Nothing Normal

There's nothing normal about the way Temple football operates. From having coaches do pushups after forced turnovers, to single-digit TUFF players; Temple football is best described as… different.

"Temple has no depth chart," notes head coach Geoff Collins. "You're either good enough to play or you're not."

Temple has a system in place that promotes this statement, since the roster is divided into two divisions: above the line and below the line. Above the line means you are good enough and have played well enough to compete that week, while below the line means you need to work and make the most of your reps in order to play. Two players above the line that make the most of their reps and are rewarded with playing time are Brian Carter and Adrian Sullivan. They both played right guard last season and split reps at the position, but even though they played the same position, in no way are they the same.

Adrian Sullivan, or "Sully" as he is known as by his teammates, discussed his journey to Temple and playing with Carter. We sat in the Temple football facility and talked a bit before I started asking him some questions.

"I'm from Babylon, New York," Sully says after asked what his journey to Temple was like. "Coming out of high school I didn't play the most competitive football but I came from a really good program that was strong in character and toughness. That was a good setup for me to eventually get here."

Sully also spent a semester at prep school in Western Massachusetts where he got most of his looks and offers.

After interviewing Sully, I had the task of finding and interviewing Brian Carter, or as his teammates call him, BC. Getting that interview on the other hand was, in the most enjoyable way, not easy.

"Yo BC, can I get an interview?" I would ask. "C'mon man. Can you just text me the questions?" BC would respond.

"I don't think I can do that," I would reply halfheartedly. I could tell he did not like being put on the spot.

"Alright, I'm not good at this," said BC. Interviewing was in no way my strong suit either, so we were in the same boat.

Getting to this point was fun, but interviewing Carter was just as enjoyable.

"Getting here wasn't too hard," BC responded after being asked about his journey. "I just had to play football and that carried me most of the way."

Carter is from Harrisburg, Pa., and played high school football at a program with the town's namesake.

Finding both these linemen and learning about their journeys was different, but their influences over their five years of playing was not.

"Leaders in my own room have been the most influential," said Sully. "Guys like Kyle Friend. He wasn't much of a talker in the sense that he would mostly lead by example. And then Dion [Dawkins], who was a really 'lead by example' guy and really charismatic. I also had Brendan McGowan last year at center and he was just a perfect combination of all the leadership styles. He would talk to each guy differently because he knew what each guy needed separately to excel."

"I think the O-line group has been the most influential to me," said Carter. "Not really any players but I feel like we all support each other. If I need anything they are always there to help me."

Both Sully and BC also had nice things to say about each other.

"I'd say that's one of my better friends on the team," Sully said. "Even though we split time it just made us closer. We're in position battle,s seeing the same things out on the field, and trying to help each other."

"Sully's a cool guy," said Carter. "It's easy splitting reps because he's a good guy on and off the field and he plays hard."

Both BC and Sully embraced splitting time at right guard last season and noted some things about sharing time at the same position for a season.

"I think it's not really hard to split reps on the field," said BC. "You just gotta go about it one play at a time, one series at a time, and help each other get better."

"It helps when you can insert guys and say 'I get the first series, he gets the second series' and then we're not missing a beat," said Sully. "As a collective group, it just helps when you can know everybody's doing their job and you can just insert guys and their ready to go."

Normal programs stress the importance of stability in the offensive line grouping, but Temple's program is anything but normal. This difference defines them. They are hardworking and unselfish as a group, and this is easy to see in their play.

"All of our linemen need to be prepared to play, often at multiple positions," said offensive line coach Chris Wiesehan. "Sully and BC are perfect examples of dedication and teamwork and, probably most important for offensive linemen, they are completely unselfish."

This year, both are playing different but significant roles on the offensive line, and they hope to peak their play as they enter the final stretch of their final seasons.

Temple University Athletics

Nothing Normal

Related News

Players Mentioned

Brian Carter

Brendan McGowan

Adrian Sullivan

Related Videos