@Temple_FB thanking the @cherrycrusade #templeproud #GoOwls pic.twitter.com/vaLhsWyVwt
— Temple Bands (@TempleBands) October 5, 2013
For how often local fans refer to Philadelphia as the best sports city in the world, and for a university that has over 100,000 alumni living in the area, you'd think there would be at least a mild curiosity about seeing Teddy Bridgewater play in person.
On Saturday, Bridgewater, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL draft, arrived with the No. 7 team in the country, and the Louisville Cardinals only outdrew FCS Fordham three weeks earlier by 1,662 warm bodies.
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The lesson here is that Elvis could quarterback the No. 1 team in the country against Temple and the exact same 20,000 people would be there to watch.
Many of the 21,709 who did show up left long before the whistle sounded on Temple's 30-7 loss Saturday.
That's why first-year head coach Matt Rhule had his players go out and thank the fans who stayed until the end. Bear in mind, Temple didn't score its lone touchdown until there were just 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Owls are now also 0-5 for the first time since 2007.
Rhule after the game:
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As they walked off the field after listening to the bank, I sent back out to thank all those students who stayed until the end of the game. We love all the students, but the ones who stayed until the end of the game, I wanted to make sure our players recognized them, and recognized the fact that they didn't leave, that they sat there and they supported them and they cheered for them all the way until the end of the game.
I wanted to thank those fans, because that's the team we're going to be some day. That's what I told our team. That Louisville team, that's the team we're going to be some day. Teddy Bridgewater, he was a freshman quarterback at one point. And [freshman quarterback P.J. Walker] that's the steps that he has to take. One the last three drives ... there were 10 freshmen and sophomores out there playing defense. You guys know me, that's not an excuse, but that is the positive, and that's why we wanted to go back and thank those guys.
The second half showed our team what it's going to be some day. I wanted it to be now. It's not now. It's where we're headed.