By the time Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw took the microphone and spoke to the schools football team, marching band, cheerleaders, dance team, students, and alumni gathered in the lobby of the Liacouras Center on Sunday night, just about everyone knew what he was going to say.
But that didnt make the announcement any less is exciting.
For the second time in the past three years, Temple will be playing in a bowl game, Bradley told the exuberant crowd as ESPNs College Football Bowl Selection Special played on the big-screen TV behind him.
The Owls (8-4 overall, 5-3 MAC) accepted a bid to play Wyoming (8-4, 5-2 MWC) in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M, on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Its awful cool that these seniors have a chance to go to a bowl game, first-year Temple head coach Steve Addazio said. Theyre the winningest class in school history and in the last two years, theyve got to go to three bowl games. Just to be able to continue the growth of this program is really exciting and really great to be a part of.
While most of the players already knew they were bowl-bound, they still said it was great to get the official word. Last year, the Owls thought theyd get a bid somewhere after finishing the regular season with eight wins, and were dismayed to find out when their season was over.
For some, this seasons invite even provided a little bit of redemption.
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Last year, it was a really tough time, Temple senior offensive lineman John Palumbo said. You figure you have eight wins and you take it for granted and you think youll definitely get a bowl game. This year I think we were a little more skeptical. Hearing it from Mr. Bradshaw was definitely a sigh of relief.
The Owls certainly had the credentials to get a bowl invite, coming from the ultra-competitive Mid-American conference, which placed five teams in bowl games.
What also helped the Owls was that they closed the regular season with three straight victories, the final two convincing routs.
They never remember September, they sometimes remember October, they always remember November. And we played well in November, Addazio said. We had some incredibly great games and I think the MAC is very strong this year. I think we have an exciting team and I think theres a tremendous buzz around Philadelphia and Temple right now. People want to see us play.
Two years ago, many of these same Temple players made history when the Owls accepted a bid to the programs first bowl game in 30 years. That part was thrilling but the results of the game itselfa 30-21 loss to UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl on a frozen field at RFK Stadiumwas less exciting.
It was a fun game to play in, dont get me wrong, senior linebacker Tahir Whitehead said. But we wanted to play in nice weather this time around.
Whitehead admitted he spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks looking at rumors and online bowl projections that put the Owls anywhere from the East Coast to Hawaii. He and the rest of the players hoped to go somewhere warm, and originally thought they had that in the New Mexico Bowl.
But they quickly learned its actually pretty cold in New Mexico this time of year. No matter the temperature or elements, though, the Owls know whats at stake when they take the field opposite Wyoming.
We know theyre going to come out swinging, as are we, Whitehead said. This is our championship game right here.
Shortly after the bowl announcement was made, Temple players didnt know very much about Wyoming, other than that both schools had a common opponent in Bowling Green. (Temple lost to Bowling Green, 13-10, earlier in the season, while Wyoming won by a point.)
Addazio and the rest of the coaches, of course, will spend the next week studying Wyoming and game planning for the Cowboys, who carry a two-game bowl winning streak into the Dec. 17 matchup. Compared to most other teams across the country, however, the Owls will have little time to prepare for their final game, as the New Mexico Bowl marks the first game of the FBS postseason.
Addazio admitted that between recruiting, finals and game preparation, its going to be a crazy 10 days or so before his team departs for New Mexico. But he said he prepared himself mentally for the upcoming whirlwind and, more than anything else, is excited to be part of the first bowl game.
I think this is great, he said. I want to get out there. I think its awful cool to kick the bowl season off. People are excited to see the first game. Id rather do that, honestly, than be tucked back late.
One bad thing about the quick turnaround is that some of the banged-up guys like Palumbo, who has been injured for much of the season, have less time to heal. But the Owls' lineman said hes hopeful hell be able to be out there for his final game.
Ive been seeing a bunch of doctors through the course of the last week and its pretty much day-today, said Palumbo, one of the teams four captains. Ill try to get myself ready to play.
Theres one more thing the senior is hoping for.
Hopefully, he said, we can solidify our legacy with a bowl win.
Email Dave Zeitlin at djzeitlin@gmail.com