Offense lets down defense

The football team looked everywhere. It searched through the air. It rummaged around on the ground.
But for the second straight week, the Owls couldn’t find the endzone. Saturday’s 7-3 loss to Western Michigan at Lincoln Financial Field dropped coach Al Golden’s squad to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Mid-American Conference on the year.

On Homecoming, it was the Owls’ offensive woes that stole the show.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Chester Stewart made his debut, but sputtered with his arm, going just 10 of 20 for 60 yards. It was the first time in three years the Owls didn’t deliver a victory on Homecoming.

“I missed a lot of plays,” Stewart said. “I missed a touchdown opportunity to Bruce [Francis] down there in the redzone. [I] got a lot of things I need to work on.”

The game plan was simple. Run the ball on the Broncos until they were clawing for the oxygen masks.
“We wanted to come out and just pound the ball down their throat,” Stewart said. “We wanted it to be a physical game, be almost like a street fight. We wanted to just pound them and wear them out so we could pass.”

They accomplished that, as the Owls’ freshman class of running backs found the gaps to gain 136 yards rushing, with redshirt Joe Jones and James Nixon spearheading the attack with 50 and 58 yards, respectively. Stewart provided 38 of his own, but was bottled up most of the game. Unfortunately, the Broncos made the necessary adjustments to stop a hard-charging backfield.

“It’s [Stewart’s] first time out there. I think they knew it so they did a lot of things to try and confuse him,” Golden said. “I think he’s a good talent. Early in the first quarter I thought he managed the game extremely well.”

But the Owls’ young quarterback was on the move all day. Many of his throws were erratic and off target. When the Owls’ tempo steadied, it was a missed opportunity or mental mistake that suffocated their drive. Redshirt junior kicker Jake Brownell missed a 39-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 28-yarder in the fourth.

“When you’re down there just convert those [field goals] and we’re not having this conversation,” Golden said. “There was no protection breakdown. It was just we missed the kick.”

The offense was also hurt by the penalties, which decimated the Owls throughout the game. In a flurry of yellow flags, the Cherry and White coughed up 76 yards on 10 incidents. An interception and a 50-yard dash from Nixon were both called back in the second quarter.

“The timing of the penalties has been destructive,” Golden said. “Execution. It still comes down to execution.”

Despite that, the Owls were winning the battle of field position in the contest, which set them up with ample opportunities to score. Stewart lined up under center deep in Bronco territory four times.
Senior wide receiver Bruce Francis, who led the Owls with four catches for 27 yards, believes that Stewart has the potential, but just needs time.

“We’ve been playing with Adam for so long and Vaughn [Charlton] last year for so long,” Francis said. “It’s tough for a guy like Chester. He’s a freshman. It’s a lot different than practice. The pace is a lot different. I have tremendous confidence in Chester.”

With redshirt senior quarterback Adam DiMichele out four to six weeks with a shoulder injury, Stewart will need to find his collegiate form quickly to stop the Owls’ four-game slide. On Saturday, DiMichele could be seen coaching Stewart on the sidelines.

“He was telling me to get more depth on my drop,” Stewart said. “I wasn’t getting enough depth on my drop. I had to get away from the line. [He said] if I feel pressure from the outside, just step up.”
The tip helped, as Stewart managed to get sacked just once.

The Owls’ next opponent might give Stewart a chance to entertain. Despite a challenging schedule, Miami (Ohio) (1-3) has allowed 30.5 points per game. If the Owls take flight, it will rest on Stewart’s broad shoulders.

While the defense has been nothing short of stellar this season, the endzone has been elusive for the Owls. For Stewart, Francis and the rest of the team’s offensive leaders, the hunt continues.

Anthony Stipa can be reached at anthony.stipa@temple.edu.

Weekly grades for an ugly loss to Buffalo

Quarterback
What more can redshirt senior Adam DiMichele do?

The Owls’ leader was superb, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another 58 yards on 12 carries. When the game was on the line, DiMichele calmly led the team down the field, throwing what should have been the game-winning touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Bruce Francis with 38 seconds remaining.

He also picked up a key fourth down on that drive, taking the ball himself and running for the first down. In all, the team captain played superbly.
Grade: A

Backfield
Redshirt freshman Joe Jones and sophomore Marquise Liverpool combined to get just 13 carries in the contest, a clear sign that the Owls are a passing team.

The duo ran for 52 yards on those carries, but neither proved to be capable of getting the Owls into the endzone when the team had four chances from the 1-yard line in the first quarter.
Grade: C

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Francis led the way by catching five balls for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Dy’Onne Crudup added five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

This group was solid, and open, as DiMichele was consistently able to hit his first read on most plays. When that man wasn’t open, he looked for the reliable Francis, who made a number of key catches in the contest.

There were a few drops, but the group fed off DiMichele and were largely responsible for the team’s four touchdowns.
Grade: B+

Offensive Line
The group had a few silly, unnecessary penalties and some missed blocks, but all told, they were solid.
However, the bulk of the blame for Buffalo’s goal-line stand in the first quarter falls on their shoulders, as they have to find a way to push forward and get the Owls that yard they need for a touchdown.
Grade: C+

Defensive Line
Even without junior Junior Galette and sophomore Morris Blueford Jr., this unit came to play.
After last week’s embarrassing performance against Connecticut, the Owls’ front four gave up just 110 yards on 31 carries (3.5 yards per carry).

Senior Terrance Knighton and junior Andre Neblett deserve a lion’s share of the credit, as they led the way and made up for last week.
Grade: B

Linebackers
Playing without Elijah “Peanut” Joseph, the unit allowed Buffalo junior tight end Jesse Rack to dominate the middle of the field, as he caught six balls for 75 yards in the contest.

Redshirt senior Omar McDonnaugh-Hales filled in and had eight tackles, including one for a loss, while junior John Haley had another solid game with eight tackles.

But there were a lot of missed tackles, missed assignments and the Bulls utter domination of the middle of the field, so it was a real mixed bag.
Grade: C

Secondary
With senior Evan Cooper Jr. injured, you had to figure this group would be in trouble.
Buffalo senior quarterback Drew Willy threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, and junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt caught eight balls for 132 and one touchdown.

But it was the game’s final play that ultimately decided everything, and sophomores Jamal Schulters and Jaiquawn Jarrett and redshirt junior Dominique Harris were unable to knock the ball down or box out Roosevelt on the Bulls’ Hail Mary completion.
Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Grade: F

Special Teams
Senior wide receiver Travis Shelton had some nice returns, but lost a fumble. In addition, redshirt junior kicker Jake Brownell missed a 43-yard field goal in the second half.
However, sophomore punter Jeff Wathne’s kick-off out of bounds in the last minute simply can’t happen.
Grade: D

Coaching
Behind coach Al Golden, the run defense was largely improved, and the offense was stellar, easily making their way down the field in three and four wide receivers formations.

Defensive backs know better, so the blame for the Hail Mary completion can’t be put on their shoulders.
Grade: B

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