COLLEGE CORNER / C2

NBA season finally set to tip SPORTS off for Christmas / C3 Sunday, December 25, 2011 ALL-AREA FOOTBALL/ C1 [email protected] Twitter: @PottsMercSports C4 and C5

NFL

AP Photo Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek (87) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) during the first quarter of Satur- day’s game against the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Too little, too late for Eagles

By Bob Grotz [email protected]

ARLINGTON, Texas – Andy Reid arrived as a head coach with the infa- mous “pickle juice” win at Dallas. Now it’s time to wonder how long his rein with the Eagles continues de-

Photo by John Strickler; Layout by Steve Moore Steve by Layout John Strickler; by Photo spite a 20-7 win over the Cowboys here Saturday. EAGLES 20 COWBOYS 7 The Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs before the end of the first quarter. With a 7-8 record, they need to beat the lowly Washington Redskins this week to avoid a losing season. When Reid sits down with Eagles ownership in a few weeks, he must ex- plain why he couldn’t make a playoff team out of a collection of talent that set the Eagles back more than $225 million. They’re not going to add this Eagles- Cowboys game to the NFL classics. It became a grudge match for the Eagles, who received the opening kick- By Don Seeley coach. off in the late afternoon, once their [email protected] “We didn’t have a babysitter,” playoff quest ended with the New York Bodolus recalled. “I didn’t have much Giants’ 29-14 win over the New York Through pre-school, kindergarten of a choice.” Jets in an early game. and on up into second grade, Tommy Bodolus wasn’t force-fed football, The Cowboys (8-7) crawled away Bodolus spent nearly every afternoon mind you, but it didn’t take long for bloody but breathing. They had noth- sitting through football practices at St. ing to gain from a victory as the Giants Pius X, where his father was the head Please see BODOLUS on C5 Please see EAGLES on C7

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Temple example of stability compared to Pitt, PSU

By Genaro C. Armas trying to do the best job we ami. Addazio, the former But those schools have AP Sports Writer can in recruiting,” Addazio assistant at Florida under also had unstable coaching said Thursday in a phone Urban Meyer, maintained situations. STATE COLLEGE — interview when asked to as- the momentum with a 9-4 That once was never an Major college football is in sess how the situations at season. issue at Penn State under a state of flux at Penn State Penn State and Pitt might Now he’s on a well-de- the 46-year tenure of Hall and Pittsburgh. impact Temple from a foot- served holiday break and of Famer Joe Paterno as By comparison, Temple ball standpoint. resting up before the Janu- head coach. — Pennsylvania’s other “Right now this is a ary recruiting push. But he was fired Nov. 9 Football Bowl Subdivi- great opportunity to build “You get a great surge, in the aftermath of child sion school — is on steady our brand, to help people a tremendous finish,”sex abuse charges against ground. focus in on where Temple Addazio said, referring to retired defensive coordi- In Steve Addazio’s first has come from and where Temple’s season-ending nator Jerry Sandusky. Pa- season — taking over Al (it’s) headed,” Addazio four-game winning streak. terno, who testified before Golden’s rebuilding proj- said. “What it does is it “The national exposure a grand jury investigating ect — Temple finished its helps you continue to helps you when you come Sandusky, is not a target second nine-win season in strengthen yourself in the back.” of the probe. Sandusky is three years with a 37-15 state of Pennsylvania.” A member of the Mid- awaiting trial after plead- victory last week over Wyo- Temple went 1-11 its American Conference, ing not guilty to the allega- ming in the New Mexico first season under Golden Temple doesn’t play in a tions. AP Photo Bowl. Temple, led by head coach Steve Addazio, above, is in 2006, then won 26 over league with an automatic Longtime assistant surprisingly the most stable major Division I college “I just think, obviously, the next four years before BCS bid like Penn State football program in Pennsylvania, compared to the right now we’re focused on Golden left to coach Mi- and Pitt. Please see TEMPLE on C2 current unrest at Pitt and Penn State.

FOR HOME DELIVERY, CALL 610-970-4500