Archive: September, 2010
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Villanova football coach Andy Talley announced yesterday that Wildcats star Matt Szczur is "questionable" for Saturday's big game at William & Mary, and will likely be a "game-time decision."
"We're not sure where he is at this point," Talley said. "It's just a little early to tell. So we're going to hold off."
Talley said that his team's hard-fought games against Temple and Penn were good preparation for the Wildcats' first conference road trip of the season. There is certainly a lot of buzz in Williamsburg around Saturday's matchup, as Villanova and William & Mary were Nos. 1 and 2 in the CAA preseason poll.
It has not gone unnoticed that Villanova has beaten the Tribe six times in a row. The most recent win came in the semifinals of last year's I-AA playoffs. Cary Field will be sold out, and the game will be televised here on Comcast SportsNet.
"We feel like we've been in the fire, and we're ready for what we're going to find out at William & Mary," Talley said. "It's a must game for us, and it's a must game for them. It's what our league is about."
The hype around the game got dented a bit when the Tribe's starting quarterback, Rob Callahan, injured his throwing arm shoulder last week. Mike Paulus, a transfer from North Carolina, will start under center.
You've probably heard of Paulus' brother: Greg played four years of basketball at Duke, then transferred to Syracuse and played quarterback for the Orange for a season.
'Nova is still licking a few wounds from Saturday's 22-10 win over Penn, a game that Talley called "probably the most physical game that we've had with each other over our tenure of playing."
"I told our staff that I really think this is the best Penn team that we've seen," Talley said. "We're pretty good, and I thought the played great. They were extremely physical."
Talley revealed that the game's decisive play, Jimmy Pitts' 56-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, happened in part because Pitts got his assignment wrong.
"We were fortunate that Jimmy Pitts lined up on the wrong guy," Talley said. "He should have been on the wideout and he jumped inside."
Here are a few other notes from yesterday's local college football coaches' luncheon:
- Penn coach Al Bagnoli said that Billy Ragone will start at quarterback for the Quakers in their Ivy League opener against Dartmouth at Franklin Field on Friday. But Kieffer Garton "may" play in the game as well, Bagnoli said.
Bagnoli added that Garton "practiced all week, so he's pretty close to being ready."
Andy Talley said he has no doubt about how Penn will fare in the Ancient Eight.
"I'm going to have a lot of fun watching the Quakers go on and win the Ivy title," he said. "So I'm putting the bead on [Bagnoli's] back right now."
- Villanova came up with the money to fly to Saturday's game in Williamsburg. Rowan, on the other hand, had no such luck. The Profs will take the bus to Buffalo, N.Y., for their game against Buffalo State.
Rowan coach Jay Accorsi hopes the trip isn't a repeat of the last time his team traveled to upstate New York. One of the team's buses had a mechanical problem, and could only move at 30 mph.
- Ursinus recorded a whopping 44:06 of time of possession in their 24-7 win over Susquehanna. In the audio player below, you can listen to Bears coach Pete Gallagher explain what it took to hold on the ball for so much of the game.
Local Sagarin ratings
22. Penn State (22-27-24-10)
50. Temple (46-60-59-99)
66. Delaware (92-65-106-112)
67. Rutgers (53-57-39-60)
72. Villanova (69-71-104-64)
131. Penn (131-128-130-135)
162. Lehigh (162-168-143-146)
181. Princeton (208-187-189-187)
198. Lafayette (204-220-141-156)
227. Delaware State (221-222-220-204)
238. Bucknell (235-235-230-213)
Sagarin predictions for selected games
(All games Saturday unless otherwise noted. I-A rankings by the AP, I-AA rankings by The Sports Network)
No. 22 Penn State at No. 18 Iowa (8:00 p.m., ESPN): Iowa by 2 (80.71 + 3.00 to 81.72)
Temple at Army (12:00 p.m., CBS College Sports): Temple by 6 (74.01 to 64.71 + 3.00)
No. 1 Villanova at No. 7 William & Mary (3:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet): Villanova by 2 (69.79 to 64.70 + 3.00)
Dartmouth at Penn (3:30 p.m., Comcast Network): Penn by 16 (57.01 + 3.00 to 44.14)
Delaware at No. 3 James Madison (12:00 p.m., Comcast Network): James Madison by 7 (77.37 + 3.00 to 71.21)
No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 24 Michigan State (3:30 p.m., ABC): Michigan State by 1 (76.45 + 3.00 to 79.15)
No. 21 Texas vs. No. 8 Oklahoma at Dallas (3:30 p.m., ESPN*): Oklahoma by 4 (87.48 to 83.54)
No. 7 Florida at No. 1 Alabama (8:00 p.m., CBS): Alabama by 5 (93.68 + 3.00 to 92.11)
No. 9 Stanford at No. 4 Oregon (8:00 p.m., ESPN2*): Oregon by 6 (89.85 + 3.00 to 86.62)
* - These are ABC reverse mirror games. They will be broadcast in standard definition. The 8:00 p.m. ABC game on local broadcast here is Notre Dame at Boston College. Coverage maps for all of ABC's games this weekend are here.
James Madison, by the way, is ranked No. 36 in Sagarin. That's the highest ranking for a I-AA team by a long way. Delaware is the second-highest-ranked I-AA team. Alabama and Florida are Nos. 1 and 2 in the overall Sagarin ranking, with Boise State No. 3.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
The words could have come from the mouth of Al Bagnoli or Al Golden.
"This whole game, I thought we had a chance," the losing coach said. "One of the problems in this game is you can't make a mistake. Your margin of error is basically nil, and we made some big mistakes."
In this instance, it was Bagnoli speaking into the press room microphones at Villanova. But it's not hard to draw parallels between Penn's 22-10 loss at Villanova and Temple's 22-13 loss at Penn State. Both underdogs had chances to pull off historic upsets today, but came up short.
Only the diehard Quakers and Owls fans would have thought that their teams would hold leads in second half .Yet there they were: Temple ahead of Penn State, 13-12, late in the third quarter, and Penn up on Villanova, 10-9, well into the fourth.
Although both home teams took the lead back, the visitors still had their chances. Temple had a drive going with just over two minutes left, and a touchdown would have brought the Owls within a field goal. Penn was even closer, at Villanova's 46 down five points with four and a half minutes remaning.
But Chester Stewart and Billy Ragone both killed any chances of comebacks by throwing interceptions. Stewart threw two in the last three and half minutes of the game, while Ragone's one was returned for a touchdown.
Coincidentally, Ragone's pick-six meant that Villanova and Penn State both finished the day with 22 points on the scoreboard.
"It's one of those games where they force you, because of their athleticism, to play virtually a perfect game, which is really hard to do," Bagnoli said.
Injuries were certainly a factor in both games. Matt Szczur's sprained ankle constrained Villanova's dynamic offense, especially its Wildcats plays. Bernard Pierce also left the game with an ankle injury, forcing Temple's offense to rely much more on quarterback Chester Stewart. Penn was less affected by Lyle Marsh's broken arm, which in all likelihood ended his season. But Marsh was the best of the Quakers' many running backs at forcing his way through Villanova's defensive line.
Of the two losing teams, Temple has to be hurt the most. This was a chance for the Owls to make a big statement on a national stage, and assert themselves as a true rising power. It was also the program's best chance by far finally beat a team that many of their fans truly loathe.
Penn and Villanova are more like quarreling brothers. There's relatively little enmity between the two fan bases. For as much as Penn wants to win the game, they don't really have anything to prove to anyone in the way that Temple does.
Furthermore, the Quakers came in with relatively low expectations, given Villanova's prowess and the visitors' lack of athletic scholarships. Penn's regular season is also pretty meaningless, because Ivy League teams don't go to the I-AA playoffs. So the only thing that really matters is the conference slate.
Still, both city schools' fan bases will be stinging a bit from this weekend. They can be forgiven for wondering if either team's losing streak will ever end. Perhaps the day will finally come at some point, but it won't be for at least another year.
There's a photo gallery from Temple-Penn State above, and you can listen to Penn and Villanova's postgame press conferences below. There's also a video in the player at right with some analysis from me and game highlights shot by my Philly.com colleague Dave Isaac.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: Villanova Stadium, Villanova, Pa.
TV: Comcast Network (Scott Graham and Kevin Reilly)
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Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Penn coach Al Bagnoli threw the gauntlet down early at yesterday's local college football coaches luncheon - and he was aiming at his own team.
The Quakers travel to No. 1-ranked Villanova on Saturday riding a 99-year losing streak against the Wildcats. Just in case you thought things might change this year, here's how Bagnoli described the task at hand:
"If you look at this year's team, scary as it may sounds, they may actually be better than last year's team," he said. "If we turn the ball over as much as we did in Week 1, it's going to get ugly."
Of course, that's been said about this game on a number of occasions in recent years, but it hasn't always turned out that way. Of the seven Penn-Villanova games played in this decade, four have been decided by one possession. Only one, a 34-14 final in 2007, was decided by more than two possessions.
It might not be a coincidence, though, that the 2007 game was plahyed at Villanova Stadium. So was the Wildcats' 17-3 win in 2002, which had the second-largest margin of victory of the seven games.
No wonder Bagnoli said he thinks the game should always be played at Franklin Field.
It would be one thing if Bagnoli was the only self-deprecating head coach involved in the matter. Villanova coach Andy Talley is every bit his counterpart's equal, though, when it comes to playing down expectations.
"The pressure is really on us, because everyone is saying, 'You should beat Penn,'" Talley said. "If you look at last year's 14-3 victory, it was very hard-fought, very difficult, with one of the best teams I've ever had."
Talley has been matching wits with Bagnoli ever since the duo coached in Division III, at St. Lawrence and Union, respectively.
"I always admired his defensive skills, and it's just carried over," Talley said. "They are very, very disciplined, and very physical - amongst the best defenses that we've played against, and you can ask any of our players."
I suppose any football coach would want to play up his team's next opponent, no matter what their caliber. But Talley might have another strategy in mind: preventing his players from looking ahead to next week's road trip to William & Mary.
The Wildcats and Tribe were picked as the top two teams in the CAA preseason poll. Of the three biggest games on Villanova's conference schedule this year, the other two - James Madison and Richmond - are at home. So next week will be a very big deal.
This week's game is not as big a deal, even though both Penn and Villanova say their game is a rivalry. In a way, it resembles the Temple-Villanova series, with the Wildcats playing the role of the team that isn't supposed to lose.
There's another game Saturday between teams whose series has been rather lopsided over the years: Temple at Penn State. The Owls haven't beaten the Nittany Lions since World War II, and there's been a lot of trash talk coming from North Broad Street about that streak ending this year.
As Bernard Fernandez wrote in yesterday's Daily News, Joe Paterno is a master at worrying about Penn State's opponents. The Owls got one of their biggest wins in years when they beat Connecticut, but playing at Beaver Stadium is a much tougher test.
Feel free to fire away with your thoughts on both games in the comments. I've also put up a poll for you to vote in. Which game do you think will be closer, Temple-Penn State or Penn-Villanova?
I'll be on the Main Line on Saturday night to liveblog the action, and I hope you'll join me. And yes, we'll be able to talk about Temple-Penn State too. Because, as you've told me many times, it's so obvious that I hate the Owls.
Enjoy the weekend.
Local Sagarin ratings
22. Penn State (27-24-10)
46. Temple (60-59-99)
53. Rutgers (57-39-60)
69. Villanova (71-104-64)
92. Delaware (65-106-112)
131. Penn (128-130-135)
162. Lehigh (168-143-146)
204. Lafayette (220-141-156)
208. Princeton (187-189-187)
221. Delaware State (222-220-204)
235. Bucknell (235-230-213)
Sagarin predictions for selected games
- Poll: Which game will be closer? (72 votes)
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Today's Inquirer sports poll asks whether you'd rather have Temple running back Bernard Pierce or Penn State running back Evan Royster on your team. Cast your vote here, and share your thoughts in the comments.
- Poll: Which running back would you rather have? (611 votes)
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
The timing surely wasn't intentional, but it is what it is. As the discussion swirls about Villanova following in Connecticut's footsteps from I-AA football to the Big East, the Huskies come to Philadelphia tomorrow to face a team that got kicked out of the Big East not too long ago.
As Mike Kern noted in yesterday's Daily News, Temple already has enough motivation for revenge against UConn because of the close games the two programs have played in recent years. But it so happens that the Huskies are a dark horse to do very well in the Big East this season. Pitt is the favorite to win the conference, but UConn has a favorable schedule that includes the Panthers, West Virginia and Cincinnati all at home. Those were the three teams picked above the Huskies in the preseason poll.
Connecticut's toughest road game of the season probably already happened: at Michigan on the season's opening weekend. That the result was a 30-10 thumping certainly dented UConn's prestige, but that game will be well off in the rear view mirror when conference play begins.
Temple, meanwhile, seems to be in high spirits. The Owls are 2-0 for the first time since 1981, and even though both wins were close they were wins nonetheless. A win Saturday would the record 3-0 for the first time in 31 years. It will be an upset if it happens, but it's certainly possible.
Here's the real discussion topic, though. If Temple wins, will it have any effect on the discussions of Big East football expansion? I know quite a few Owls fans who have watched the Villanova discussions from afar, quietly seething about the fact that their program hasn't even gotten a whiff of attention from the Big East.
That wouldn't change with just one game, but you can make a very easy case that Temple is much more ready to change conferences than Villanova. The Owls already have a big enough stadium in Lincoln Financial Field. And though neither they nor the Wildcats draw big crowds for football, at least Temple has a bigger potential fan base from its student body and alumni.
So let's stir the pot a little bit. Which team do you think would be a better fit in Big East football, Temple or Villanova? Share your thoughts in the comments.
There are quite a few other notable games this weekend involving local teams. Penn State hosts Kent State, Villanova plays its home opener against Towson, and Penn plays its season opener against Lafayette at Franklin Field.
As we get ready for tomorrow, here's a look at the latest Sagarin ratings. The numbers in parentheses are the ratings for each of the previous weeks in the season. So for example, Penn State is ranked this week, was ranked 24th last week and was ranked 10th the week before that. Each week, the string of numbers in parentheses will expand, so that we can track each team's ranking over the course of the season.
27. Penn State (24-10)
57. Rutgers (39-60)
60. Temple (59-99)
65. Delaware (106-112)
71. Villanova (104-64)
128. Penn (130-135)
168. Lehigh (143-146)
220. Lafayette (141-156)
187. Princeton (189-187)
222. Delaware State (220-204)
235. Bucknell (230-213)
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
There's been a lot of news this week about concussions in football, and in particular the impact brain injuries have had on football teams in our region.
By now, you've probably seen Mike Jensen and Bob Moran's report on the autopsy of former Penn football player Owen Thomas in Tuesday's Inquirer. There was also Eagles offensive tackle Winston Justice's terrific column about how NFL players hide injuries in yesterday's Daily News.
When Thomas' autopsy was published, a number of people asked me for my opinion on the report. I wasn't sure what to say at the time, but Justice's viewpoint really got me thinking.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
As you have probably seen by now, the Daily News broke the story Saturday evening that there have been "preliminary discussions" between Villanova's athletic department and the Philadelphia Union about having the Wildcats' football team play at PPL Park.
I covered last night's Union game for my soccer blog, The Goalkeeper, and after the 'Nova story broke I asked Union president Tom Veit for more information. Veit is a former associate athletic director for external affairs at the University of South Florida. So he fully understands what Villanova is trying to do, and also the dynamics currently at play in the Big East.
(It is not a coincidence that the men's soccer teams of Villanova and South Florida will play at PPL Park later this fall.)
Below, you'll find a transcript of my interview with Veit. I hope you'll share your thoughts on his remarks in the comments. And I hope that those of you who don't pay too much attention to soccer will be respectful towards the soccer fans who will be here to discuss the issue.
The next few paragraphs are thoughts from me that I've also posted on The Goalkeeper.
From everything I have read in the media and heard from my sources, there is still a very long way to go with this. I would not make any assumptions about what will happen until we get official statements, especially as regards the decisions about what facilities Villanova will use.
This is especially true regarding PPL Park. There are dynamics at play with the Union and with Major League Soccer as a whole that are very specific to soccer facilities. They are unlike any Villanova would have to deal with at Franklin Field or Lincoln Financial Field. In particular, the philosophical objection on the part of the Union and MLS as a whole to gridiron lines at soccer-specific stadiums will be very, very hard to overcome.
The move to soccer-specific stadiums is a large part of what has brought Major League Soccer legitimacy from fans in the U.S. and around the world. When soccer teams play on top of gridiron lines, there is a definite feeling of second-class citizenship. Even those of you who are new to soccer can understand why that is the case.
Having said that, PPL Park also presents advantages in terms of scale, amenities and availability that the Linc and Franklin Field do not offer. So it should not be ruled out.
Q: Have there been any discussions with Villanova about them playing here?
A: Very preliminary. We've been approached by Villanova about this being an option for them to play at, and we are always open to discussions. For us, although there would be a lot of questions for us to answer - which all may have answers - but first and foremost, this is a soccer faciliy. It will always be geared to that. With that said, if there's a possibility to do something else, we definitely would look at it. We're very supportive of Villanova. Being a former Big East guy myself, I'd love to see it happen. So we're definitely willing to look at the possibility.
Q: One of the stumbling blocks, I would think, would be gridiron lines. Would you be willing to have gridiron lines on the field?
A: No. That would be one of the things we'd have to work out, to figure out a way that they wouldn't show. MLS has a league directive that you can't have football lines on the field, unless you're in New England or some place like that.* So that, field conditions and all that, are things we'd have to look at. With that said, there could be answers to all those. So again, it's a soccer facility first. But if we can accomplish that and be able to help Villanova, we're more than open to talking about it. We're at the very, very preliminary stage. Really, Villanova has called and said, "Would you talk to us," and we've said, "We'd be more than happy to."
[* - The New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders play in the NFL stadiums owned by the NFL's Patriots and Seahawks, respectively. The Houston Dynamo play in the University of Houston's stadium. The directive is aimed at the soccer-specific stadiums owned by MLS franchises, including PPL Park.]
Q: Given your prior experience with the Big East, is this stadium currently too small for what the Big East wants to do with football?
A: You'd have to ask the Big East, but I think it's a possibility. There's a possibility that the stadium could be expanded, there are a lot of things going on. But I don't think it's necessarily too small.
Q: Knowing what you do, if there was to be expansion, what do you think would come first: expansion of the stadium or Villanova playing here?
A: You know what, that's a big hypothetical. I have no idea.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
There's not all that much use in preseason Sagarin data, because the computerized index is based primarily upon current season results. Nor is it always fair to draw too many conclusions after just one week, because there's only the smallest amount of data possible. But hat won't stop us from taking a look at this week's numbers.
The Villanova-Temple game had a dramatic effect on where both teams stand. Temple jumped from 99th to 59th, while Villanova fell from 65th to 102nd. Interestingly, Temple is now one spot above Rutgers, which also beat a I-AA school at home in Week 1. The Scarlet Knights won by a larger margin than Temple did, as they beat Norfolk State, 31-0. But the result was against a clearly worse team than Villanova.
I did not check last week to see what Sagarin predicted for a Villanova-Temple final score, and Jeff Sagarin's website only displays data for the current week of the season. But the discrepancy was so big that Villanova surely would have been favored.
(UPDATE: I'm told by reader Brian Ewart, who's also a voter in the Schuylkill 16, that Villanova was favored by four points before kickoff.)
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Temple, Saint Joseph's and La Salle released their men's basketball schedules for the coming season today.
Temple vs. St. Joe's at the Palestra on January 29 and La Salle at Temple on March 5 will count in the Big 5 standings.
Each team is supposed to have two home games and two road games in the City Series. But it doesn't look like that's happening this year as La Salle and Temple both have three home games. La Salle hosts Villanova and Penn at Tom Gola Arena, then is the home team against St. Joe's at the Palestra. Temple having three home games makes more sense, because they've played Penn at the Palestra two straight years.
While I haven't seen any official confirmation of the schedule of Big 5 games, here is my attempt to piece the slate together.
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
