This was it, what coach Bobby Wallace and the Owls had been waiting for since the announcement of the football team’s 2005 schedule.
The eighth-year coach finally got an opportunity to see the Owls line up against a Mid-American Conference team for the first time since the program announced its affiliation with the conference in May.
Statistically, the Owls were evenly matched with Toledo, but the scoreboard told another story. The Owls lost to the defending MAC champs, 42-17, on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Owls (0-3) lost their third straight and have dropped 10 of their last 11 games dating back to the middle of last season.
After the game, Wallace said preparation for the Rockets was more of a burden after the Owls’ 65-0 walloping by Wisconsin on Sept. 10.
“As fragile as our mentality was, we could have folded the tent, but we didn’t,” Wallace said. “The score isn’t good, the stats were even, but bottom line, we fought hard. …We just have to take out those critical mistakes.”
And the Owls (0-3) made plenty of mistakes. On the Owls’ first possession, senior quarterback Mike McGann led a 48-yard drive into Toledo territory. But McGann fumbled on a failed option attempt, leading to a Rockets score.
Three McGann turnovers, including two interceptions, resulted in 21 points for the Rockets (3-0, 1-0 in the MAC). Based on McGann’s performance, Wallace said he will give consideration to another player at quarterback, including freshman Colin Clancy, who replaced McGann in the fourth quarter once the score was out of hand.
“I don’t think [McGann] played well,” Wallace said. “I was really impressed with Colin Clancy, but of course he wasn’t going against their starters, either.”
“When we get to game day on Saturday, we’re going to play the best player at any position,” Wallace added later. “I don’t care who it is, and that includes quarterback.”
The Rockets jumped to a 28-0 advantage before the second quarter had begun. The Owls responded with a highlight-reel run from senior running back Michael Billops, who broke free of three potential tacklers to dash 78 yards for the score. Replacing starter Umar Ferguson, a late scratch due to sore ribs, Billops tallied 129 yards on 18 carries.
Billops said he cramped after gaining the first 10 yards of his long carry, but didn’t settle for just the first down.
“I knew I was going to get to the end zone. I just caught a cramp as soon as I came out of a spin [move],” Billops said. “Once I got hit, I said, ‘Now I got to get to the end zone.'”
First-year junior wide receiver Bruce Gordon had a solid game, as well. A transfer from Purdue, Gordon flashed his speed and good hands in grabbing eight passes for 103 yards.
NEXT UP
Prior to the season, sports prognosticators might have looked at Temple’s matchup with Western Michigan (1-2, 0-1) as the Owls’ only potential win of 2005. Coming off a 1-10 season, the Broncos are the least intimidating team on the Owls’ schedule, which is otherwise laden with top opponents.
But the Broncos, led by quarterback Ryan Cubit, are an offensive force. Cubit tossed for three touchdowns and 262 yards on Saturday in the Broncos’ 34-28 win over Division I-AA Southern Illinois. Cubit completed nearly 60 percent of his passes in 2004 and averaged 240 passing yards per game. His passing average would have placed him fifth in the MAC last year, had Cubit appeared in enough games to rank. He only started six games and appeared in eight.
History is on the Broncos’ side, too. The Owls enter Saturday’s game winless in three tries against the Broncos.
Christopher A. Vito can be reached at cvitox01@temple.edu.
Christopher A. Vito
Assistant Sports Editor
This was it, what coach Bobby Wallace and the Owls had been waiting for since the announcement of the football team’s 2005 schedule.
The eighth-year coach finally got an opportunity to see the Owls line up against a Mid-American Conference team for the first time since the program announced its affiliation with the conference in May.
Statistically, the Owls were evenly matched with Toledo, but the scoreboard told another story. The Owls lost to the defending MAC champs, 42-17, on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Owls (0-3) lost their third straight and have dropped 10 of their last 11 games dating back to the middle of last season.
After the game, Wallace said preparation for the Rockets was more of a burden after the Owls’ 65-0 walloping by Wisconsin on Sept. 10.
“As fragile as our mentality was, we could have folded the tent, but we didn’t,” Wallace said. “The score isn’t good, the stats were even, but bottom line, we fought hard. …We just have to take out those critical mistakes.”
And the Owls (0-3) made plenty of mistakes. On the Owls’ first possession, senior quarterback Mike McGann led a 48-yard drive into Toledo territory. But McGann fumbled on a failed option attempt, leading to a Rockets score.
Three McGann turnovers, including two interceptions, resulted in 21 points for the Rockets (3-0, 1-0 in the MAC). Based on McGann’s performance, Wallace said he will give consideration to another player at quarterback, including freshman Colin Clancy, who replaced McGann in the fourth quarter once the score was out of hand.
“I don’t think [McGann] played well,” Wallace said. “I was really impressed with Colin Clancy, but of course he wasn’t going against their starters, either.”
“When we get to game day on Saturday, we’re going to play the best player at any position,” Wallace added later. “I don’t care who it is, and that includes quarterback.”
The Rockets jumped to a 28-0 advantage before the second quarter had begun. The Owls responded with a highlight-reel run from senior running back Michael Billops, who broke free of three potential tacklers to dash 78 yards for the score. Replacing starter Umar Ferguson, a late scratch due to sore ribs, Billops tallied 129 yards on 18 carries.
Billops said he cramped after gaining the first 10 yards of his long carry, but didn’t settle for just the first down.
“I knew I was going to get to the end zone. I just caught a cramp as soon as I came out of a spin [move],” Billops said. “Once I got hit, I said, ‘Now I got to get to the end zone.'”
First-year junior wide receiver Bruce Gordon had a solid game, as well. A transfer from Purdue, Gordon flashed his speed and good hands in grabbing eight passes for 103 yards.
NEXT UP
Prior to the season, sports prognosticators might have looked at Temple’s matchup with Western Michigan (1-2, 0-1) as the Owls’ only potential win of 2005. Coming off a 1-10 season, the Broncos are the least intimidating team on the Owls’ schedule, which is otherwise laden with top opponents.
But the Broncos, led by quarterback Ryan Cubit, are an offensive force. Cubit tossed for three touchdowns and 262 yards on Saturday in the Broncos’ 34-28 win over Division I-AA Southern Illinois. Cubit completed nearly 60 percent of his passes in 2004 and averaged 240 passing yards per game. His passing average would have placed him fifth in the MAC last year, had Cubit appeared in enough games to rank. He only started six games and appeared in eight.
History is on the Broncos’ side, too. The Owls enter Saturday’s game winless in three tries against the Broncos.
Christopher A. Vito can be reached at cvitox01@temple.edu.
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