TEMPLE AT WEST VIRGINIA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES

Temple (2-7, 1-5) and West Virginia (3-6, 1-4) meet Saturday in a Big East Conference football game at Mountaineer Field scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. The Owls face a West Virginia team that has lost five of its last six games, but has played well at home. WVU has a 3-1 record within the confines of Mountaineer Field. West Virginia set a Big East Conference record two weeks ago for margin of victory in a league game by defeating Rutgers, 80-7. The 73-point win exceeded the prior high by 11 points, which came in Temple's 62-0 loss at Rutgers in 1993. Temple has not fared well in recent weeks, either. The Owls have dropped seven of their last eight games. Temple has endured four straight defeats since a 30-5 victory over Rutgers at Veterans Stadium on October 13.

Temple, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Bobby Wallace, is coming off a 35-0 loss to then No. 23/22 Virginia Tech at Veterans Stadium last Saturday. The Owls' defense played well but could not compensate for an offense that generated 237 yards and had six turnovers. Senior signal caller Mac DeVito entered the game late in the first quarter and played the majority of the contest, completing 11 of 34 passes for 152 yards. It was the most extensive action DeVito has seen this season. Junior Sean Dillard and senior Greg Muckerson both surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for their careers. Dillard caught a game-high five passes for 47 yards and now ranks 13th all-time with 1,046 career yards. Muckerson grabbed four passes for a game-high 73 yards and now ranks 12th all time with 1,056 career yards. Defensively, the Owls were led by senior cornerback Chonn Lacey and junior defensive tackle Dan Klecko. Lacey posted 13 tackles (11 solo), made an interception and broke up a pass. Klecko made eight tackles (five solo), two tackles-for-loss, a quarterback hurry and a three-yard sack. The Owls rank third in the Big East in rushing defense, allowing just 132.1 yards on the ground per game.

West Virginia, under the direction of first-year head coach Rich Rodriguez, is coming off a 24-13 loss at then No. 18 Syracuse last Saturday. The Mountaineers out-gained the Orangemen, 328-212 and forced 11 SU punts but had two interceptions, lost two fumbles and had a punt blocked. Junior tailback and Cherry Hill, N.J. native Avon Cobourne carried 19 times for 108 yards for his fourth consecutive and 17th career 100-yard game. Junior quarterback Brad Lewis leads the offense and has completed 131 of 231 passes for 1,310 yards and seven touchdowns (nine INTs). On defense, the Mountaineers are led by senior linebacker Kyle Kayden who has made 41 consecutive starts and is the school's all-time leader with 31 tackles-for-loss.

Temple concludes its 103rd season of football Saturday, November 24, with a 12 noon game versus Connecticut at Franklin Field. The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 15 but was postponed due to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The first 2,500 kids ages 14 and under who come through the gates will receive Hooter the Owl bobble head dolls compliments of Pepsi.

Temple University Athletics

TEMPLE AT WEST VIRGINIA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES

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