Bernard Pierce for Heisman

The Temple Athletic Department is going all out in getting Bernard Pierce's name out across the country as a Heisman trophy candidate.

In just one season of college football, Pierce has turned the heads of college football fans around the country with his unbelievable talent.

In 2009, Pierce came to Temple camp with the hope of just getting some snaps in to help contribute to the team; now, he's convincing college football fans that he is one of the top players in the country. He's now only a sophomore.

The Owls are looking to get Bernard Pierce's name out in 2010-- not only for the exposure of his talent, but to get the Temple Football brand out. The Owls have now proven to fans that they can win, so now it's time for the fans to prove they can support their university's football team.

Whether it's on billboards on highways, advertisement on buses, or on his newly created website, you can find Bernard Pierce and Temple Football almost anywhere in Philadelphia. Here's a look at one of the ads you can find in the local area:


We're talking about a halfback who would have shattered Adrian Peterson's freshman rushing records if not for a shoulder injury that sidelined him late in the season. In only eight full games as a freshman runningback, Pierce ran for 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged about 6 yards per carry, with an average of 113 yards per game.

Once again, merely a freshman.

A veteran offensive line returning for 2010 will only better Pierce's production. An intense offseason conditioning program has only helped strengthen the banged up shoulder.

He is highly rated by some of the most recognized football previewers around the country. Phil Steele, Sporting News, and Athlon all have Pierce as a 1st-team All MAC selection.

This 2010 season promises to be an exciting year for the Owls and B.P. Be sure to catch a game or two!

Tyndale and NBADL Team Win in Style

Another Summer-League update regarding a former Owl:


Mark Tyndale is making his case as to why an NBA team should pick him up.

The former Owl led the NBA D-League Select team to a 79-78 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in an unbelievable finish.

Check out that video above to see the great ending to the game. With about three seconds left in play, Mark Tyndale sprints into the backcourt to retrieve a loose ball with his team down two points.

He beats a defender to get past the timeline, and puts up a decent look with several hands in his face with about .3 seconds to go. The made shot gave the D-League Select team its one and only win in Summer League play as time expired.

Tyndale finished the game with 19 points (5/8 from the field, 8/11 FTs), 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in 29 minutes of play. He led the Select Team in scoring despite coming off of the bench.

Hoping that someone decides to pick up. Mark Tyndale averaged 14.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assists in 5 games during Summer League play.

NCAA Football '11: Temple Owls Entrance

Being a video gaming sports fan, I recently went out and grabbed a copy of the newest and best college football video game out there: NCAA Football '11.

As always, each year presents more and more additions to the game. "Traditions" is the latest, incorporating some of college football's well-known pregame practices.

Clemson has Howard's Rock, Michigan's "Go Blue" Banner, Wisconsin and Notre Dame's signs, and many more; NCAA '11 has become even more realistic with pre-game entrances being incorporated.

I decided to record a clip from the game of Temple entering Lincoln Financial Field against UCLA (EagleBank Bowl opponents) to see how it looks. Check out the video above, or click here.

You can get the best quality by changing it to "720p", or HD.

I'll be sure to post some clips of gameplay within the next week or so.

Temple vs. Notre Dame Talks for 2013/2014

Temple is reportedly in the works with Notre Dame to schedule a home and home agreement with the fighting Irish in 2013 and 2014, according to Philly.com's John Quinn.

Take a quick look at the future out-of conference schedules under this scenario:

2013: Maryland, Connecticut, Army, Notre Dame
2014: Maryland, Notre Dame, ______, ______

If you ask me, this is a great addition to the future schedules for the Owls. As long as we are playing in the MAC, it's important that the out of conference schedules are as competitive and challenging as we can make it. Notre Dame is certainly a quality opponent that provides a lot of exposure and opportunity for the Owls.

At the same time, by 2013 we might be in a position where we can beat most of these teams..who knows.

The reason this 2013 is available is because Notre Dame and Army have called off their matchup for this year.

So once again, I bring up that the contract between Temple and the MAC ends after this year. The Owls have Connecticut (Big East member) scheduled for 2013, so does that say something about our future membership? What does this say about Coach Golden's tenure on North Broad Street?

There have been a number of talks over the past couple of months regarding possible future schedule opponents for the Owls: Rutgers, Miami, and now Notre Dame. Factor these teams into the future schedules, and you've got an extremely challenging OOC slate.

Scheduling such quality opponents already (Penn State, Connecticut, Maryland) really shows the dedication the athletic department has put towards the program. This is a positive sign from the Owls administration. On top of the exposure being created for Heisman hopeful Bernard Pierce, the Owls can only make a bigger name for themselves by competing against some of the most historic programs in college football.

What are your thoughts on a possible home and home with Notre Dame?

Dionte Christmas in Action with Sacramento

Former Temple star Dionte Christmas is playing professional basketball, currently playing on the Sacramento Kings summer league team.


Here's a nice clip of Christmas scoring on a fancy reverse layup in yesterday's game against Minnesota. #22 finished the night with 9 points, shooting 4/7 in nearly 18 minutes of play.

In two games, Christmas is averaging 6 points.

You can catch Christmas and the Kings tomorrow night at 6:00 PM against the Toronto Raptors. They'll take on the Bulls Saturday and the Mavericks on Sunday.

Temple to Possibly Schedule Miami U?

The Philadelphia Daily News is now reporting that TU athletic director Bill Bradshaw has confirmed that there have been talks of a future Miami U matchup in the scheduling.

The Owls played against the Hurricanes yearly when both teams were members of the Big East. Temple is currently in the MAC, while Miami has moved on to the ACC.

Temple and Miami's last matchup came a year before Coach Golden's arrival, where the Hurricanes defeated the Owls 34-3.

Good to hear that Temple is looking to schedule high profile schools for out of conference games. Take a look at the Owls' upcoming OOC opponents for 2010 to 2015:

2010: Villanova, Connecticut, Penn State, Army
2011: Villanova, Maryland, Penn State, Army
2012: Villanova, Maryland, Penn State, Army
2013: Maryland, Connecticut, Army
2014: Maryland
2015:
2016: Army

For now, it looks like the Owls are set with opponents for the next three seasons. Could we possibly see a Rutgers/Miami addition somewhere from 2013, and beyond?

I would love to see us give some Big East teams some payback.

Temple's Agreement Effective with UA

I mentioned back in April that Temple would be signing an agreement to name Under Armour its partner for sports apparel and uniforms.

This agreement became effective this month, according to OwlSports.com yesterday.

From the article:

"The agreement gives Under Armour the right to provide uniforms, apparel and footwear to each of the Owls’ 24 varsity sports, including football, and men’s and women’s basketball. This department-wide outfitter agreement also includes an annual Under Armour product allowance as well as a rights fee, marketing entitlements, and event tickets."

I would like to assume both that Temple will be sporting these uniforms for the upcoming 2010 seasons, and that we won't (at least) see too many changes to the football unis.

Another great move by the athletic department to hopefully improve the sales and boost the apparel provided to the fans. The UA brand is a nationally recognized sports outfitting company that supplies some of the top sports teams across the globe. Several current college teams along with Temple are South Florida, Boston College, Utah, Texas Tech, Hawaii, South Carolina, and Maryland.

Less than two months until the Temple Football season starts!