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Game Review: Maryland Terrapins vs Temple Owls 9/8/2012, 1pmMaryland vs Temple 09082012 ticket

Final Score: Terps 39  Temple 27

Weather: Warm and Sunny; Ticket Price: $20, Attendance 22,322

“The kinda, sorta college football game experience.” by Tree

The Site:

Temple - The Linc

Temple, unfortunately, plays at the Linc – home of the Philadelphia Eagles. As documented in other reviews (Miami U, South Florida), I am not a fan of colleges playing at pro stadiums. There’s no soul at those facilities and they are often nowhere near campus. The benefits of a pro stadium are that it is often easy to get to and often not at capacity. Lincoln Financial Field fits those characteristics. Parking is plentiful but still a little expensive. Inside the stadium, the temporary Temple paraphernalia only reinforces that this is not the Owls’ nest. It, of course, has all the amenities, including an usher that looked identical to the real Usher. So from the standard game experience, the venue is fine. I also think Philadelphia is an underrated city, especially for a weekend trip. There are plenty of historical sites and some great restaurants. And for bike riders, the city has some great routes and trails. Plus, as cliché as it is, I love to run the “Rocky” steps at the Art Museum.

The Logistics:

The stadium is easy to get to, accessible from the highway and the Metro. I found the route well marked and easy to navigate. I like to make sure I have time to get a cheesesteak either before or after the game. I am a Pat’s guy.

The Game:

Temple 2

At first this game had all the markings of a blow-out. Maryland goes out way in front. By half time the score is 26 – 3 and I am thinking I will be making an early exit from this game. However, I figured that I would give Temple a couple of series in the second half before I bail. So between a plucky Owl team and Maryland booting the ball all around the field in the second half, the game tightened up. Temple hits a bomb midway through the 4th quarter and we have a 2 point ball game. Maryland then slammed the door on Temple with an 11 play touchdown drive, eating up most of the clock in the process. Temple had one last chance but could not get it done.

Personal Notes:

I always like to buy some sort of memento from each game. At the Linc, Temple’s book store had set up a tent where they were selling various Owl gear. I found a small football and got in line. And I waited, and waited and then I waited some more. When I get to the front of the line, I realize they were doing all the sales manually. There were no registers or credit card readers or iPods; just a couple of harried clerks with pen and paper. It was such a time warp, I half expected to see Bill Cosby warming up on the field with rest of the Owls.

CHAOS!
CHAOS!

The halftime was another surreal experience. It started out normal enough as the Temple band came out to play. Then as they finished, a local dojo went to the 50 yard line to do their routine. While they were doing that, a couple of peewee football teams started an exhibition game in the end zone. And then the kickers and punters came out to practice kick. I can’t be sure, but at one point I think that even Maryland’s band got in the mix. It was complete chaos for about five minutes. Clearly someone in Marketing overbooked the entertainment that day. Like a rubbernecker on the freeway, I could not help but watch the car wreck in front of me.

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