joannes3000

Season recap/recruiting needs We only had 8 scholarships to fill for season 38, but half of them - yes, half - were LBs. Obviously, we will be looking to work on this ridiculous imbalance. It's never a good thing to have a mass exodus in any position, but I chose to balance out my DL classes before my LB classes because the DL is more critical in my defensive philosophy. Other than the zillion LBs we need, recruiting was pretty average this year as far as areas of need. --------------- Offense WR Robert Erickson is a blue chip receiver that we typically don't go after due to our offensive philosophy. He has excellent speed and hands; above average work ethic; average athleticism, elusiveness and technique; and below average stamina. He becomes an immediate starter with big play potential who is already our 2nd best receiver. OL Mark Hull is an above average linemen that projects to be an excellent starter. He has phenomenal athleticism and work ethic; excellent strength and technique; above average stamina and blocking; and below average game instinct. He won't be an instant starter on a veteran OL, but he will be one of the top backups. OL Richard Perez is Hull's bookend on the line and also projects to be an excellent starter. He has phenomenal work ethic, strength, and technique; average athleticism and game instinct; and below average stamina and blocking. He isn't a stud right now, but he projects to be a monster by next season when he will start. Defense DL Frederick Watkins is one of several blue chip recruits we landed on defense. In fact, one recruiting service has him ranked as the #3 DL prospect! He has phenomenal technique; excellent athleticism, work ethic, stamina, and tackling; above average strength; and below average game instinct. He immediately cracks the bottom of the starting rotation and projects to be a difference-maker on defense. LB Joshua Baker is a nice addition to our LB unit. He has excellent tackling; above average speed, game instinct, and technique; average work ethic and strength; and below average athleticism and stamina. He projects to be an above average player. LB Steven Fleming is another blue chip addition on defense that is ranked the 23rd best LB. He has excellent tackling, game instinct, and technique; average speed and work ethic; and below average athleticism, stamina, and strength. He'll take a season to round out the rough edges, but he projects to be a nice cornerstone. LB Richard Pittman, the #24 LB, is the 2nd blue chip LB we landed and one of our top recruits overall. He has phenomenal strength and tackling; excellent stamina; average speed, work ethic, game instinct, and technique; and below average athleticism. He is already a tackling machine and should round out into a force when he gets a little faster. LB Joseph Williams is a former DB that converts to the final blue chip recruit on our reloaded defense. He is ranked as high as #9 at LB. He has phenomenal speed; excellent work ethic and technique; above average athleticism; average stamina, tackling, and game instinct; and below average strength. He is going to be a ballhawk that steps in immediately as the #1 LB in our passing defense. ------------ Overall I think this was the best class we've landed at Temple by quite a margin. I thought that we'd have to settle on at least one LB, seeing as how we needed to recruit four of them. And while we lost some of the top recruits to Penn State and Boston College, you can see that we landed our fair share of difference makers at the position. We also landed a surprise stud DL and WR. I honestly can't name one bad recruit in this class of 8. The pittsky recruit rankings aren't out yet, but here's how the recruit rankings fell for the bhazlewood recruiting services: Syracuse - 30 Connecticut - 17 West Virginia - 45 Pittsburgh - 79 (coach was unfortunately absent during most of recruiting) Rutgers (sim)- 91 Temple - 20 South Florida (sim)- 94 Marquette - 60 Cincinnati - 46 Colorado State (sim)- 99 Depaul (sim) - 89 Louisville (sim) - 105

From: John Baxter To: Coach joannes3000 Subject: Congratulations, Coach! Sent: 4/30/08 3:02PM I just got off the phone with the organizers of the Peach Bowl and I've accepted their invitation. Great job this year, Coach. I think the exposure we will get playing in this game will really help out the program, not to mention recruiting next season. Keep up the good work! John Baxter Athletic Director Duke University --------- Our 11-2 season is rewarded with an invitation to the level 4 Peach Bowl. Our opponent? The US Naval Academy! The committee must have liked our regular season tilt because they scheduled a rematch this post-season. Navy went 11-3 for the season and won the Sun Belt CC over North Texas. Our regular season loss doesn't seem quite as bad, given the season that Navy accomplished this year, but you better believe we're going to be amped up and looking for revenge. --------- The tale of the tape: Duke OL vs Navy DL - push. Our OL BLK/STR/TECH/STA average is 85/84/67/60, while Navy's DL TKL/STR/TECH/STA average is 86/85/64/51. If anything, I'd give us a slight edge due to the fact that our unit has a little better stamina. Duke rushing offense vs Navy rush defense - advantage Duke. Our RBs hammered opposing defenses all season long, totaling over 4800 yards rushing, 64 TDs, and averaging 7.4 YPC. We had a 2000 yard rusher (Gardner) along with two 1000 rushers (Gonzalez, Toney). Navy's DL and LB units will be put to the test (again) to see if they can slow us down. Duke passing offense vs Navy passing defense - push. Our complimentary offense only threw 106 passes all season, but we completed 68.9% of our passes, threw for 1100 yards, and threw 8 TDs to only 1 INT. As the Miami game proved, we can pass more frequently when the match-up is favorable. Our WRs actually match up well against their DBs, with their secondary relying more on SPD (86 avg) than Game Instinct (62 avg) to get the job done. Duke DL vs Navy OL - advantage Duke. Our DL TKL/STR/TECH/STA average is 83/86/66/56, while Navy's OL BLK/STR/TECH/STA average is 79/79/65/51. We should be able to apply steady pressure without having to rely on the blitz. Duke rushing defense vs Navy rushing offense - advantage Duke. Navy has two good but not great RBs and they don't rely too heavily on the run. Our advantage up front should bottle up their running game even further. Duke passing defense vs Navy passing offense - advantage Navy. Navy is led by a gunslinger of a QB that threw for nearly 3800 yards, 43 TDs, 5 INTs, and completed 66.5% of his passes. He's throwing to two awesome WRs on top of that. Our DBs aren't pushovers by any means, but our top DBs will definitely have their hands full. I'm hoping that we can apply pressure on their QB to try to keep him off track. --------- Point-blank, we should win this game. Then again, we should've won our first game against Navy as well. Let's look back at the box score from game two: Our total offense - 385 yards, 350 on the ground Their total offense - 257 yards, 207 through the air TOP - advantage us, nearly 35 minutes Punts - we punted twice, they punted 4 times So how in the hell did we lose that game again? Oh yeah, this stat: we lost both of the fumbles we had that game and we threw our only pick of the season to this point. On top of that, we caused zero turnovers of our own. A -3 turnover differential will kill us every time. Are we going to get conservative on offense? Probably not. If we're going to lose, we're going to be going full-throttle on offense and it will be up to Navy's defense to keep up and/or cause a massive amount of turnovers. I'm thinking of opening up the passing game again, ala Miami, to try and catch their defense off guard. Are we going to get more aggressive on defense? It's very possible. Our defense did well in limiting Navy's offense the first time around. Their top receivers amounted for 130 yards and 1 TD, while their passing offense sputtered in general. I'm thinking that if we ramp up the aggressiveness, we can force a turnover or two and give our offense a few more chances to really hammer away at them. Are we taking this game lightly? Absolutely not. Not when you lose 2 games all season and you get a chance at redemption. Navy clearly showed that they are capable of beating us; while we were at home, no less. This should be a classic battle. I expect the entire Squawk nation to be in attendance at the Dome to cheer us on.

I picked this up while I was at Best Buy and I like it. Makes for a good driving CD for me.

We start divisional play on the road against sim-coached Georgia Tech. The game was uncomfortably tight at the half, 13-7, and we pitched a shutout in the 2nd half for the final margin of victory. We ran for 337/4 and passed for 85/0/0, totaling 422 offensive yards while our defense allowed 203 yards. 27-7 W In scouting our road game against Virginia, it was clear that they were being sim-coached, but even then we knew they were going to be a handful due to the amount of talent they have even after taking on 20 AC recruits. We took a 28-17 lead into halftime and maintained control in the 2nd half for a huge victory; with this win keeping us in the running for a CC bid. We ran for 476/6 and didn't throw the ball once, while our defense allowed 338 yards. 42-24 W We come home for a classic trap game against Virginia Tech. We were fresh off of a resounding victory on the road and had our sights set for the post-season. We took a 14-6 lead into halftime and our defense took control in the 2nd half on our way to a win. We ran for 357/5 and passed for 34/0/0, totaling 391 yards while our defense allowed 253 yards. 9-34 W The Tobacco Road game was sure to be more exciting for several reasons. One, NC had already eclipsed their win total from last year (7). Two, we were on the road. And three, it was the final obstacle before Miami comes to town to settle a CC bid. We took control early in the game and had a 17-7 lead at the half and we continued to roll in the 2nd half. We ran for 252/4 and passed for 122/1/0, totaling 374 yards while our defense allowed 377. 38-14 W Doomsday arrived at last, as Miami came rolling into town to settle who would represent the Coastal Division in the CC. Miami has experience and talent. We have home-field advantage and the momentum of a budding program. The play-by-play reads like a boxing match. We open the scoring in the first quarter with a TD, mixing in more of a passing element that caught Miami off guard. Miami shows why they're an elite, as they run right down our throats to tie the game at 7. We didn't back down as we went right back down the field; connecting on a 14 yard TD pass to cap our 2nd drive. The first big break of the game came in the 2nd quarter as we forced the vaunted Miami defense to punt. Our offense made sure to capitalize on the opportunity by rolling down the field for a TD that gave us a 21-7 lead. Miami turned right around and scored another TD, reminding the home crowd why they are an elite team. With 2 minutes to go, we executed on offense and managed to tack on a FG just before halftime. In a battle like this, you need every last point you can get, and we went into halftime with a 24-14 lead. Miami got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and marched down the field for a TD. Our offense picked a terrible time to come out uninspired, and we had to punt at midfield. Miami immediately took the momentum and the lead by rolling for another TD. A 10 point lead at halftime had quickly evaporated and we were down 27-24 going into the final quarter. We had another clutch drive fall apart at midfield, so we opened the 4th quarter by punting to Miami. Sensing our team starting to wilt under pressure, Miami had no problem once again scoring a TD, taking a 34-24 lead. We were able to score a TD on our next possession, and with time running out we went for an onside kick. Unfortunately, Miami recovered it with just under 2 minutes left in the game. We were able to stop them on 4th and short, however, so we got the ball back at our 38 with less than 30 seconds remaining. We connected on a quick pass that got us to midfield, but with no timeouts remaining we were unable to get within range for a FG attempt before time ran out. Argh. We ran for 142/2 and passed for 279/2/0, totaling 421 offensive yards while our defense allowed 457 yards. The telling stat of the game - we punted twice and Miami only punted once, and we lost by one score. 34-31 L ----------- Our regular season ended with a resounding thud after losing that heart-breaking game to Miami. The opposing coach had this to say after the game - "Unbelievable game, Joannes. You lost by about 1:00, not by any amount of points. I was outcoached and lucky to pull that one out". That game was our only loss during conference play and unfortunately that still shuts us out of the CC game. Our early season loss to Navy during OOC play is even more glaring now, as that was our only other loss and we could've realistically been looking at 12 wins, a top 10 ranking, and an outside chance of crashing the level 5 BCS Bowl party. We still go into bowl selection with a more impressive resume than last season. We finished with 11 wins after notching a win against an abandoned Virginia team. We also finished with a #18 WIS ranking. I like our chances of getting into a level 4 bowl this season, which is a step up from last season's level 3 Emerald Bowl. Bowl bids should be announced shortly and I'll give an update as soon as the matchups are determined.

Major change in plans. Virginia is clearly on auto-pilot, meaning the winner of the Duke/Miami game to end the regular season will head to the CC. I made the huge assumption that we would upset Virginia and that Virginia would beat Miami (Virginia is 6-0 against them), sending us into the finale tied alongside Miami with identical 7-1 conference records. Back to the NFL Draft!

More important than all of those is... 6. A TON of squawk members eating corn dogs to seal the victory!

If we pick Ryan over Dorsey I'm going to break something. Then again, Dorsey could break something and I'd be equally upset...

Quote: The same way Vick does this... Watching this and some of the other Vick commercials made me realize all over again what Vick wasted. Not to say that he was ever a great passing QB, but the guy had so much athleticism - he almost single-handedly beat Miami, he was drafted #1 overall, he beat Minnesota. And he couldn't keep a straight head on.

Quote: I think you misunderstood what I am saying. We dont have to package our picks to get a 1st next yr. We can trade the 3rd pick of the 2nd rd this yr for a 1st next yr and probaby get a 3rd or 4th as well.. We could could do the same with the 6th pick of the 2nd rd. Does anyone remember when we traded away a 1st rd pick to get a 2nd that we used on Reggie Kelly? That pick turned out to be Jamal Lewis. Think about it. It makes good sense. Completely misread your original post! I'd be happy if we could trade one (or even two) of our 2nds this year for a 1st next year.

We begin interdivisional play against sim-coached NC State. We took a 31-0 lead into the half and rolled. We ran for 464/5 and passed for 33/1/0, totaling 497 offensive yards while our defense allowed 224 yards. 45-10 W After the snoozer against NC State, we headed to the not-so-friendly confines of College Park to face rival Maryland. We swapped TDs in a hotly contested 1st quarter, then got a little breathing room in the 2nd quarter after rattling off two consecutive TDs. Maryland kicked a FG to end the half and we went into halftime with a 21-9 lead. TDs were swapped again in the 3rd quarter and I liked my chances at that point. You never really feel comfortable against a team like Maryland, however, because they have the offensive firepower to score 14 quick points. We scored the only points in the 4th with a TD, however, as our defense played their part in our victory. We ran for 333/4 and passed for 71/1/0, totaling 404 offensive yards while our defense allowed 251 yards. 35-16 W Fresh off the huge victory against Maryland, we headed home to face a Boston College team that's been hell-bent on revenge since our upset against them last season. We came out timid in the 1st quarter and before we knew it, BC had a 14-0 lead. Our defense stepped up big for us in the 2nd quarter, however, limiting BC to 2 FGs in our redzone while our offense came alive for 3 TDs. We went into halftime with a razor-thin 21-20 lead and BC would get the ball to start the 2nd half. We exchanged TDs in the 3rd quarter, but gained a little momentum when we forced a punt toward the end of the quarter. The final frame opened with promise, but our offense fizzled at the 11 and we were forced to settle for a FG and a 31-27 lead. BC's offense then proceeded to shred our defense with a TD drive highlighted by big plays. Down 34-31, we got the ball at the 19 with 8 minutes to play. Our offense started to fizzle again, this time at our 30, when we had two consecutive incomplete passes. Facing 3rd and ballgame, we connected on a huge 10 yard pass that gave us a first down. From there we didn't face another 3rd down the rest of the way, as we marched down the field for a TD and a 38-34 lead. BC got the ball back with just over 2 minutes to play and it was our defense's turn to step up. We didn't force BC into a 3rd down until they had crossed midfield and they converted with ease. With 21 seconds left, BC stood at our 23 and our defense forced an incomplete pass. With 11 seconds left and the home crowd in an absolute frenzy, BC swung a pass to their RB and he broke for daylight, easily crossing the 20 and making his way inside the 10. The thundering chant of "DEFENSE" and the excited screams were quickly replaced by silence that was only broken by a collective gasp of sheer terror. First, the loss to Navy, now this? There was to be no miracle at our expense today, however, and our defense pulled the RB down at our 8 yard line as time expired. The crowd erupted into excitement once again, as they stormed the field in victory. BALL GAME! We ran for 354/3 and passed for 145/2/0, totaling 499 yards on offense while our defense allowed 460 yards. Our defense was huge in this game, helping us overcome a turnover by the offense. 34-38 W ----------- What a start to conference play! Two huge wins against Maryland and Boston College have us tied atop the Coastal Division with North Carolina and Miami. We're also ranked #18 in the WIS standings. Our 7-1 record has us right back in line to win 10 games, with an outside chance of winning 11! Not only that, but if we can pull another miracle upset against Virginia in two games, we could seriously be looking at a bid in the CC. Currently, we are ahead of Miami in the standings because they have 2 OOC losses to our 1. As unfair as it is, the first tie-breaker is overall record rather than head-to-head result. That means that if we win out until our finale against The U, we'll head to the CC regardless of the result of that game. As mentioned, however, Virginia is still a powerhouse and we'll have our hands plenty full against them. ----------- 4/25/08 at Georgia Tech 4/26/08 at Virginia 4/27/08 Virginia Tech 4/28/08 at North Carolina 4/29/08 #10 Miami (FL)

Quote: Why not trade our 3 2nd rd picks for 1st rd picks next yr? Would be real nice to have 4 1st rd picks in a terrific draft next yr. Andre Smith, Mike Oher, James Laurinitus, Mathew Stafford, Mallauga, Boone and Herman Johnson. Really strong draft for OL and LB. Trading multiple picks to move up is a move best used by teams that are only missing a piece or two. The Falcons will be busy this year and next year building a foundation, so I think it's best that we keep the picks and load up on as much talent as possible. I think we're in the sweet spot by having a dozen or so picks in any given draft - not too many that we'll either be terribly young or draft players that we won't use (either play or trade) and not too few that we don't do much of anything at all (read: the Redskins last year and the Raiders this year) during the draft.

Could work, with Aldridge being the finesse guy and Horford being the banger. That's what the Blazers are going to have with Oden as the muscle in the middle and Aldridge/Frye at PF.

We start the season with a trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State. The game was tight at halftime, with us going in with a 21-14 lead, but we took a 35-21 lead going into the 4th and ran away from there. We ran for 414/8 and passed for 113/0/0, totaling 527 offensive yards while our defense allowed 341 yards. 55-21 W Navy made their way to Durham for our first home game of the season. We took a slim lead into halftime with a FG in a tight game that was aided by our sloppy play. We took a 24-17 lead going into the 4th quarter when the unthinkable happened. For the first time in a while, we lost control in the 2nd half and gave up a TD, and the game, with less than a minute to play. We ran for 350/3 and passed for 35/0/1, totaling 385 yards on offense and our defense allowed 257 yards. The telling stat was our 3 turnovers (-3 for the day). That's how you give games away. 27-24 L Utah State gave us a chance to redeem ourselves in front of the home faithful and we delivered with a proper blowout win. We ran for 573/7 and passed for 53/1/0, totaling 626 offensive yards while our defense allowed 242 yards. 9-58 W We went on the road for game 4 to Morgantown to face top 25 ranked West Virginia. We had a 20-14 lead at the half and a 27-21 lead going into the 4th until we finally pulled away with the big win. We ran for 267/6 and passed for 130/0/0, totaling 397 yards on offense while our defense allowed 381 yards. 41-28 W Our final OOC game had us at the Aloha State to face Hawaii. The opposing coach is a very accomplished one, but Hawaii is the ultimate rebuild project since they face such a distance barrier during recruiting. We showcased our running game to the tune of 543/7 and threw the ball once (incomplete) while our defense allowed 203 yards. 49-6 W --------- Just writing up the game against Navy gets my blood boiling, even several games removed. We absolutely gave that game away through turnovers and we should have been 5-0 going into conference play. As it stands, we are 4-1 and I was getting seriously concerned about our chances of hitting double digit wins after that loss. All of a sudden, the game against West Virginia looked like a loss and I'm still very concerned about our games against Maryland and Boston College. Had we been 5-0, I wouldn't be so worried right now. To hit 10 regular season wins, we will need to beat 2/3 out of the following group: Maryland, Boston College, and Virginia. I feel pretty good against Maryland because they have some weaknesses we can expose. I also feel pretty good against BC since we beat them on the road last season and we get them at home this season. Virginia took on a lot of AC recruits and it's uncertain whether or not they're being actively coached right now. Nevertheless, they still have tons of talent with their starting units, so I don't think we can upset them. It looks like 9 wins could be our best effort this season, which would be a step back in my opinion. We'll find out soon enough as we face Maryland and BC in interdivisional play. --------- 4/22/08 at NC State 4/23/08 at Maryland 4/24/08 Boston College

Quote: I am not at all happy with the Dolphins drafting a RT, paying him LT money, and then forcing him to play the LT spot. This is the stance I'm starting to take. I've been a huge Jake Long backer since last season, but it's become evident in my mind that he's better suited for the RT slot in the NFL. I think this would actually work out pretty well for the Falcons, with one big contingency - that Todd Weiner is able to come back healthy and play effectively at LT. Remember, he was brought in as the blindside protector for Vick, which put him at the RT spot. In a perfect world we'd have Weiner at LT and Long at RT. That said, I think we draft Dorsey if he's available. Otherwise, it's time to work the phones and trade down with either KC or BAL.

I'm partial to Ryan's because there's one in Athens.

Quote: Buy me a plane ticket and I'm there +1

Agreed. It won't be a major complaint of mine until I get within 1 step of getting fired, which is "in jeopardy". The common thought is that it's far better to abandon ship and start somewhere fresh rather than stick around and risk getting fired. Apparently getting fired kills your chances of getting a job on the current level you get fired from and often times the one below it. For example, if I get fired from Temple (BCS), I'll won't sniff another BCS job and will likely have to settle for a non-BCS job at best. That's not exactly being stuck between a rock and a hard place, because I'd lateral to another school without feeling bad, but it defeats the purpose of trying to rebuild programs when there is little to no incentive to do so. ------- Decent lead-in to the next topic at hand, which is the two applications I put in. I was promptly denied the Syracuse job at 5:30 PST and then was denied the UConn job at 8:30 PST - losing out both times to a coach with a better coaching history. The correlation is this - had I chosen to stay at Appalachian State to pad my resume, I could've landed a better initial DIA job. From there I could've padded my resume further and waited for a near-elite school (only missing the built-in recruiting advantage) like UConn or Syracuse to open up and likely made the jump with no problem. As it is, I chose to shorten my stays at DIAA and non-BCS DIA to take the reclamation project of Temple for personal satisfaction; which killed my competitive chance at landing either school when they opened up. Am I bitter? I guess a little bit because I want to try my hand at a school that's better. Plus, you get no reprieve whatsoever even at the crappiest of schools to rebuild. In the end it was my choice to do so, and I think I'll be able to get Temple turned around before I get fired. But these types of situations (loss of job security, inability to move "up") make me almost reconsider my decision. Oh well. We've got work to do so we can win 10 games next season.

Age - 28 Married for nearly 3 years, with a nearly 3 year old son to match. Will (finally) finish my Bachelor's in Accounting next year after taking entirely too much time away from school. Lived in Athens since I was 4, moved when I was 21, essentially flew 3000 miles from one Clark county (Athens) to another Clark county (Vancouver, WA). Hawks fan since - ~1991 Reason for attachment - thanks to the Braves miracle run, I started getting into all Atlanta sports. Except for Georgia Tech, since I'm from Athens. I remember going to the Omni and fearing for my life when walking to/from the parking lot(s). I remember trading for Mmmmmmmmmmmoooookie Blaylock. I remember hating Grant Long one season and loving him the next. I (painfully) remember Dominique leaving. I try to attend the Blazers/Hawks game every year, and one of these days I'm gonna bring in a huge foam corn dog with hawksquawk.net written on it. And when I fly back to Atlanta to catch a Hawks game I'm gonna be wearing a custom #24 jersey with "Marvelous" on the back - just as soon as he signs an extension...

Bump. Hoping to get the website moved to a new host soon and I'd like to get someone on board beforehand to design a spiffy new index page.

McShay seriously needs to get over his man-crush with Matt Ryan.

Oh, this is getting old. From: Timothy Patel To: Coach joannes3000 Subject: Rebuilding? Sent: 4/16/08 3:03PM Coach, I know it was a tough season for you, so I wanted to let you know that we're still behind you. Both Loyd Poole and myself know that you are the right person for this program and you'll turn things around next year. How's the recruiting class looking? Timothy Patel Athletics Director ---------- 9 wins, including our bowl win, just isn't enough to satisfy the Temple AD. Maybe if I got 10 wins and doubled last season's win total... My job security has dropped for three consecutive seasons now, leaving me at "little to no jeopardy"; two steps from being fired. Going into season 4 and having a complete roster should help us start righting the ship as far as my job security goes, so I'm not terribly concerned. ----------- And in other news, we've had not only one, but two huge changes in the Big East this offseason so far. The rumored retirement of coach brendadjod from UConn came true today, as he stepped away from an awesome team. Here's the breakdown during his tenure: 37 brendanjod 14-1 9-0 4-1 8-0 3 Conference Champion Fiesta Bowl - Won 36 brendanjod 13-2 9-0 4-0 7-2 4 Conference Champion Rose Bowl - Won 35 brendanjod 14-1 9-0 6-0 7-0 2 Conference Champion WIS Championship Game - Lost 34 brendanjod 13-2 8-1 4-0 8-1 6 Conference Champion Sugar Bowl - Lost 33 brendanjod 15-0 9-0 6-0 7-0 1 Conference Champion WIS Championship Game - Won National Champion 32 brendanjod 15-0 9-0 6-0 7-0 2 Conference Champion WIS Championship Game - Won National Champion 31 brendanjod 11-3 9-2 7-0 4-2 19 Cotton Bowl - Lost 30 brendanjod 12-2 10-1 6-0 6-1 11 Capital One Bowl - Lost 29 brendanjod 11-3 10-1 6-1 5-1 NR Cotton Bowl - Lost 28 brendanjod 11-3 9-2 6-1 5-1 NR Capital One Bowl - Lost Not only that, but a completely unannounced move was also made today, with coach huskerbob stepping down from the Syracuse program! Here's his coaching history: 37 huskerbob 12-2 7-1 6-0 6-1 4 Rose Bowl - Lost 36 huskerbob 11-3 7-1 6-0 4-3 19 Music City Bowl - Won 35 huskerbob 11-3 7-1 5-1 6-1 21 Cotton Bowl - Lost 34 huskerbob 13-1 7-1 7-1 5-0 9 Sugar Bowl - Won 33 huskerbob 12-2 6-2 7-0 4-2 11 Humanitarian Bowl - Won 32 huskerbob 12-2 7-1 5-2 6-0 14 Outback Bowl - Won And last, but not least, zarquon, the now former head coach at West Virginia, has also stepped down: 37 Zarquon 9-5 5-3 4-2 5-2 34 Emerald Bowl - Lost 36 Zarquon 9-5 5-3 3-3 5-2 47 Las Vegas Bowl - Won 35 Zarquon 8-6 4-4 3-4 5-1 43 Continental Tire Bowl - Lost 34 Zarquon 9-5 5-3 5-1 3-4 38 Houston Bowl - Won 33 Zarquon 9-5 6-2 4-3 4-2 34 Houston Bowl - Won 32 Zarquon 8-6 5-3 2-4 5-2 51 GMAC Bowl - Won 31 Zarquon 9-5 7-4 6-1 3-3 34 Sun Bowl - Lost 30 Zarquon 8-6 7-4 3-3 4-3 NR Hawaii Bowl - Won 29 Zarquon 11-3 8-3 6-1 4-2 NR Continental Tire Bowl - Won 28 Zarquon 13-1 10-1 8-0 4-1 13 Gator Bowl - Won 27 Zarquon 8-6 8-3 4-1 4-4 NR Houston Bowl - Lost 26 Zarquon 10-4 9-2 5-2 5-1 NR Sun Bowl - Lost 25 Zarquon 9-5 7-4 6-2 3-2 NR Las Vegas Bowl - Lost That's two HUGE vacancies at the top of not only our division and conference, but also all of DIA. Both UConn and Syracuse went to BCS bowl games this past season, with Syracuse narrowly missing out on a NC bid by mere points in the final computer rankings. That should bode well for us somewhat during recruiting, since any new coach taking the position won't have any carryover money. With teams having that much prestige, however, it shouldn't make much of a noticeable difference. Chances are, those positions will be filled by some excellent coaches any how. On a whim, however, I have applied for both the UConn and Syracuse job, in that order. I would highly doubt that my current track record at Temple will do me any favors when other coaches begin to apply. We'll see how things turn out, however, so stay tuned. I'll update things as the jobs get filled.

Season 5 at Duke will hopefully continue to be a progression from seasons past. We have upgraded our OOC slate, scheduling schools that are all human-coached. We do have two slouches on the schedule in Utah and Hawaii, only because they were sim-coached for several seasons beforehand. Oklahoma State went 7-7 (bowl loss) last season, Navy went 11-3 (bowl loss), and West Virginia went 7-6 (no bowl bid). With our roster fully loaded at this point, I felt that it's time to start going after tougher schools to increase our SOS. That, coupled with what should be a typically tough in-conference schedule, should help us in our attempt to land not only another bowl bid but hopefully one more prestigious than the Emerald Bowl from last season or the Alamo Bowl from two seasons ago. I think we have a realistic shot to go 5-0 during OOC play, even against all human-coached teams, which would be an excellent way to go into conference play. We draw two sim schools in-conference, one during interdivisional play and one during divisional play. If we continue to beat the teams that we've beaten in seasons past and go undefeated during OOC play, we should likely win 10 games. A best-case scenario would be 11 wins if we manage another upset against Boston College, who we play at home this season. An absolute worst-case scenario would be 9 wins. ----------- 4/17/08 at Oklahoma State 4/18/08 Navy 4/19/08 Utah State 4/20/08 at West Virginia 4/21/08 at Hawaii

We went into recruiting this year with needs at several key positions. We need 2 RB, 2 OL, 3 DL, 2 LB, and 2 DB. The biggest focus will likely be at RB, as we are looking to add starter-quality talent with our #1 RB having graduated. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we will be running very deep at DB this season because we will lose at least 4 (graduation) next season. --------------- Offense RB Richard Toney was one of our prized recruits and one of the best in the region at his position. We spent upwards of 60k to land him, but he is the blue-chip RB we were in need of. He has phenomenal speed and technique; excellent athleticism and elusiveness; above average strength, and average work ethic, stamina, and hands. STUD. RB Jeffrey Burnett isn’t the monster that Toney is, but he will fit in well with his skill set. Burnett has excellent elusiveness and speed; average work ethic, stamina, and strength; and below average athleticism, hands, and technique. OL Billy Thompson grades out to be an average piece to our line and was an absolute steal because he was a local kid. He has excellent athleticism and strength; above average blocking; average technique; and below average work ethic, stamina, and game instinct. OL Peter Lucas is another solid addition to our line and projects to be much better than Thompson. He has phenomenal strength; above average technique; average athleticism, stamina, blocking, and game instinct; and below average work ethic. Defense DL Benjamin Robinson projects to be an above average starter on our defensive front. He has phenomenal strength; above average athleticism, work ethic, tackling, and technique; average stamina and game instinct. DL Eric Ruffin is another solid addition to our DL who projects to be a potential stud once he hits the weight room. He has phenomenal strength; excellent athleticism, work ethic, stamina, and game instinct; above average technique; and below average strength. DL Robert Stringer is nearly a blue-chip recruit that we stole away from the state of Virginia. His stamina will be a limiting factor in his early years. He has phenomenal tackling; excellent athleticism and strength; above average game instinct; average work ethic and technique; and below average stamina. LB Scott Osborne is one of three blue-chippers we signed on defense. He has phenomenal tackling and technique; excellent speed; above average strength; average athleticism and game instinct; and below average work ethic and stamina. He even has phenomenal elusiveness, so he will actually be an asset in pass-defense. He leaves a little to be desired in terms of work ethic and stamina, but otherwise I think he's a STUD in the works. LB Roger Roberts is another blue-chip recruit and he instantly upgrades our LB corps. He has phenomenal strength, tackling, and technique; above average speed, work ethic, and game instinct; average athleticism; and below average stamina. The only knock on Roberts is his stamina, but he still projects to be a monster defender and could turn out to be one of the most productive recruits I've ever landed. DB Sean Dunbar is the final blue-chip recruit we landed on the defensive side of the ball. He has phenomenal athleticism and speed; above average work ethic, hands, and elusiveness; average stamina; and below average game instinct and technique. Once he polishes up the technical side of his game, he has the raw skills to be a lockdown DB. DB Alan Mitchell projects to be an average rotational player for us. He has excellent elusiveness; above average work ethic; average athleticism and speed; and below average stamina, hands, game instinct, and technique. His work ethic could allow for him to become a decent starter, but chances are that we'll be able to recruit better talent in upcoming seasons. ------------ I felt that we landed one of our best classes yet, and the recruiting services tended to agree, with both placing us within the top 25. Both services also ranked our class either the 2nd best (pittsky) or 3rd best (bhazlewood) in the conference. Beyond that, I think we landed the type of players that fit our system well. We landed the stud RB that we coveted. We surprisingly landed two stud LBs that will go a long way to shore up our defense. We even landed a stud DB to help in the secondary. I feel that we only settled on two recruits - OL Thompson, DB Mitchell. The overall influx of talent shows on two reports (pittsky, bhazlewood) that we have the 2nd most talented team in the ACC, only behind elite Miami; with my report showing we are in 5th. I think this class signifies that we are continuing to progress within the conference, and it will be interesting to see how close we can get to upending Virginia for the #2 spot in the Coastal Division. They still have loads of talent, but they took on 20 sim recruits this season due to the new coach being unavailable to recruit or find someone to do it for him. I hope that he's able to game plan during the season, but given the massive loss of depth that a class of 20 sim recruits represents (40% of the roster!), we might just have a chance to pull a gigantic upset soon. Here's how the recruit rankings fell for the conference (pittsky/bhazlewood): Boston College - 21/32 Clemson - 71/73 Florida State - 48/58 Maryland - 29/15 NC State (sim)- 87/89 Wake Forest (sim)- 91/95 Duke - 19/23 Georgia Tech (sim)- 81/84 Miami (FL) - 9/13 North Carolina - 39/39 Virginia - 93!/90! Virginia Tech - 73/40

We started off our bowl game about as bad as you could possibly do so. We got the ball first and advanced the ball to nearly midfield before being forced to punt. Our punt was unceremoniously returned for a TD, and we were in a deficit before we knew what happened. After crossing midfield we caught a huge break when SJS had one of the DL go down with an injury, which left them with 5 active players for the remainder of the game. We capitalized on the opportunity by scoring a game-tying TD. SJS showcased Carl Carillo during their next possession, as he was a part of 7 of their 10 plays en route to a TD and a 14-7 lead going into the 2nd quarter. Our running attack started gaining momentum at the end of the 1st quarter and we quickly tied the game at 14 to start the 2nd. On the next SJS possession, we put a big hit on Carillo and forced a fumble at midfield that we recovered. After 4 straight runs we were knocking at the door on the 10 yard line, but a false start had us facing a 3rd and 7 from the 15. We lined up in the Pro set as usual and caught the defense napping, as WR got wide open in the endzone to take a 21-14 lead. We forced a punt on the next SJS possession, but were unable to capitalize as we were forced to punt as well. Then of course, our defense was caught napping as we allowed a 27 yard pass followed by a 51 yard bomb, and just like that the game was tied at 21. We crossed midfield with 1 minute to go and elected to go for it on 4th and 4, only to throw an incomplete pass. Our defense saved the day, however, by forcing a punt to end the half after SJS started with the ball at midfield with just under a minute to play. SJS came out passing in the 2nd half, which was an adjustment from the 1st half, and it came back to bite them on their first possession. Facing a 3rd and 2, they elected to pass the ball and we forced an incomplete pass and a punt to open the 3rd quarter. Knowing the SJS DL was short on bodies, our offense knew what they needed to do. Our next possession featured 9 runs, with the only 2 pass attempts coming on 3rd down, on our way to a TD. The next SJS possession was cut short yet again by a forced fumble and our offense went right back to grinding away rushing yards on our way to another TD. The 3rd quarter closed with SJS driving into our redzone, but with us holding a comfortable 35-21 lead. With SJS on our 24, our defense made sure to do all that it could to win the game by sacking the QB for a 6 yard loss on 3rd and 3. So rather than scoring a TD, or even a FG, we forced a punt. Almost as important as the forced punt was the fact that our offense was headed back onto the field. Starting at our 20, we ran the ball non-stop on our way to a back-breaking TD. By now the SJS defense was playing players out of position at DL, and I knew that didn't give them much of a chance. Our defense put the final nail in the coffin as they came up with another sack on a 3rd and 7. With 2 minutes to go, we ran the clock out and wrapped up the win. 41-21 W ----------- We ran for 403/3 and passed for 117/3/0, totaling 520 offensive yards while our defense allowed 264 yards. Quite possibly the most telling stat was TOP, which we dominated - 40:27 to 19:33! Our game plan worked to perfection, as we pitched a shutout in the 2nd half, led by our ability to run the ball consistently and keep their offense from getting on the field before it was too late. ----------- It was absolute bedlam in Philadelphia as we came home with a bowl win. It had been 16 seasons since Temple last had a winning season; 16 seasons since Temple got a bowl invitation; and 18 seasons since Temple had a bowl win. In one triumphant season, we put all of those streaks to an end! 37 joannes3000 9-5 3-5 5-1 3-4 45 Insight.com Bowl - Won 36 joannes3000 5-8 1-7 0-3 5-5 84 No bowl invitation. 35 joannes3000 1-12 1-7 0-6 1-6 108 No bowl invitation. 34 Sim AI 0-13 0-8 0-6 0-7 104 No bowl invitation. 33 Sim AI 2-11 1-7 2-4 0-7 92 No bowl invitation. 32 Sim AI 2-11 1-7 2-4 0-7 87 No bowl invitation. 31 Sim AI 3-10 2-9 3-4 0-6 91 No bowl invitation. 30 Sim AI 2-11 2-9 2-5 0-6 NR No bowl invitation. 29 Sim AI 1-12 1-10 0-7 1-5 NR No bowl invitation. 28 Sim AI 1-12 1-10 1-5 0-7 NR No bowl invitation. 27 Sim AI 4-9 4-7 2-5 2-4 NR No bowl invitation. 26 Sim AI 4-9 3-8 3-4 1-5 NR No bowl invitation. 25 Sim AI 2-11 2-9 1-6 1-5 NR No bowl invitation. 24 Sim AI 4-9 2-9 3-4 1-5 NR No bowl invitation. 23 Sim AI 5-8 5-6 2-4 3-4 NR No bowl invitation. 22 Sim AI 6-7 5-6 4-4 2-3 NR No bowl invitation. 21 98average 10-4 9-2 4-1 6-2 NR Sun Bowl - Lost 20 98average 10-4 8-3 7-0 3-3 NR Silicon Valley Bowl - Lost 19 98average 10-4 8-3 4-3 5-1 NR Holiday Bowl - Won We still have quite a long way to go, however, in our attempt to turn around the Temple program, but things could be shaken up quite dramatically next season. There are rumblings from UConn that their coach may be retiring. The coach at Marquette has said the same thing, although he may be interested in moving to UConn if the job does open up. Either way, it makes recruiting a little easier for me, since the new coach won't have any carryover money.

Our 8-5 record nets us a matchup against WAC CC runner-up San Jose State. This is a team that can't be written off simply because they are from a non-BCS conference. Being in CA, they have access to a lot of recruits. They have also been human-coached for 11 consecutive seasons. They also aren't strangers to bowl games, having gotten a bid for 9 consecutive seasons; although they boast a 1-8 record in those games. The bottom line is that I expect this team to not only be as good as we are on paper, but they could very well be better. Temple OL vs SJS DL - push. Our OL averages 81/84/71 with an average stamina of 56. SJS's DL averages 85/83/68 with an average stamina of 54. They run a rather unique 3-4 / 4-4 hybrid against the run and only have 6 active DL (one RS), so we could have an advantage there due to sheer numbers. Temple passing offense vs SJS passing defense - advantage Temple. I see the SJS secondary as a weakness because their average Game Instinct is 59, which to me would be remarkably low for a DIAA team. They are fast, however (avg. speed 84), so maybe they're able to make up for the low GI. Another thing to consider is that they will likely defend our passing game out of the 3-4 or 4-4 the majority of the time, meaning their LBs will factor into coverage also. Their average GI? 60. As you know, our passing game is traditionally a complimentary part of our offense but when you see something like this, you might just want to open up the passing attack a bit. Temple running offense vs SJS running defense - advantage Temple. Here's what we know: [*]SJS plays a 3-4 / 4-4 defense and only has 6 active DL [*]Their LBs average 62/63/77/80/60 (ATH/SPD/STR/TKL/GI) with an average stamina of 55. [*]Our RBs average 63/85/77/87 (ATH/SPD/STR/ELU) with an average stamina of 57. SJS can't productively play a 4-4 all game long with only 6 active DL. They probably couldn't play a 4-4 throughout a prolonged offensive drive. And while the OL/DL matchup is close in terms of talent, I think our running game can be in line to have a good day, especially if we can put together a long drive or two to start the game. Temple DL vs SJS OL - advantage SJS. The SJS OL averages 86/86/67 with an average stamina of 66. Our DL averages 79/82/67 with an average stamina of 53. Unless we crank up the aggressiveness, we likely won't be applying much pressure into the backfield. Temple passing defense vs SJS passing offense - push. The SJS passing game is triggered by an above average SR QB that has athletic but not so technically sound WRs. I think our DBs can hold their own, and hopefully we can put together a little bit of a pass-rush. Temple running defense vs SJS running offense - advantage SJS. This is the biggest area of concern for me. SJS has a trio of great RBs, headlined by superstud Carl Carillo who boasts an 89/88/89 in SPD/STR/ELU. Coupled with his 69 stamina, that means we will see him as often as SJS wants us to. Their advantage up front on the line will only make things tougher for us. ------------ I think the key to the game will be who's defense puts together enough stops and/or turnovers. I think SJS will have an easier time executing on offense, putting the pressure on our defense to step up. And while our offense should also do well, there's pressure on them to execute as well. The best defense for us will clearly be to keep the SJS offense on the sideline.