Nine Lives

No Bernard Pierce, no problem.

The football team defeated Kent State, 47-13, for its ninth straight victory on Senior Day at Lincoln Financial Field.

In Pierce’s absence (the freshman running back left the game after one run in the first quarter with what coach Al Golden termed a “fairly significant and substantial” shoulder injury), fellow freshman rusher Matt Brown responded for 156 yards on 18 carries, and the offense scored 41unanswered points.

The Owls (9-2 overall, 7-0 Mid-American Conference) trailed 10-9 at halftime after being outgained offensively 276 total yards to 138 total yards. After the first quarter alone, the Golden Flashes had posted distinct advantages on that side of the ball, as Temple had one total yard of offense, while the defense had permitted Kent State (5-6 overall, 4-3 MAC) to convert on four of six third-down attempts.

“We were in trouble,” Golden said. “We looked like we were running in cement in the first half. They had two weeks off, and it showed.”

Part of the problem for the Owls’ defense was its inability to stop the big passing play. The Golden Flashes kicked a 21-yard field goal and scored on the first drive of the game thanks to a 32-yard pass and a 12-yard pass. Despite a missed field goal on Kent State’s next drive and an interception by sophomore defensive end Adrian Robinson, the Owls surrendered nine more pass plays of 10 yards or more after that first drive.

“[The defense was] breathing fire to start the second half,” Golden said. “We just kept putting the heat on, and it started to snowball. I think we did [emphasize rushing the passer more in the second half], but I think the kids just started rushing the passer better. I think we got our legs back at the half. I think they got almost 45 minutes there where the defense got a chance to rest. We looked bad early. We looked slow-footed. We looked tired. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We didn’t break on the ball. We didn’t tackle the ball well. We didn’t keep anybody in the pocket. Other than that, we were good.

“[In the second half, we played] more man, tighter coverage,” Golden added. “I think the rush helped a lot.”

The Owls answered back after halftime. In the first half, redshirt sophomore quarterback Chester Stewart showed flashes of big-play ability. He hit junior wide receiver Delano Green for a 34-yard completion and ran for 12 yards en route to a 24-yard field goal by freshman kicker Brandon McManus to close out the first half. An earlier 34-yard pass to redshirt sophomore tight end Evan Rodriguez was negated after Stewart threw an interception to Kent State junior free safety Brian Lainhart in the endzone, and a 40-yarder to Green was overturned on review.

“He makes the plays,” Golden said. “He could do a better job on the interception he threw.”

“Each game, I get a little bit more comfortable,” Stewart said. “This defense was a little tough for me. I’m not going to lie. They came out with a lot of different looks [Stewart finished 6-for-16 for 124 yards and one touchdown].”

But in the second half, those big plays, specifically big runs by Brown, went the Owls’ way.

Temple took its first lead on a 28-yard field goal by McManus on the first drive of the third quarter. After the Owls’ defense knocked out Kent State freshman quarterback Spencer Keith, Brown took a handoff from Stewart 71 yards to the endzone for the Owls’ longest rush from scrimmage this year. Pierce held the previous high with his 68-yard rush in Temple’s 27-24 win against Navy Oct. 31.

“I had a big role to fill. Bernard, he’s one of the best backs in the country. I just had to pick up where he left off,” Brown said. “[I just saw] the endzone [on that 71-yard run]. I just went to it. My line did a great job opening holes for me, and I just hit them.”

“He is a bug [Matt Brown],” Golden added. “He’s good. How do you improve your team? You improve your team when a kid like that comes on, and you move Kee-ayre over to corner, and he picks one off, and he scores.”

Redshirt sophomore Kee-ayre Griffin, who made the switch from running back to cornerback, intercepted his first career pass and returned it for a touchdown.

“It was a situation where we said, ‘Hey, Kee, we think you’re one of the best 22 players on the team, and you deserve to play. The guys in front of you right now are playing really well right now, but we want to work with you,’” Golden said. “And he said, ‘Sure, Coach, let’s do it.’”

Robinson then forced a fumble from Kent State that Brown eventually turned into another Temple touchdown.

And Green, who lost that 40-yard catch earlier in the game, returned a punt 52 yards for the score and then ran in another 50-yarder to complete the Owls’ scoring. He became the first player in Temple football history to return a punt more than 50 yards to the endzone in back-to-back games.

“He’s doing a nice job. There’s a lot of Delano Greens on our team,” Golden said. “He’s got certain plays on our offense, and he’s got certain plays on special teams, and he does it really well. He executes his role really well. He’s one of those guys who’s unselfish. He’s got courage, and he makes really good decisions.”

The Owls close out their regular season Oct. 27 in an 11 a.m. game at Ohio. The Bobcats defeated Northern Illinois, 38-31. The matchup Friday will determine the MAC East Division champion and the Eastern Division representative in Dec. 4’s MAC Championship game in Detroit. Despite Temple’s one-game lead in the conference, a Temple loss and Ohio win would even the playing field, and the tiebreaker is head-to-head record.

“We’re positioned to play Ohio next Friday,” Golden said. “That’s all we’re going to worry about, and all we’re thinking about right now.”

Game Notes: “I don’t even know how he did it. It wasn’t even on a play he carried the ball,” Golden said of Pierce’s injury…Golden said the Owls’ contingency plan for Pierce is probably a combination of Brown, senior running back Lamar McPherson, senior wide receiver Jason Harper and redshirt sophomore Joe Jones…Golden said he sang “Zombie Nation” for the team at halftime because “they weren’t having any fun.”…Brown said if he could compare himself to any running back in the National Football League that it would be the San Diego Chargers’ Darren Sproles. “I like Darren Sproles. He’s short and quick like me. He hits those holes. I ain’t there yet. I got work to do, but I’m on my way.”…The Temple News will have more coverage of the football team in the Dec. 1 issue and will update the blog with results from Friday’s game against Ohio.

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

Surprises from unlikely sources

The defense played poorly, while Chester Stewart started at QB.

While it isn’t surprising that Temple beat a then-1-8 Miami (Ohio) team Thursday, a few surprising things happened during the game.

The first thing is the score: 34-32. Fun fact: The now-1-9 RedHawks have scored more points against the Owls than any other opponent this season, including Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated the Owls, 31-6, back on Sept. 19.

“You’ve got to give tremendous credit to Miami [Ohio]. I can see they have changed on film early in the season until now. I knew we were going to have our hands full,” coach Al Golden said.

The defense certainly had its hands full trying to contain the spread offense led by redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert. Dysert seemed to move the ball easily judging from his stats, 426 passing yards and three touchdowns. Every kind of pass play – short, long, screen – seemed to work against the Temple secondary. The defense managed to get one interception, which led to a first-quarter field goal, but other than that, it wasn’t the unit’s best week.

“We just didn’t get as many takeaways as you should get against a team that throws that many times,” Golden said.

Golden opted to go with redshirt sophomore Chester Stewart in a surprise start at quarterback instead of redshirt junior Vaughn Charlton. The move was surprising and not surprising at the same time. On one hand, Charlton has played poorly and can be seen as a liability rather than an asset to the team this season. But Golden stuck with him through eight games, so it seemed he was willing to ride out Charlton’s struggles.

“Chester’s been really improving,” Golden said. “He was ready for his opportunity, and we just made the decision.”

“Coach always preaches to prepare as if you were a starter,” Stewart added. “I’m always prepared to be the starter in case Vaughn goes down.”

Or if Charlton puts up a stinker like the one he had at Navy, where he threw for 37 yards and two interceptions. Stewart had a few hiccups taking snaps from the center, but he did the job he was asked to do – protect the ball. He only threw the ball 11 times, completing six of them for 143 yards, but that’s the way it should be with freshman running back Bernard Pierce having the success he’s had on the ground.

“We don’t need a guy that throws 300 yards when we’re rushing for a whole bunch of yards,” Golden said. “We want to control the clock. We can’t have a quarterback that turns the ball over.”

It doesn’t really matter who the quarterback is, as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over. Stewart was fine against Miami (Ohio), but whether he can keep this up remains to be seen.

Pierce had another multi-touchdown game, as he made three trips to the endzone to go with his 178 yards, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone by this point in the season.

“It’s awesome to have a running back like Bernard. It just makes our job so much easier,” sophomore offensive lineman Steve Caputo said. “When he makes big runs, it’s all him, and he’s unbelievable. We haven’t had somebody like this in a while.”

It’s remarkable that he can keep up this production as teams key in on him.

“There’s always a possibility that he’s going to score,” Stewart said. “The way he runs causes teams to stack the box and gives us the opportunity to throw the ball downfield.”

That was a big reason Stewart connected on a 31-yard pass to sophomore receiver Joe Jones. The Miami (Ohio) defense stacked the box because of Pierce’s 18-yard run on the previous play.

For this game, at least, the offense made up for some of the defense’s struggles to will Temple to the win.

“I kept telling the staff and the guys, ‘If you want to be a good team and have one of these streaks, there’s going to be games like this,’” Golden said.

Brian Dzenis can be reached at brian.dzenis@temple.edu.

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat

The Owls survived a fourth-quarter comeback from Miami (Ohio) to win their seventh straight game. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Chester Stewart started under center, but the formula remained the same, handing off to freshman Bernard Pierce.

It was a scene all too common the last three seasons.

The football team held a halftime lead and nursed that lead into the fourth quarter, only to see a sure victory snatched from its hands in the final moments.

But one thing has changed this season – the finish.

With a late comeback victory at Navy and a last-second field goal Thursday night, the Owls finally understand how to close out wins.

“I kept telling the staff and kept telling the guys that if you want to be a good team and you want have one of these streaks, there’s going to be games like this in there, and I just didn’t know when they were going to be,” coach Al Golden said. “I’m so proud of our team for the way they responded.”

The Owls led 21-13 at halftime and 31-13 after three quarters against 1-8 Miami (Ohio) Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field and seemed to be in cruise control to their seventh straight win.

However, the RedHawks made a furious, fourth-quarter dash, scoring 19 unanswered points to take a 32-31 lead with less than three minutes remaining.

The 2006-2008 Owls would have never recovered.

But 2009 is a different story.

Freshly named starting quarterback redshirt sophomore Chester Stewart and freshman running back Bernard Pierce drove the Owls down the field, paving the way for freshman kicker Brandon McManus. McManus’ chip shot 18-yard field goal with three seconds remaining gave the Owls a 34-32 win and improved them to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the Mid-American Conference.

“Bernard got us down there, and my offensive line, snapper and holder did a great job,” McManus said. “I just wanted to win this for the seniors because of all the hard work they’ve gone through over the four years.”

While the upperclassmen have endured the pain and punch lines during their careers, it’s clear the underclassmen are contributing to the team’s success.

And it starts with Pierce.

Pierce wasn’t able to reach the 200-yard plateau for the third straight week, instead settling for just 178 yards on the ground. Pierce, already Temple’s freshman rushing leader, has rushed for more than 100 yards in six of his last seven games. Pierce’s three touchdowns Thursday night put him at 14 for the season, one shy of single-season record holder Paul Palmer.

“To have a running back like Bernard, it makes our job so much easier,” sophomore left guard Steve Caputo said. “When he makes big runs, it’s him. He’s just unbelievable. We haven’t had someone like him in a while.”

While Pierce has blossomed into one of the premier rushers in the nation, it’s been the quarterback position that has underachieved this season. With that, Golden decided to make a change.

After watching redshirt junior quarterback Vaughn Charlton complete just five passes for 37 yards with two interceptions at Navy, Golden replaced him with Stewart. Charlton had thrown for nine touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season. Three of those picks came in Temple’s opening-night loss to Villanova.

“We just thought it was time to make a change there,” Golden said. “It was no secret that Vaughn didn’t have a good day last week. Chester’s been really improving. To be honest with you, the team has improved the last couple of weeks, and Chester just went to work. He never complained about not being the starter. He was ready for his opportunity, and we just made the decision.

“We want to control the clock, and we can’t have a quarterback who turns the ball over,” Golden added.
Stewart did just that, completing 6-of-11 passes for 143 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Stewart completed deep passes of 30 and 45 yards and threw a 31-yard pass to sophomore Joe Jones on the final drive that put the Owls in the redzone and set up McManus’ game-winner.

Thursday was Stewart’s first significant action under center this season. He played in six games last season – three of them starts – and threw for 524 yards with four touchdowns and seven interceptions.

“He threw the ball well during the week,” Golden said of Stewart. “He didn’t miss too many [today]. He really threw the ball with confidence.”

Stewart, who was told he would be starting Tuesday after practice, said there was no sense of panic in the huddle after Miami (Ohio) took the lead late in the fourth quarter.

“We were relaxed and knew we had to execute,” he said.

“I think I did pretty well,” Stewart added. “My teammates made it easy for me. The line protected me all day, Bernard opened it up with the run game, and receivers got open so I just had to deliver the ball.”

While the Owls edged out another win, there is definitely more work that needs to be done as they strive for a spot in the MAC Championship in December. The oft-tough defense allowed 426 yards passing by RedHawks freshman quarterback Zac Dysert and fumbled the ball five times.

Nevertheless, times are good for Golden and his team. The Owls travel to Akron to face the 1-7 Zips Friday before they wrap up the regular season with two important games against Kent State and at Ohio – both teams right behind Temple in the MAC East standings.

“I said eight weeks ago after Villanova you got to have fun, you have to enjoy the battle,” Golden said. “Our kids are enjoying the battle now. We’re going to go attack and see how many we can win here.”

Pete Dorchak can be reached at pdorchak@temple.edu.

A look ahead

Final exams start in two days, and that means another school year is about to come to a close. Before anyone realizes, though, August will be here, and Temple Athletics will be back on the field/court for another season filled with sports.

Football
The Owls finished the 2008 season with a 5-7 record, their best record since 1990, when they finished 7-4. Yes, it’s really been 18 years since Temple football recorded at least five wins. And for the second consecutive season, the Owls also finished at .500 in the Mid-American Conference at 4-4.

Coach Al Golden and his squad should be capable of repeating that MAC record, just by looking at 2008’s opponents. The Owls recorded victories against Miami (Ohio), Akron and Ohio last season but lost to Kent State, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan. Their two remaining MAC games will come versus teams Temple did not face last year – Toledo and Ball State. The Cardinals went undefeated until a MAC Championship loss to Buffalo.

Non-conference opponents again include road contests at Penn State and Navy, as well as a home matchup with Army. Last season, the Owls lost two of those three games.

That leaves the home and season opener against city rival Villanova Sept. 3 at Lincoln Financial Field. At least if the Owls can’t beat the Wildcats on the basketball court, maybe they’ll be able to defeat a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team.

Temple lost nine starters to graduation, and all eyes will be on the quarterback battle between redshirt junior Vaughn Charlton and redshirt sophomore Chester Stewart when summer camp breaks.

Men’s Basketball
The Owls’ chances in the upcoming 2009-2010 season hinge less on opponents and more on components.

The Owls will face the typical Atlantic Ten Conference slate, although they get Dayton, Xavier and Massachusetts at home in the Liacouras Center this year. Big 5 rival Villanova, Penn State and Kansas will also travel to North Broad Street.

But the real question is who will take the place of senior guard Dionte Christmas and his 19.5 points per game.

Right now, it looks like it will have to be junior guard Ryan Brooks.

The departures of senior center Sergio Olmos and senior guard Semaj Inge are accounted for with sophomore forward Lavoy Allen and freshman guard Juan Fernandez.

That still leaves two open slots in the starting lineup, though.

Coach Fran Dunphy can choose among junior Luis Guzman, freshmen Scootie Randall and T.J. DiLeo and incoming freshman Khalif Wyatt for the backcourt.

His options in the frontcourt are a little more limited, with only incoming freshman Rahlir Jefferson and the injury-pending return of sophomore Craig Williams and freshman Micheal Eric.

So, it might be a little overly optimistic to expect a third consecutive A-10 Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance with the current question marks. But then again, Dunphy has until November to figure those out.

Women’s Basketball
Coach Tonya Cardoza will have one full season as a coach under her belt, and in the first one, she led a team full of players recruited by former Temple coach Dawn Staley to an NCAA Tournament berth and a regular season upset of then-No. 13 Xavier.

She lost only two seniors, forwards Shenita Landry and Shanea Cotton, to graduation and has already signed four incoming freshmen to National Letters of Intent: forwards Alyssa Bennett and Natasha Thames, point guard Tiffany Davis and center Victoria Macauley.

As a result, there’s really no reason, sans injuries, not to expect the Owls to repeat last season’s performance.

Non-revenue sports
Two fall non-revenue sports reached A-10 postseason play last year.

The field hockey team, which finished 8-12, lost senior defender Mary Catherine Kinneman, senior goalkeeper Erin Hanshue and senior forwards Liz Watto and Jamie Adams but returns otherwise intact. The Owls have made it to five straight A-10 semifinals.

The men’s soccer team also reached the A-10 semifinals, losing, 2-1, to Dayton. Junior forward J.T. Noone will lead the Owls next year, as he scored seven goals and assisted on 12 more. Only two seniors won’t return to the team, which ended the season 10-5-4 overall.

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

The arms race continues

Amid the chattering fans, bellowing bullhorns and wafting smell of food, the football team took the field at Edberg-Olson Hall Saturday afternoon, breaking into two squads – Cherry and White.

The White squad may have won the game, 10-0, but the performances by both offenses clouded an otherwise clear, sunny day.

“We’ve got to start playing the guys who make the best decisions,” coach Al Golden said. “That’s not acceptable, especially in the realm of penalties and decision-making.”

And for the offense, that might not necessarily mean those who currently top the depth chart.

The biggest question mark entering the spring and, now, the summer, lies at the quarterback position, which Golden said will be decided about 10 days into training camp in August. Redshirt junior quarterback Vaughn Charlton did himself no favors Saturday afternoon, throwing three interceptions for the Cherry squad, and allowing counterpart redshirt sophomore Chester Stewart to gain ground in the all-important competition.

“Oh, yeah, I thought Chester helped himself today,” Golden said. “The lights came on. He did a good job. He didn’t have the first-team line in front of him. I thought he did a good job of commanding the offense. But it can all be washed down the drain when he takes a personal foul on the 5-yard line. And that’s the bottom line.”

Both quarterbacks completed 14 passes in the scrimmage for 125 yards and 197 yards, respectively, but Stewart won the touchdown-to-turnover battle, leading the White team down the field at the start of the fourth quarter for its lone endzone score.

But he wasn’t without his own on-the-field blunder, committing a 15-yard personal foul at the Cherry 5-yard line that ultimately cost his team another scoring opportunity.

“I thought I played well, but the penalty really killed my day,” Stewart said. “It was a stupid penalty that took us out of scoring range. It ended that drive. Coach said something about it during the game, but I still expect to hear about it. He was just letting me know that I have to be a leader on this team, and that was a selfish, immature play.”

Former starting quarterback Adam DiMichele, set to graduate in May, said he thinks the determining factor in who wins the starting spot will come down to minimizing those mistakes.

“I think both of them played well today. Obviously, Chester has the more gaudy stats and made some deeper throws, but I don’t think coaches really judge who won the game,” he said. “It’s been pretty even in my eyes. But [redshirt sophomore Mike] Gerardi’s got a really good arm and is a pretty good athlete. He’s just looking for that one opportunity.”

And that seems to be the prevailing theme entering training camp.

Senior wide receivers Jason Harper and Dy’Onne Crudup seem fairly entrenched in their starting positions but didn’t do much to fill up the stat sheet or make their presence felt during the game.

Instead, that belonged to junior wide receiver Delano Green and freshman wide receiver Matt Brown.

Green spent most of last season on special teams returning punts. Saturday afternoon, he caught eight passes from Stewart for 102 yards.

“I’ve been preparing for this day, and I came out today and just told myself I would work extremely hard,” Green said. “The receivers aren’t where we need to be, but we continue to work hard and get better every day. I definitely feel like there are receivers on this team who can fill Bruce [Francis’] shoes.”

One of those receivers could be Brown.

The 5-foot-5-inch, 160-pound freshman caught five passes for 48 yards and showed his quickness on the rushing end, exploding for 36 yards on a reverse.

“Height is not any reason on our team not to play,” Golden said. “He’s competitive. He still has some mental errors, but the bottom line is he’s learned the whole offense here in four months and performed very well today. So, I’m encouraged by him.”

Brown could see time on special teams or in the backfield, though he’ll have to get past sophomore Kee-ayre Griffin, redshirt senior Lamar McPherson and sophomore Ahkeem Smith first.

Of those three, Griffin had the most balanced day running and receiving, though Smith racked up the most total yardage on the ground, gaining 78 yards on 22 carries.

“Ahkeem’s had a good spring. I think he helped himself,” Golden said. “We hope he can give us the power running game that we need. He’s got good vision and gets downhill.”

With the last of the 15 spring practices ending with Cherry and White Day, Smith and the other players on the offense now must wait until August to make further impressions on the coaching staff.

“I was happy with the attitude and effort all spring, but I was just disappointed in our discipline today,” Golden said. “We have no excuses come August. It’s time for some of those guys to grow up and step up.”

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

White wins Cherry and White game

The football team couldn’t have asked for better weather – 76 degrees and sunny – for its annual Cherry and White intrasquad game.

Some of the players, though, could’ve asked for better performances.

The White squad defeated the Cherry squad, 10-0, in a game that featured 12 penalties for 95 yards, three interceptions and two fumbles.

“The first defense on the White team played really well,” coach Al Golden said. “But the Cherry offense had too many penalties, turned the ball over and dropped too many passes to get anything going. From that standpoint, I was disappointed in those guys. We’ve got to start playing the guys who make better decisions than that because that’s not acceptable, especially in the realm of the penalties and the decision-making.”

Both defenses played well, as the White squad, featuring redshirt sophomore quarterback Chester Stewart at the helm for most of the game, didn’t break through until four seconds remained in the second quarter, as redshirt senior kicker Jake Brownell connected on a 19-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Redshirt senior Lamar McPherson keyed the drive that started at the Cherry 48-yard line, rushing for 17 yards and catching two passes for another 12. McPherson finished the game with 17 total yards gained on the ground.

The White team’s other scoring drive led off the start of the fourth quarter. Junior wide receiver Delano Green, who ended the day with 102 yards on eight catches, hauled in two passes of 18 yards and 11 yards, respectively, to move the ball from the team’s 29-yard line to the 43. Sophomore running back Ahkeem Smith then took over, rushing for 25 yards, before Green and redshirt junior tight end Anthony Pekarski caught back-to-back passes – Pekarski’s for the touchdown.

Stewart completed 14-of-29 passes for 197 yards and that touchdown.

His counterpart on the Cherry team, redshirt junior Vaughn Charlton, didn’t fare quite as well.

Charlton threw three interceptions, including one with the Cherry team on the White’s 30-yard line and a meaningless one at the end of the game. He attempted 31 passes, completing 14 for 125 yards.

“Everyone’s learning still, and everyone’s still working, so I’m still going to stay positive,” he said.

Still, the Cherry squad did see solid performances from sophomore running back Kee-ayre Griffin and freshman wide receiver Matt Brown.

Griffin had a balanced day, catching two passes for 33 yards and running for 35 yards on 14 carries, as did Brown, gaining 44 yards on the ground on only two carries and accounting for another 48 through the air with five catches.

Both also flashed big-play potential, with Griffin catching a 24-yard pass on a third-and-nine in the second quarter and Brown running for 36 yards on a reverse two-thirds of the way through the third.

Still, in addition to the penalty problem that arose last year, each team also missed a field goal, with Brownell kicking a 44-yarder wide left for White and junior punter/placekicker Jeff Wathne booting a 50-yarder for Cherry.

Today’s scrimmage concluded spring practice for the Owls, who will resume training camp in August before opening the 2009 season against Villanova on Sept. 3 in the Mayor’s Cup.

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

Quarterback battle a toss-up

A classic quarterback battle brews down at Edberg-Olson Hall during the football team’s spring practices.

Redshirt junior Vaughn Charlton, though listed first on the depth chart, splits his reps 50-50 with redshirt sophomore Chester Stewart. Redshirt sophomore Mike Gerardi also sees some action, while incoming freshman Chris Coyer watches from the sidelines on Saturdays, when he often drives up from Virginia to acclimate himself with his teammates, the campus and the offense.

And that’s the way it will stay for the foreseeable future, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Rhule said.

“I really don’t know when the decision will be made. I really don’t,” Rhule said. “That’s the head coach’s call. It’s my job to get all the quarterbacks ready. It’s their job to win the job.”

Charlton, who redshirted in 2008 so he could have two full years of eligibility with Adam DiMichele set to graduate, played in seven games his sophomore season, starting four of them when DiMichele went down with a season-ending injury. He completed 78 of his 137 attempted passes for 808 yards and three touchdowns. In 2006, as a freshman, Charlton made three starts, again for an injured DiMichele, throwing for 417 yards and two touchdowns.

Stewart replaced DiMichele last season when the senior quarterback hurt his right throwing shoulder against Penn State and missed three games. He played in 11 games, starting three and completing 53 passes for 524 yards and four touchdowns.

“The first six practices we’re installing our offense, so there’s a lot of mistakes that everyone makes, including the quarterbacks,” Rhule said. “But I think they both really want to play, so they’ve really studied. They’ve worked hard. They’ve all played pretty well. What’s going to be the key for me is who really accelerates their development now that the installation’s done, and they’re not out there saying what do I have. They know what they’re doing. We’ll see over the next seven practices who can really play. If you repeatedly make plays, we don’t care what you did. We care what you do.”

Neither quarterback was available for comment on the issue, per coach Al Golden’s policy that places them off-limits to the media throughout spring practice.

Golden was also unavailable to answer questions.

Senior wide receivers Dy’Onne Crudup and Jason Harper have worked with Charlton and Stewart in the past when DiMichele was out and now practice with both on the first-team offense. Both said leadership will be a determining factor in the battle.

“Both quarterbacks are doing really well right now, but I think what’s going to take over between the two of them is whoever can lead the team down the field better,” Harper said. “They’re both pretty much the same. They both got good arms and size [Charlton’s listed at 6-feet-4-inches and 235 pounds, Stewart at 6-feet-3-inches and 225.].”

Crudup agreed with Harper.

“It’s just a toss-up,” he said. “One day, one’s having a good day, and the other’s not. It’s back-and-forth. Either-or is fine with me. Coach will probably make the decision when we get to camp [in August].”

Two years ago, Golden had to make a similar decision between Charlton and DiMichele.

Now, DiMichele roams the sidelines at Edberg-Olson Hall, serving as Rhule’s eyes and ears with the quarterbacks when the coordinator is busy directing the entire offense.

“Adam’s really serving two functions,” Rhule said. “When the quarterback is not playing, he’s going through the plays with them and making sure they know what’s their footwork, what’s their progression, what should their eyes be seeing. It’s sort of one-on-one tutoring. And then he’s also really helping them develop their leadership skills because Adam was a tremendous leader. He’s kind of stepped back and been kind of a coach and tutor.”

All that’s left now is for Golden to determine which quarterback leads the Owls into the 2009 season.

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

Offense stuck in neutral

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — Two weeks ago in Oxford, Ohio, strides were made.
The football team put 28 points on the board.

That’s four touchdowns.

Four more than they delivered in the previous two games combined. The first four for a redshirt freshman quarterback Chester Stewart-led offense.

So, entering last Saturday’s game with Central Michigan, the two-time defending Mid-American Conference champions, things were expected to carry over. Especially considering the porous state of the Chippewa defense, which yielded an average of 30.6 points per game and 405.8 yards per game entering the contest.

But things didn’t exactly work out.

The Owls could only muster one solid scoring drive, falling 24-14 to the Chippewas and falling into fifth place in the MAC East Division.

The key to the game was turnovers, as Stewart threw three interceptions and sophomore running back Marquise Liverpool fumbled the ball off a screen pass.

The third interception, one that was forced into coverage by Stewart, was truly costly for the Cherry and White.

The following play, Central Michigan senior quarterback Brian Brunner hit junior wide receiver Bryan Anderson for a 37-yard score, putting the Chippewas up by two possessions and effectively putting the game out of reach for the Owls.

“We had three interceptions on the day,” coach Al Golden said. “Those three were killer right there because they give Central [Michigan] a short field. [It’s] disappointing that we got careless with the football.”

But those three picks, combined with Stewart’s 15-for-32 for 163 yards and one touchdown effort, didn’t deter Golden from believing in his young signal caller.

“Overall, [Stewart] was doing well, and then he just panicked a couple of times,” Golden said. “I know there’s some throws out there he’d want back, [and] we’ll continue to work on that with him. I think it’s evident that he is very talented, we just got to get him settled down.”

However, Stewart himself was none too pleased with his own performance.

“[I] left a lot on the field,” he said. “A lot of tipped passes ended up being turnovers, so I don’t know. [I] missed a lot of plays, so overall I don’t think I did that well.”

In fact, when asked if he blamed himself for the loss, Stewart agreed.

“Yea, I think…I would,” he said. “My turnovers could have been points, could have led to points.”

Yet, despite the young struggles of Stewart, Golden instead focused on another miscue: penalties.

While the Cherry and White were only flagged five times for 31 yards, they came at real inopportune times of the game.

Central to that was a holding call on senior center Alex Derenthal, which negated a 32-yard run by freshman cornerback Kee-ayre Griffin.

Two plays later, Stewart threw his third interception of the contest.

“Our biggest issue right now is these penalties,” Golden said. “What’s happening with the penalties is they’re coming at really bad times, really poor times in the game. So, we got to get it corrected.”

But, for Griffin, who finished with 84 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown, it was another impressive performance.

Practicing for just the second week as a running back, the speedy East Orange, N.J., product once again turned heads and caught the eyes of the coaching staff.

“You only get one opportunity once in a lifetime,” Griffin said. “So I’m going to take it, I’m going ride it out to the fullest, and I’m going to do whatever the coach and team want me to do.”

That opportunity has come at the cost of redshirt freshman Joe Jones, who finished with just eight carries for 20 yards in the contest.

Jones, who is fine with splitting carries with Griffin, wasn’t all that happy with his play.

“[Griffin] did good today, but I didn’t perform like I should have,” Jones said. “[There] were a few plays where I should have hit it and went, where I got tackled, things like that.”

Jones’ evaluation of his play paled in comparison to Griffin’s, who was quite pleased with his performance.

“Once I get on the field, I’m going to be explosive,” Griffin said.

Yet, through it all, the Owls now stand at 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the MAC, which shouldn’t have anyone in Cherry and White smiling.

But, that record still hasn’t affected the team’s confidence.

“We definitely feel like we still have momentum,” said junior defensive end Junior Galette, who posted three sacks and nine tackles last Saturday. “Why? That’s who we are, we’re just flipping the switch every week no matter what goes wrong. All we need is two acres and a ball.”

Kicking and Screaming
While the Owls have problems just getting the ball up the field, those problems don’t even compare to what’s going on in the kicking game.

After redshirt junior Jake Brownell missed two short field goals against Western Michigan on Sept. 27, he was benched in favor of senior Anthony Perlozzo.

But Perlozzo missed his lone field goal attempt against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 4, so after a week-long battle, Golden went back to Brownell last Saturday.

The result: not good. Not good at all.

Brownell missed an extra point in the second quarter, then missed a 45-yard field goal that never got as high as the crossbar.

Needless to say, Golden wasn’t really happy.

“Well, it’s not good, our field goal kicking is not good right now,” the Owls’ third-year coach said. “We need them to step up and start making some kicks. It’s really hard in the [redzone] to call the game because it’s not an automatic three points. We’ve got to get to that point where we know inside the [redzone] it’s three [points].”

“We need someone to step up and take the job,” he added.

Almost DiMichele
After suffering a shoulder injury on Sept. 20 against then-No. 14 Penn State, it looked like redshirt senior quarterback Adam DiMichele’s season and collegiate career might have ended at Beaver Stadium.

But progress has been made, as he dressed for the game last Saturday. It’s now looking more and more like the Owls’ undisputed leader will return to the lineup for next Tuesday’s game against Ohio.
“I think he’s closer,” Golden said of DiMichele. “His knowledge of the game is excellent, so he helps us on the sideline, but we also dressed him just to get [him] the feel of [the game]. He threw some balls in warm-up. He can’t throw it very far yet, but he’s closer.”

Golden was also quick to point out that DiMichele still has plenty of work to do.

“We got a long way to go,” he said. “We’re shutting him down right now at about a 15-yard [pass], so we’ve got a long way to go before he can throw the ball.”

On the other side of the DiMichele coin is Stewart, who would shift back to a reserve role if DiMichele can return to the lineup.

And Stewart is perfectly willing to comply with that.

“It’s [DiMichele’s] team first, so I’m expecting him to come back strong,” Stewart said. “I’m prepared to be a backup once he’s healthy.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

More of the same

MT. PLEASANT, Mich.—It seems like we’ve been down this road before.

Missed opportunities, penalties, dropped passes and careless play headlined a 24-14 loss for the football team to Central Michigan Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Chester Stewart threw three interceptions and sophomore running back Marquise Liverpool lost a fumble as Temple (2-5, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) turned the ball four times and committed five penalties for 31 yards.

“We had three interceptions on the day,” coach Al Golden said. “Those three were killer right there because they give Central [Michigan] a short field…[It’s] disappointing that we got careless with the football.”

The third interception by Stewart, in which he forced the ball into coverage, was especially killer.

One play later, Chippewas senior quarterback Brian Brunner threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Bryan Anderson, which gave the home team a two-possession lead, effectively putting the game away with the production of the Owls’ offense.

“I just tried to direct the receiver open,” Stewart said. “[I] thought I could fit it behind the corner, but he made a good play.”

In all, the Owls’ young signal caller threw for 163 yards on 15-of-32 passing. He also added in 55 yards on 9 carries, including a 22-yard scramble on third-and-long to keep a drive alive.

When asked if he blamed himself for the loss, Stewart paused, then responded.

“I think…yea I would,” he said.

The Owls two scores came in the second quarter, as a 17-yard run by freshman running back Kee-ayre Griffin got the Cherry and White on the scoreboard. Stewart hit senior wide receiver Bruce Francis for a 3-yard strike to even the count at 14, two plays after junior defensive tackle Andre Neblett recovered a fumble on a Central Michigan screen pass that was ruled a lateral.

Chippewas’ junior kicker Andrew Aguila’s 22-yard field goal at the end of the first half gave the Chippewas the lead back, one that they wouldn’t relinquish.

On the defensive front, the Owls were led by junior defensive end Junior Galette, who compiled three sacks and nine total tackles in the effort.

Despite the solid effort from one the top defenses in the country, and the offenses inability to sustain drives, Galette was unwilling to pin the loss on Stewart and Co.

Instead, he said it was on the defense, especially considering MAC player of the year candidate junior quarterback Dan LeFevour didn’t play in the second half.

“Our goal every game is to out play [the other teams’] defense, and we didn’t do that,” Galette said. “That’s why we lost the game, can’t blame anything on the offense…but we didn’t play the other defense, that’s basically what it came down to.”

Paramount to that were Central Michigan’s first two touchdowns, both caught by sophomore wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Game Notes

Redshirt junior kicker Jake Brownell missed a 45-yard field goal in the first half and an extra point a week after winning his job back…Golden said there would be another “kick off” to determine the next games’ kicker…Redshirt senior quarterback Adam DiMichele dressed for the game, but didn’t play. Golden said he doesn’t know yet if he will return for the game against Ohio on Oct. 21…It was the homecoming game for the Chippewas.

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Rushing back to the win column

OXFORD, Ohio – A smile came across Kee-ayre Griffin’s face when he was asked what position he found to be more exciting – cornerback or running back.

The 20-year-old freshman clearly favored the latter, especially after he lined up at tailback for the first time this season and scored his first career touchdown, a 25-yard scamper on his fourth rushing attempt in the football team’s 28-10 win over Miami (Ohio) at Yager Stadium last Saturday.

“I just did what I was naturally born to do,” said Griffin, who was originally recruited by Temple in 2006, but failed to become academically eligible until this season.

In Griffin’s mind, he was naturally born to run the football.

He wasn’t the only player who got a chance to do so, though.

Griffin, who’s been listed at cornerback since the start of the season, was one of eight ball carriers who notched at least one rushing attempt against Miami. The Owls (2-4 overall, 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference) picked up 104 yards on the ground in the first half alone before sputtering to just 12 rushing yards after intermission.

Buoyed by his touchdown run, Griffin led the team in rushing with 36 yards on six carries, while redshirt freshman tailback Joe Jones shouldered most of the load, taking 15 hand-offs for 37 yards. Wide receivers James Nixon, a freshman, and Jason Harper, a junior who was the Owls’ leading rusher last season, also carried the ball, along with tailbacks Ahkeem Smith and Marquise Liverpool, redshirt senior fullback Marcellous Grigsby and redshirt freshman quarterback Chester Stewart.

“We’ve got a lot of players who are ready to carry the ball,” Jones said.

Obviously.

The multiple ball carrier strategy confused Miami (1-4, 0-1), especially early in the game.

The Owls appeared to catch the RedHawks off guard when Nixon rolled down field on a season-long 27-yard rush on the second play of their fourth possession.

On the next play, it was Griffin’s turn.

With less than three minutes left in the first quarter, the 5-foot-11-inch, 187-pound East Orange, N.J. native found a hole and broke away from the RedHawks’ defense on a 25-yard touchdown run that gave the Owls an early 7-0 lead. That play snapped Temple’s eight-quarter touchdown drought and gave the Owls an early advantage that they wouldn’t relinquish on their way to ending their four-game losing streak.

“The O-line got on their blocks, and I saw open field and I just took it,” Griffin said of the touchdown run. “I just had to beat the corner and the safety.”

The decision to try Griffin at tailback was made at Tuesday’s practice after the coaching staff copiously studied the team’s ground game and concluded that the holes were there, but the tailbacks weren’t capitalizing on them, coach Al Golden said.

“Our running backs weren’t running hard,” the third-year coach said. “I think that’s one thing you saw in Kee-ayre’s runs. He got downhill quick and he ran.”

And while the holes were open for the running backs, the offensive line also did an adequate job protecteing Stewart. The quarterback was sacked only once and hurried just a few times.

“We’re doing a fairly decent job of protecting Chester,” Golden said. “He didn’t really start stepping up in the pocket until late in the game, but maybe he’ll learn from that now.”

Stewart learned to regroup quickly after committing an error, when he threw an interception with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter. At that point, the Owls were clinging to a four point lead after Miami scored 10 unanswered points after intermission.

Two possessions later, Stewart hit senior Bruce Francis in stride on a 43-yard touchdown pass that kept the 6-foot wide receiver’s consecutive games with a reception streak alive at 32.

“I knew he was going to bounce back, and he did,” Derenthal said about Stewart’s post-interception performance.

The quarterback’s effort was particularly significant because of the Owls’ lack of a rushing game in the final 30 minutes of the game.

“I thought Miami did a tremendous job shutting it down in the second half, really from midway through the second quarter on,” Golden said.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Owls ranked 12th out of 13 MAC teams in rushing offense, averaging 97.3 yards per game but only three yards per rush.

Temple will attempt to be more consistent next Saturday in its road game against the defending MAC champion Central Michigan Chippewas (3-2, 2-0).

“We’re going to transition real quickly into this team we’re going to play,” Golden said. “[They’ve] been on top of the MAC for a long time.”

DIMICHELE UPDATE
Injured redshirt senior quarterback Adam DiMichele traveled with the team to Oxford and tossed the football back and forth with Stewart and junior Vaughn Charlton prior to the game. DiMichele, who injured his shoulder in the Owls’ loss to Penn State last month, wore his jersey and sweatpants and for the first time since he suffered the injury, was without the arm sling that he had been wearing, a team representative said.

Coach Al Golden didn’t have any specific status updates on DiMichele, but he confirmed that the McKees Rocks, Pa., native is expected to return for Temple’s Oct. 21 game against visiting Ohio.

“He’s moving around better,” Golden said. “As I said to you guys before, they said [he would miss] three to six weeks, but six weeks is for the regular person. He’s not the normal person. He’s as tough as can be. I would bet the under, so I would bet that he would be ready for the Ohio game.”

Tyson McCloud can be reached at tyson@temple.edu.

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