.

TU will be considered an automatic favorite just as soon as they begin dominating CAA competition.

We simply can't win. We have talent but find every conceivable way to lose. I don't know what it is but it's extremely frustrating. xsmhx

It's like a beautiful tragedy. Even the bad is ending is so perfectly constructed that you just have to sit back in amazement.

[Hoyadestroya85]

Villanova had 4 fg's and 1 int for a td. I believe the Wildcats had about 340 total yards of offense against Lehigh last year. Lehigh has the horses on "D" to keep 'Nova's offense honest if they can get pressure on Whitney. If Whitney plays like he did in the 4th quarter it'll take an epic performance by Clark imo. The two biggest questons for me is if Lehigh can produce some big plays on offense and how do they handle those big 'Nova wr's.

Much like Temple last night, turnovers cost Lehigh. I'd wait until tomorrow to see what Lehigh does against CCSU. I really don't see this game as a blowout. Much like the 'Nova-Penn games, the Lehigh-'Nova matchups have all been pretty close. I think Villanova is going to win but to think it's going to be a blowout doesn't make sense at this point. If Lehigh loses tomorrow then the Hawks are in big trouble. A solid double digit win and i think they have a realistic shot. It should be about a 50/50 crowd if Lehigh wins tomorrow.

I don't see why it doesn't make sense.. If you can guarantee me Lehigh will win the turnover battle it can be close, but other than that i don't see it being a single digit game. Lehigh will keep it close in the first half, but Villanova will wear them down in the end. Villanova also was stopped at the line of scrimmage yet still won the time of possession. If villanova establishes a ground game, they could make quick work of Lehigh, look what happened at the Colgate game.

[BDKJMU]

Announced was 27,759, which felt pretty accurate to me. It was about 50/50 in pure numbers, maybe a slight edge to Temple in number of fans by the end of the game. It started out with more Nova fans, then more Temple fans arrived later. The Nova side was pretty vocal and supportive.

For those of you who haven't been to Lincoln Financial, at 67,594 official capacity it is one of the smaller stadiums in the NFL (One thing I always wondered was why they didn't build something along the size of 92k Washington Redskins Fed Ex, as with the Eagles rabid fanbase they would easily sell it out).

I'd say there were a couple of k no shows, plus several k who came late or left early. Never looked like more than 20k were there at one time. Temple side lower deck between the endzones was pretty full, Nova side a little less so. 2nd deck was sparsely populated on the Temple side between the endzones, completely empty in the rest of the stadium. 3rd deck was completely empty both sides.

A pic of the Linc:
http://thephillyphour.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/lincolnfinancialfield.jpg

[BDKJMU]

I don't see why it doesn't make sense.. If you can guarantee me Lehigh will win the turnover battle it can be close, but other than that i don't see it being a single digit game. Lehigh will keep it close in the first half, but Villanova will wear them down in the end. Villanova also was stopped at the line of scrimmage yet still won the time of possession. If villanova establishes a ground game, they could make quick work of Lehigh, look what happened at the Colgate game.

Agreed. If Nova brings their B game and is negative 4 in the TOs, then maybe Lehigh could win. On the other hand, its just as likely Nova will win by 5-6 TDs. I'm expecting Nova to beat Lehigh handily in the 3-4 TD range.

Probably Lehigh's only chance to get at At Large from the Patriot would be to upset Nova. But it ain't gonna happen.

[ngineer]

Announced was 27,759, which felt pretty accurate to me. It was about 50/50 in pure numbers, maybe a slight edge to Temple in number of fans by the end of the game. It started out with more Nova fans, then more Temple fans arrived later. The Nova side was pretty vocal and supportive.

Good to see that many showed up. With the Phllies and Eagles both playing I didn't think much more than 20,000 would show. If the other teams weren't playing I had thought close to 40,000 might show.

[BDKJMU]

Whatever.

Of course, teams aren't granted wins based on size, strength, speed or subdivision classification. The score at the end of the game is what matters. There's just no getting past the fact that TU has come up short 3 of the last 4 times vs. CAA teams, all at home no less. VU's smaller, slower, weaker FCS players were the better team yet again.

TU will be considered an automatic favorite just as soon as they begin dominating CAA competition.

Whatever. The only people who said Temple wasn't a favorite was those who follow I-AA. Wasn't the line on the game 3 1/2?

[BDKJMU]

Good to see that many showed up. With the Phllies and Eagles both playing I didn't think much more than 20,000 would show. If the other teams weren't playing I had thought close to 40,000 might show.

Eh, if the Eagles weren't playing in an (away) pre season game and the Phillies weren't playing at home there might have been 30k tickets sold. No way 40k.

BTW, who were the idiots who decided to schedule the Temple-Nova game at the same time as the Phillies? I could see them doing that if it was for TV purposes, but the game as far as I'm aware wasn't televised. Why not just have played it on Sat when there was no home Phillies or Eagles games, or am I missing something here?

Like I said in the other thread, I live close to the stadium (around 9 miles from the parking lots). I didn't leave my place till about 5:40 (later than planned) and was thinking the game should only be around 20k. No traffic maybe 20 min, so I figured little bit of game traffic I'd be parked in less than a 1/2 hr. Well the drive took 50 min (last 2 miles coming from North on 95 was a 1/2 hr alone). I didn't know the Phillies were at home (obviously not a baseball fan). I was like, WTF? All this for the Temple-Nova gamexeekx. Only when I got close to the stadiums did I realize the Phillies were also playing. I'd brought food from Wawa, some drinks including a 6 pack, and a couple of stoogies for a short tailgate, which went out the window. I ended up eating in traffic, pounded a couple of beers once I'd parked, and then had to walk to the stadium to wait in line to buy a ticket.

[Hoyadestroya85]

Yeah, that was an abortion of a scheduling decision.. at least the Phillies game only took two hours because the traffic would have been a MESS had it been longer.

[Hoyadestroya85]

Another thing, This win should justify vaulting 'Nova over Montana by virtue of strength of opponent. Teams should be punished for playing teams like that. Especially because Western State is coming off a 4 touchdown loss.

[Skjellyfetti]

Another thing, This win should justify vaulting 'Nova over Montana by virtue of strength of opponent. Teams should be punished for playing teams like that. Especially because Western State is coming off a 4 touchdown loss.

If Richmond loses to Duke and App loses to ECU, I'll have Villanova number 1 next week.

[BDKJMU]

If Richmond loses to Duke and App loses to ECU, I'll have Villanova number 1 next week.

And UNI loses to Iowa. I don't vote in the AGS poll because I think polls are pretty pointless before Oct, but yeah, if all the other contenders ahead of Nova (ASU, UR, UNI) lose their I-A games, I'd say Nova would be top dog for now. But stuff won't start to get ironed out till Oct.

Nova will wax Lehigh, Penn Northeastern and be 4-0 heading into their brutal 3 game stretch starting Oct 3rd with home against W&M, @ UNH, @JMU. And they'll have 2 more tough ones in Nov with @ UR and home against UD. I'd be very surprised if Nova didn't drop one of those 5 games, most likely being @ UR, and it wouldn't surprise me if they dropped 2 (it would surprise me if they dropped 3). I had predicted both UR and Nova to go 9-2/7-1, with UR winning head to head and getting the #3-4 seed and Nova just missing out on a seed again. I'll change my prediction to Nova goes 10-1 and gets the #2-3 seed, and UR possibly gets the #4 or just misses out.

[RadMann]

Another thing, This win should justify vaulting 'Nova over Montana by virtue of strength of opponent. Teams should be punished for playing teams like that. Especially because Western State is coming off a 4 touchdown loss.

Agreed. By the way, is that the principal in Ferris Bueller's Day off in your avatar? If so, I'm not sure you want to use that guy as your avatar.