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Temple Owls: a quiet 9-2

One of the least talked about stories in college football this season is the remarkable record of the Temple Owls...yes, those Temple Owls...the same football program that was tossed out of the Big East a few years back because they were dragging down the conference's reputation...

The Owls now stand at 9-2 and the leader in the Mid-American Conference...Temple started the season 0-2 - losing to I-AA Villanova and Penn State...since those losses, they have reeled off nine straight includings a 27-24 win over Navy...

The leader in this monumental turnaround is head coach Al Golden (photo, left)...Golden, who is rumored to be the leading candidate as the next coach at Virginia, is a graduate of Penn State...in four years at Temple, he has posted an 18-28 mark...

Golden was a three-year starter at tight end at Penn State...he spent one season withe the New England Patriots...he started his coaching career as the offensive coordinator at Red Bank (NJ) Catholic High...Golden has ties to Virginia as he served as a graduate assistant and assistant coach under George Welsh and Al Groh...while at Virginia, Golden coached the defense and eventually became the defensive coordinator...

Helping Golden with Temple's climb to the top is stud running back Bernard Pierce... a bruising type of running back, Pierce will miss this week's game against Ohio University after sustaining a shoulder injury in Saturday's game against Kent State...

Pierce is a 6'0", 220 lb freshman who racked up 1,308 yards and 15 touchdowns before his injury...Pierce is a true workhorse as he carried the ball 40 times in a game twice this year...he also rushed for over 200 yards against Navy (267 yards) and Toledo (212 yards)...the most impressive stat - he has not fumbled this season...

Youngstown State will look at 2 Ohio State assistants for head coaching spot

Youngstown State University is looking for a new head football coach after Jon Heacock resigned on Sunday night...Heacock was hand picked by former YSU head coach Jim Tressel after left YSU to take the head coaching position at Ohio State...

With the Penguins in full search for a new head coach, expect the next leader of YSU football to be someone from the Tressel tree...the local media has thrown out a few names...but the two who I think will be considered are currently on the Ohio State coaching staff: Luke Fickell and Nick Siciliano...

Fickell (photo, top) is a graduate of Ohio State and serves as the team's co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach...Fickell has been on the Ohio State coaching staff since 2003...this past off-season, Fickell turned down an offer to serve on the coaching staff at Notre Dame...Fickell played his high school ball at Columbus DeSales...Fickell has been talked about as a future head coach at a BCS level program...the YSU job would give him the head coaching experience he needs...

Another candidate is Nick Siciliano (photo, bottom)...Siciliano has strong ties to the Youngstown area as he played his high school football at Austintown Fitch, the alma mater of current YSU athletic director Ron Strollo...Siciliano is a graduate of YSU...

He currently serves as the Buckeyes quarterback coach...prior to coming to Ohio State, he was an assistant coach at North Carolina A&T State...he also served as video coordinator for Bob Stoops as Oklahoma...Siciliano's biggest drawback is that he did not play college football and he has only been in the coaching business for a short time...

As far as Heacock goes, expect to see him with his brother serving as an assistant coach at Ohio State...

Michigan - another year, another losing season

This weekend I attended the Michigan-Ohio State game in Ann Arbor...I went solo because my 78-year-old father had an inner ear infection and could not go...and once again I came home pissed and disappointed...here are my thoughts about the game...

- Before the game I met NFL Pro Football Hall of Famer and Michigan great Dan Dierdorf in the tailgate lot (photo, above)...Dierdorf's legs are shot - the dude is basically crippled...he uses a cane and can barely walk...his hands are as big and thick as a catcher's mitt...

- Got the see Ohio State get off the team buses...ever the "gentleman" that he is, Jim Tressel made sure his wife, Ellen, was the first person off the bus...

- During pre-game I got to yell some obscenities to former Michigan, now Ohio State offensive lineman Justin Boren...I hardly ever yell crap at opposing players, but I could not resist with this fat pig...I still cannot comprehend how he spent two years wearing the Michigan uniform then transferred to Ohio State...I could understand if this was professional sports because it is a business and money dictates where a player plays...but this prick could have transferred to any other school in the nation, but he chose Michigan's hated rival...to me, Justin Boren has no soul...

- Michigan had opportunities to win the game, but stupid decisions by quarterback Tate Forcier killed any hope...Forcier was trying his best to imitate Brett Favre with his knuckleheaded passes in which he was picked off four times...Forcier has regressed since the Iowa game, when Rich Rodriguez benched him late in the game...

- I hate when people keep defending Forcier by saying, "he's only a freshman"...I know that, but why do other freshman quarterbacks not make stupid decisions and lead their team to a winning record...Terrelle Pryor was a freshman and led Ohio State to the Fiesta Bowl...Colt McCoy started as a freshman and led Texas to a winning season that first year...I'm sorry for being hard on Forcier, but he did not progress nor mature throughout the season...

- Michigan lacks a quality big running back who can run between the tackles and pick up chunks of yards...Brandon Minor was supposed to be that hammer of a back but he was injury prone all year and never lived up to his potential as a senior...

- Pryor is a good quarterback, but he is not the All-American, Heisman caliber quarterback that he was billed to be when coming out of high school...he is over-rated...

- The Michigan defense played well...it was probably their best game of the season...

- Saw ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe...she is a bit chunky...

- I could have punched one Michigan fan when I was leaving the game...this sorry case of a person wearing Maize and Blue said to his friend, "at least Michigan played well and we didn't embarrass ourselves"...WHAT!!!...WE LOST!!!!...WE HAVE LOST SIX IN A ROW TO OHIO STATE!!!!...I don't care if we lost by 1 stinking point, the fact remains that Ohio State has beaten us six straight times --- that my friend is an embarrassment...people with that type of losing mentality should never even bother to attend a game of this magnitude...

- I was disappointed in many of the Michigan fans who sold their tickets to Ohio State fans...sure these are hard times economically, but if you own season tickets to Michigan football, you are more than likely not economically disadvantaged...there were Ohio State fans around me who ran their mouth and were arrogant - but not one Michigan fan said anything to them...this would never happen at Ohio Stadium...if a Michigan fan ran his/her mouth in Columbus, they would be stabbed...I am proud that I attended the game and cheered on Michigan...my loyalty to the Maize and Blue runs deep...even though I did not graduate from Michigan, I can say that I am a Michigan Man...

- Michigan will not fire Rodriguez this season...but rest assure, he better go 8-4 next year and beat Ohio State...2010 will be his third year as the head coach...his "system" should be in place...and the players he recruited will be juniors and sophomores...Michigan better show marked improvement and beat Ohio State...if not, Rodriguez should be fired immediately after the game in Columbus...