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| Is this game at Temple a must win for the Bulls? |
After a tough defeat to FSU and all the energy the team left out on the field, the Bulls must now regroup and head to Lincoln Financial Field and face new Big East member Temple.
At 2-3 (0-1) the Bulls still have their sights on a bowl game and the Big East title is not mathematically over, but this is not an easy game. Temple, at 1-2 on the year, is returning to the Big East after being part of the MAC the last several years. Temple will be eager to get back to league play and will have a home crowd energized for this. Now while Temple is not a power house and the Bulls, at 5 point favorites at the moment, are the better team on paper, this game has me nervous and others nervous as well.
The Bulls are in the midst of a three game losing streak right now and are coming off one of the more emotional games for the team. The Bulls battled hard, left it all out there, and came up short. Building upon the two losses before that, the team is in a slide. But while the funk is still hanging over the team, that is not the only problem the team faces.
The Bulls are in a funk and hitting the road to an energized Temple team. Temple is not a power team, that is well known, but stepping into their house when they are ready and for the Bulls, who could be sleep walking a bit, it could come back to bite the Bulls. Like Holtz said, the Bulls could be facing a "buzz saw." as they head into this game.
Facing a new team, a new style of play, and entering a stadium they are not accustomed to, it could be a wake up call.
Another issue is the pressure. The Bulls, a conference favorite and loaded with expectations coming into the year, could be feeling the heat. The Bulls want to win and are frustrated by the mistakes and where they stand in the conference. While they continue to say the right things and believe they are a better team after the battle against FSU, can they overcome those errors and finally put it all together?
This is a real gut check for the Bulls. A loss to Temple would put the Bulls down to the bottoms of the conference, likely out of the conference race, and would put their hopes for bowl game even lower. Holtz is just 15-15 over the two and a half years he has been here, not the turning point we would want for this team and for the program. Losing this game would put the Bulls down, headed into a bye week, and then setting them up for a game at Louisville, the conference power. While every game in college is critical, this one is probably the biggest at this point for this team. A win, and things are just a bit better. A loss, it could get uglier.
This is a must win game for one reason and one reason only and that is to maintain what little support is left from this already fair weather fan base. We as fans can only make conclusions based on what we from a spectator's perspective. We have no idea what goes on behind the scenes and all the work everyone puts in, but guess what? That doesn't matter because in the end it's all about the results of what see produced on the field. And it is more obvious than ever that this team based on what we saw, thought they could walk all over Ball State, but then insulted USF nation by playing with the passion and effort against FSU as if it was the deciding contest for a national championship. Unacceptable and its making this team look like frauds. We have patted and made excuses for this team long enough. How come the excuse is that they work hard and try their best and their only student athletes when they lose, but when they win it's all, actually I don't know because it's been so long since meaningful victory. It's a cop out and it's an insult to everyone who has felt pride in our school and an embarrassment on every level of exposure as a program.
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ReplyDeleteWell said there. Like you said, we don’t know what goes on in that locker room, what is said on the sidelines, in practice, etc. but for the fans that watch, it’s not good. We have seen the egg laid against Ball State and then the effort given vs. FSU, it’s the same each season for this team. I think the biggest thing is consistency out of this team. They show flashes then shoot themselves in the foot with boneheaded plays. Program is running out of excuses and fan base growing angry with the same old, same old. Time to put up or shut up.
The Bulls should step up on this one game. They really need that one win. That one win is not only for them but for their fan support as well.
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