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Friday, August 3
Temple football preview
By Mel Kiper
ESPN.com
Despite only two winning seasons over the last 21 years and the uncertainty of not knowing whether they will be part of the Big East Conference after this season, the Temple Owls are surrounded by plenty of optimism going into the 2001 campaign.
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Owls at a glance
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2001 schedule
Aug. 30 vs. Navy
Sept. 8 vs. Toledo
Sept. 15 vs. Connecticut
Sept. 22 at Bowling Green
Oct. 6 at Boston College
Oct. 13 vs. Rutgers
Oct. 20 at Syracuse
Oct. 27 vs. Pittsburgh
Nov. 3 at Miami (Fla.)
Nov. 10 vs. Virginia Tech
Nov. 17 at West Virginia
2000 results
(4-7, 1-6 Big East)
at Navy W 17-6
at Maryland L 17-10
Bowling Green W 31-14
Eastern Michigan W 49-40
West Virginia L 29-24
at Virginia Tech L 35-13
at Rutgers W 48-14
Miami (Fla.) L 45-17
at Boston College L 31-3
Syracuse L 31-12
Pittsburgh L 7-0
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While the Big East may not be part of the Owls' future, head coach Bobby Wallace (contract was extended by three years after the 2000 season) and the administration at Temple are taking the necessary steps to turn around their football fortunes. Whether they play in the Big East, in another conference or as an independent, the Temple Owls are definitely going to be part of the Division I-A landscape. Not only have the football facilities (new training complex) improved dramatically, but the Owls are also set to play their home games at the new stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles beginning in 2003.
As for Wallace, he proved his mettle at North Alabama, winning three Division II championships, and has the Owls showing signs of turning the corner and producing a winning campaign in 2001. After back-to-back 2-9 seasons to begin his tenure with the Owls, Wallace came really close to turning things around last year. While improving to 4-7, the Owls also lost three games (Maryland, West Virginia, Pittsburgh) by a TD or less.
The Owls' next step is not only being competitive in the majority of their games, but coming away with victories. With 26 seniors and 19 returning starters, Wallace will be hoping his team's experience will pay dividends.
OFFENSE
Now a senior, Devin Scott will no longer be looking over his shoulder. The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder is solidly the Owls' No. 1 signal caller and figures to have plenty of passing opportunities within the Owls' scheme. Now that the talent level at the skill positions is improving, Scott should have a better opportunity to gain the consistency that has been lacking in certain games.
A key target for Scott figures to be versatile senior Greg Muckerson, a former option QB who currently has the longest consecutive reception streak at the Division I-A level. He's caught at least one pass in 22 straight games.
While the Owls will air it out, Wallace must make sure he provides exciting junior Tanardo Sharps with the sufficient number of carries. With a 1,000-yard season this year, Sharps would become the first Temple RB since Paul Palmer to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. The Owls also have a solid pair of FBs in seniors Harold Jackson, a strong blocking 6-2, 270-pounder, and veteran Jason McKie, who has been a three-year starter.
The loss of quality RT Mathias Nkwenti (fourth-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers) definitely hurts, but the Owls should be OK up front, led by steady and durable junior OT Dave Yovanovits, who has started and taken part in every snap the last two years.
DEFENSE
With 10 returning starters as well as the addition of former JUCO transfer Dante Coles to the secondary, the Owls should be able to field a very capable defensive unit. The key is overcoming of the graduation loss of their captain and leading tackler, LB LeVar Talley.
Along the defensive front, the Owls have an underrated DT tandem in junior Dan Klecko (the son of former Jet DT Joe Klecko) and senior Russell Newman. The hope is that Klecko will remain at full strength the entire way. Last year he was forced to play through injury. While he checks in at just 6-0½, 265 pounds, Klecko combines exceptional weight-room strength (bench presses 500 pounds) with a high intensity level. Newman, a former walk-on who was just 220 pounds in '98, now has his weight up to 274 and is coming off a junior campaign that saw him record 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
While Talley's loss is big, the Owls will field a second line of defense that is led into battle by one of the top linebackers in the Big East, senior Taylor Suman. He's recorded 338 tackles over the last three seasons with the Owls. Also providing a major impact will be "Owl" back Chonn Lacey. Operating as a rover type, Lacey is regarded as one of the top athletes on the Temple squad. He also figures to see some action at WR as well.
As mentioned, Coles could provide a major lift in the deep patrol. The former JUCO transfer will be seeing action with the Owls for the first time as a senior this year. He will upgrade the talent level at CB with his size and athleticism. The 6-2, 207-pounder has the necessary recovery speed, running in the 4.39 range. The hope is that Coles will be one of the top newcomers in the Big East this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the areas of concern heading into the 2001 season is the punting situation. Last year junior Garvin Ringwelski lacked the necessary consistency for the most part, averaging just 37.3 yards per punt. However, he did manage to produce acceptable results during the final three games of the season. The hope is that Ringwelski's performance during that stretch is indicative of how he'll punt for the Owls this year.
OVERVIEW
Wallace is a quality football coach who knows what it takes to put a winning team on the field. With a break or two, the Owls could have finished 6-5 instead of 4-7 last season. Now, with 19 starters returning and the confidence to know they can battle the likes of Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Syracuse the entire way, the opportunity exists for Wallace and the experienced Owls to enjoy a breakthrough-type campaign.
What they'll need is a consistent year from their veteran signal caller Scott, as well as the third straight 1,000-yard season for junior RB Sharps. Up front, Nkwenti's graduation loss hurts, but they return a decent nucleus of talent, led by OT Yovanovits who will be the cornerstone of the offensive line.
Defensively, the key will be such notables as Newman, Klecko, Suman, Lacey and Coles remaining at full strength the entire way. With depth still a problem, the Owls can't afford to have their major headliners out of action. If things fall right, there is reason to believe the Owls could win six games this season.
The key is taking advantage of a favorable early portion of the schedule. After playing the winnable non-conference slate that includes Navy, Toledo, Connecticut and Bowling Green, the Owls have a week off before they open the Big East schedule on the road at Boston College on Oct. 6. After a home game against Rutgers the following week, the best-case scenario would have the Owls at 5-1.
It's certainly critical that Wallace's squad maximizes the opportunities early on, since the latter portion of the season includes games against Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Miami (Fla), Virginia Tech and West Virginia. In the end, it will be interesting to see how much extra motivation the Owls gain in trying to prove a point to the Big East.
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