Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE FOOTBALL 2003 SEASON IN REVIEW
1.30.04 | Football
The Owls concluded the season with three, hard-fought losses to nationally-ranked opponents. Highlighting those games was the performance of sophomore quarterback Walter Washington, who averaged 315 yards of total offense and was responsible for eight touchdowns. Along the way, Washington tied the school record for rushing scores with four at West Virginia and also set the Big East mark for total plays with 69 against the Mountaineers. He also became the first Temple signal caller to rush for over 100 yards in a game, eclipsing the mark versus Virginia Tech and at WVU. Washington's 151 yards against the Hokies ranks second to Michael Vick's 210 rushing yards versus Boston College in the conference annals.
Among the postseason honors to come to North Broad Street was a Second Team All-America citation for sophomore linebacker Rian Wallace from CollegeFootballNews.com. The Pottstown, Pa. native had the sixth-best single-season tackle output in Temple history in 2003, posting 148 tackles (97 solo) while also registering 19.5 TFLs. He ranked second in the Big East and sixth nationally in total tackles (12.33 per game) and first in the conference and 11th nationally in TFLs (1.63 per game). Wallace was also a Second Team All-Big East honoree and was joined by senior wide receiver Zamir Cobb, who was a first team selection. Cobb, the Owls' all-time reception leader with 165 career catches, set the school's single-season reception mark with 74 catches for 866 yards and five TDs in 2003, the fourth best receiving yardage total in program history. Linebacker/strong safety Ryan Gore was named to the The Sporting News Big East All-Freshman Team. On the academic side, 10 student-athletes, the maximum number permissable for selection, were named to the Big East Conference All-Academic football team. The Owls were joined by Miami, Pittsburgh and West Virginia for the most academic honorees in 2003.
The Owls opened the campaign in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a Temple athletic event, as 101,553 fans filled Beaver Stadium to witness Penn State defeat the Cherry & White 23-10 in the season-opener for both teams. Temple had nine players make their first collegiate start in the contest, and 17 Owls played in their first Division I-A game.
A week later, in the first regular season game ever played at Lincoln Financial Field, Temple dropped its first-ever overtime contest to cross-city rival Villanova. Adam James hit a 37-yard field goal in the second overtime session to lift the Wildcats to a 23-20 victory in the renewal of series that had not been played since 1980. One of the few bright spots for Temple was the play of its starting wideouts. In his second-ever Division I-A contest, junior Phil Goodman made eight receptions for 139 yards while Cobb caught eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in his LFF debut.
After never playing overtime in its history prior to the start of the 2003 season, Temple found itself involved in its second consecutive overtime contest, this time against Cincinnati in front of 30,405 fans at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Owls went three extra periods this time, including an NCAA record two scoreless overtimes, but the result was the same as Cincinnati pulled out a 30-24 victory.
It was an historic evening for the Temple receiving corps as Cobb (9 catches, 120 yards), Goodman (8-129) and Terrence Stubbs (6-123) became the first trio of Big East receivers to garner 100 receiving yards in a game. It also marked the first time since 1994 that two Temple receivers (Cobb and Goodman) had consecutive 100-yard receiving games.
A week later Temple found itself at another Conference USA location, Louisville, Ky. The Cardinals jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first minute of play and extended it to 21-0 at intermission. Louisville then had to hold off a late charge by the Owls for a 21-12 win at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Mike McGann, who completed 24-45 for 304 yards, moved into third place on the Owls all-time passing yardage list with 3,976 yards to move ahead of Tim Riordan (3679, 1981-83), Doug Shobert (3913, 1970-72) and Devin Scott (3947, 1998-01). He also became just the second Owl quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in consecutive games, joining Henry Burris who accomplished the feat in the 1994 season.
Temple's 54 passing attempts tied the school record set versus Syracuse in 1994. Senior wideout Ikey Chuku had a career day, catching a game-high seven passes for 103 yards, both career highs. It marked the fourth straight game that Temple had a 100-yard receiving game by a wide receiver.
In Temple's non-conference finale, McGann ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead the Owls to their only victory of the season, a 44-36 win over host Middle Tennessee State at Floyd Stadium on October 4. After falling behind 14-0 with 14:52 remaining in the second quarter, the Owls totally dominated the Blue Raiders over the next 30 minutes, scoring 41 unanswered points. All three facets of the team's game -- offense, defense and special teams, were working to perfection as the team built its 41-14 lead. The Blue Raiders, however, did not collapse in this battle of winless teams. MTSU scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to cut the lead to 44-36, then recovered an onside kick with four minutes remaining in the contest. The Owls defense bent but did not break. MTSU drove to the Temple eight-yard line, but the Owls turned them back on downs to close out the game.
A week later in Temple's conference opener, Boston College scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and racked up 648 yards of total offense in spoiling the home squad's homecoming festivities with a 38-13 win at Lincoln Financial Field. Cobb became Temple's all-time career receptions leader with a nine-yard reception with three seconds remaining in the first quarter. The catch gave him 131 for his career. Cobb moved past former teammate Sean Dillard, who recorded 130 career receptions for the Cherry & White from 1999-2002.
On October 18, The Owls found themselves in the eye of the Hurricanes, facing No. 2 Miami at the Orange Bowl. UM generated 601 total net yards and held Temple's passing offense, which entered the game ranked first in the Big East, to 21 total yards. The Hurricanes also had 28 first downs as the Owls produced only six.
The Owls returned to the confines of LFF on Oct. 25 to face Rutgers, a team they had defeated in the four prior meetings. A fifth straight win was not to be, as Ryan Hart and Brian Leonard stole the show in a 30-13 Scarlet Knight victory. Hart threw for 316 yards and a touchdown on 30-of-42 passing attempts, while Leonard scored three touchdowns and amassed 148 yards of total offense.
After a bye week, the Owls landed in Syracuse, N.Y. Temple could not recover from a first half in which the Orangemen held the ball for almost 21 minutes as the Owls fell to SU, 41-17, at the Carrier Dome on Nov. 8. Syracuse, which entered the contest with the nation's 14th-ranked rushing attack, carried the ball 51 times for 232 yards. McGann watched the game from the sidelines with an injured right elbow, as Washington made his second career start under center. Washington finished with 60 yards on 14 carries to lead the Owls in rushing for the second-straight game, while also completing 19-of-34 passes for 183 yards.
Temple brought a 1-8 record into its meeting with No. 12 Virginia Tech at LFF on Nov. 15. In a game that many believed would be a blowout, the Owls battled hammer and tong with the Hokies and nearly provided fans a replay of the team's stunning 1998 victory in Blacksburg, Va. The grittiness and resiliency of the early season returned as Temple scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to force its third overtime game of the year. Unfortunately, Jared Davis, who sent the game into additional time with a 37-yard field goal, missed an extra-point attempt in the first extra period as the Owls dropped a 24-23 decision.
Washington, in his third career start under center, fueled the home squad with 307 yards of total offense. He finished as Temple's leading rusher for the third-consecutive game, tallying 151 yards on 26 carries. It was the first time in school history that a quarterback reached the 100-yard rushing plateau. Washington was also solid through the air, completing 15-of-30 passes as the Owls generated 393 yards of total offense, including 237 yards rushing.
A week later, the Owls' refusal to give up on the 2003 campaign was evident once again as the team battled to a hard-fought 30-16 defeat by No. 21 Pittsburgh. Despite scoring two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes, the Owls failed to erase a 21-3 halftime deficit in their home finale. Cobb caught two passes in the first quarter to become Temple's all-time single-season reception leader, surpassing Clint Graves' mark of 63 catches set in 1972. In his fourth start of the season, Washington passed for a career-high 278 yards on 24-of-40 attempts. He also finished as Temple's leading rusher for the fourth straight game, with 26 carries for 72 yards.
The Owls concluded their 105th season of collegiate football in Morgantown, W.Va. With light snow flurries falling in 31 degree temperatures at kickoff, Temple suffered a 45-28 loss to No. 24 West Virginia, the Owls third-straight nationally-ranked opponent. With the victory, West Virginia gained a share of the 2003 Big East Conference title, its first since winning the crown outright in 1993. Washington tied the school record for rushing touchdowns (Paul Palmer vs. Cincinnati, 1984; Sherman Myers vs. Syracuse, 1979) in a game with four. It also signaled the most scoring rushes for a quarterback in Big East Conference history. He led the Owls in rushing for the fifth straight contest, carrying 36 times for 117 yards. The Daytona Beach, Fla. native also completed 17 of 33 passes for 171 yards.
