2005 TEMPLE FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

PHILADELPHIA - Head coach Bobby Wallace, who is tied for 19th among active Division I-A coaches in career wins with 101, enters his eighth season on North Broad Street with 45 returning letterwinners on the roster and a new conference affiliation. On May 17, Temple President David Adamany announced that the University accepted an invitation for its football program to compete in the Mid-American Conference. The Owls will play as an affiliate member in 2005 and 2006, playing four and six league games respectively, before gaining full membership in 2007. Temple also gains immediate access to the conference's bowl affiliations and television agreements.

"The MAC is a perfect fit for Temple University, both on and off the field of competition," stated Adamany. "Besides fielding quality football teams, as evidenced by last year's record number of bowl bids, the MAC is the leader among Division I-A conferences in terms of graduating its student-athletes in the sport of football. That combination of academic and athletic excellence is also part of Temple's mission."

"It has been a long time since all of the ingredients were in place for Temple football to be successful," added Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw.  "We have the best home field in the nation with Lincoln Financial Field, a state-of-the-art practice facility in Edberg-Olson Hall and Chodoff Field, and now we finally have a true home for our team in the MAC."

To help facilitate entry into the MAC, Temple added games against Western Michigan (Sept. 24) and Wisconsin (Sept. 10) to its 2005 schedule, replacing previously scheduled contests versus North Carolina State and Middle Tennessee State. Temple's 2005 slate features opponents that posted a combined 83-48 (.634) record last season. Eight of the Owls' foes concluded their 2004 campaigns by playing in bowl games. Five teams (Miami (Fla.), Wisconsin, Arizona State, Virginia, Navy) ended the year nationally ranked, with two others (Toledo, Bowling Green) receiving votes. USA Today's list of top 100 seniors for the 2006 NFL Draft includes 22 players that will line up against Temple this season.

It is said that there is no substitute for experience, and this bodes well for the Owls as they prepare for their ambitious 2005 campaign. In addition to a lineup that boasts 37 seniors, including walk-ons, Wallace has assembled a coaching staff that possesses a combined 233 years of experience, for an average of 23 seasons per coach.

"I think the way to look at this schedule is to take pride in the fact that we will perhaps play the No. 1 schedule in the country," said Wallace. "It will be interesting to see at the end of the year how many of these teams go to bowl games. Just about every time we line up we have an opportunity to make national news. Opening up at nationally-ranked Arizona State is going to be a real challenge, but it also gives us some additional motivation to get ready to play."

Offense

The Temple offense features a new coordinator and two new position coaches. Willie Slater, the Owls' wide receivers coach last season, was elevated to offensive coordinator on March 4. He has 27 seasons of coaching experience, including 23 years at the collegiate level, 15 of which were spent as an offensive coordinator. Last season, Temple passed for 2,428 yards, the fourth most in program history, largely due to the production of Slater's receiving corps.

"I think we are more together as a unit right now than we were at this point last year," said Slater. "We have to be more consistent running the ball and more consistent completing passes. There were too many errant passes last year. Consistency is the most important thing for this offense to be successful."

The offense features six returning starters among 20 letterwinners. It will expand from the spread formation it utilized for the past three seasons to a multiple system incorporating the spread and pro-set. Temple's 12-position offensive depth chart now features two running back positions and one slot receiver, as opposed to the two slot wideouts listed in years past.

"You build your offense around your quarterback," said Wallace. "We obviously have a different style of quarterback than last year, so things are going to change because of that. We intend to run the football better with our running backs to take some pressure off of Mike (McGann). Walter (Washington) was essentially our running back last season and that's not going to be the case this year. The style will change but not the total offense. We will be very similar to last year in the passing game with a little more play-action.

"What I like best about the offense is the experience we have at quarterback, in the backfield and on the offensive line. The guys we have in those areas have played a lot of football. The inexperience of the wideouts is going to be the real question mark."

McGann, a 6-foot, 6-inch, strong-armed red head who attended St. Joseph's Prep just blocks from the Temple campus, is under center. The redshirt senior ranks third all-time at Temple in career passing yards (4,498), second in attempts (790), third in completions (390), fifth in total offense (4,639) and eighth in touchdown passes (22). The Havertown, Pa. native, who started as a true freshman in 2001, has played in 29 games and made 26 starts.

"Mike is an excellent leader and we are very excited to have him back for his fifth year," said Wallace. "He gained valuable experience watching from the sideline last season. It's something that he never had the opportunity to do during his college career and it should pay off this fall. He had a really good spring but he still needs to work on cutting down mistakes.

"Back-up quarterback is a real question mark. Philip Simpson got some work in the spring, but we also have some young quarterbacks coming into camp. We have to decide in a hurry who is going to be the primary backup this fall, so two-a-days should be very interesting."

Simpson, a second year sophomore who was a high school signal-caller, played in eight games as a true freshman last season at defensive end and on special teams. He was transitioned to quarterback during spring drills.

McGann will be operating behind a large and talented offensive line that boasts four returning starters in seniors John Gross and Stephen Bell and juniors Elliot Seifert and Tariq Sanders. The group will be under the leadership of Paul Lounsberry, a 32-year coaching veteran who most recently was an assistant under Lou Holtz at South Carolina from 2000 to 2004.

"I think this is the most experienced offensive line I have had at Temple," said Wallace. "The highlight of the spring for the offense had to be the play of Alex Derenthal at center. Entering the spring, that position was an unknown and now the coaching staff has a lot of confidence. Solid play at center is what we need to really glue the offensive line together. We feel very strong about our tackles, Gross and Seifert, and the leadership they give us. Bell and Sanders have also proven themselves as solid starters.

"We need to be more physical running the football and I think that the players we have up front provide a sound foundation for accomplishing that goal."

Gross, a versatile lineman that has played both guard and tackle while starting 23 consecutive games, will protect the quarterback's blind side. Seifert returns at right tackle after starting all 11 games at the position last season. In addition to getting the job done on the field, the duo have also excelled in the classroom. Gross was a three-time Big East All-Academic selection, while Seifert earned the honor the past two seasons. Sanders, who started eight games at tackle in 2004, was sidelined for the spring while recuperating from a leg injury and enters preseason camp listed behind Gross. Junior Larry Bonczar and redshirt freshman Jabari Ferguson will compete for time at tackle.

Bell returns at right guard after starting all 11 games at the position last season. Second-year junior Sam McNaulty tops the depth chart at left guard, but will be pushed by second-year senior Stan Primus, who lettered at defensive tackle last season, and junior Leigh Denman. Additional competition on the interior line will be provided by senior Joe Johnsonbaugh, who is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility due to past medical hardship.

The Temple backfield features two experienced performers with distinctive styles in seniors Tim Brown and Umar Ferguson. Brown, a shifty runner in the Barry Sanders mold, started 10 games last year, carrying 108 times for 432 yards and two touchdowns. Ferguson, a physical back who employs more of a North-South style, played in all 11 games (one start) in 2004 and rushed 104 times for 493 yards and two scores. Both also proved valuable in the passing game, with Brown making 33 catches for 199 yards (one touchdown) and Ferguson grabbing 15 aerials for 119 yards.

"We have two excellent running backs," said Wallace. "Both have game experience and have proven that they can make plays. We have to find a way to utilize them at the same time. Because of that, we will be in more multiple sets. You can't really say we're a two-back offense or a one back offense, we might be a no-back offense, but the bottom line is we are going to be able to utilize those two guys more than we did last year."

Senior Michael Billops, who rushed for 58 yards on 11 carries last year, will provide depth. Sophomore Josh Bundy, who played in seven games as a true freshman on special teams last season, and sophomore Mike Neal will also challenge for playing time.

The Temple receiving corps consists of two outside receivers, denoted as "X" and "Z," and a slot receiver called the "Y." The tight end, referred to as the "H," is also considered a receiver on the team's depth chart. The unit will be under the direction of first-year coach Dennis Goldman, who most recently served as wide receivers coach at Syracuse.

"The receiving corps is where we need to have some people step up," said Wallace. "Mike Holley has proven he is a competitor, but he didn't play last year. Brian Allbrooks has shown he has a lot of ability and Jamel Harris has played well too, but he has never really started. Lester Shelton was redshirted and Leyon Azubuike is still learning how to play tight end, so it's definitely the most inexperienced area we have."

Harris, the team's most experienced receiver with 20 games in the slot under his belt, has moved outside to the Z position. The junior caught 17 passes for 217 yards last year. He will be paired on the outside with Holley, a starting cornerback in 2003 who was slated to play a key role in the receiving corps last year before being ruled ineligible.

Additional options on the outside come in the form of juniors Michael Loveland and Bruce Gordon. Loveland, a local product from Langhorne, Pa., walked on to the program in 2003 and earned starts versus Rutgers and West Virginia last year. Gordon saw his first action in Cherry & White this spring after transferring from Purdue. He was a first team junior college All-American at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College in 2003.

Allbrooks enters preseason camp as the starter in the slot. He played in 10 games last season (four starts) as a first-year junior and made 20 catches for 220 yards. Shelton, who was redshirted as a first-year junior in 2004, and senior William Bradley will provide competition.

Azubuike, a redshirt freshman who shared the team's co-offensive player of the spring award with Derenthal, enters preseason atop the depth chart at tight end (H). Senior Anthony Martinez returns after missing the entire 2004 season, as well as this past spring, with a knee injury. Christian Dunbar, who is expected to complete the necessary coursework to attain an additional season of eligibility, moved to linebacker in the spring after starting 10 games and catching four passes for 67 yards at tight end last year.

Defense

Under the direction of eighth-year defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Raymond Monica, the defense will be looking to return to the top 20 status it enjoyed in years past. Last season, the Owls endured a multitude of injuries on the defensive side of the ball and struggled, allowing 439.27 yards per game. Marked improvement was shown at season's end, however, as persistence turned into experience and positive results. Four starters among 20 letterwinners return.

"This defense needs to be very physical up front," said Monica. "There is no question that the line is the most important part of this defense right now. The linebackers have to step up. We have some guys who played, but we need to improve and create some depth in that area.

"The leadership of Mike Mendenhall, Antwon Burton, Rodney Wormley and Ray Lamb is very important. These guys have the winning attitude it will take for this defense to be successful. Unity is very important on both sides of the ball and especially on defense."

Temple's projected starting defensive line features four experienced seniors. Burton, who missed the entire 2004 season with a foot injury, returns to lead the front with Mendenhall, a 2004 second team All-Big East selection. Wormley and Adam Fichter also return to complete a foursome that's poised to be the Owls' best D-Line since current NFL players Dan Klecko and Raheem Brock terrorized opposing signal-callers in 2001.

Mendenhall and Wormley return at defensive end. Mendenhall has made 17 consecutive starts and compiled 41 tackles, nine tackles for losses and 3.5 sacks last season at rush end. Wormley started all nine games he played last season and made 25 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and one sack. Second-year senior JC Braker, who missed the 2004 campaign due to injury, will also see action at defensive end.

Burton is paired at defensive tackle with Fichter, who has 14 career starts, including nine last season. Fichter made 30 stops, 3.0 TFLs, two forced fumbles and a sack in 2004. Third-year senior Randy Johnson, who played in all 11 games and made two starts last year, will also see significant time on the interior.

Second-year junior Neil Dickson and redshirt freshmen Dwavon Battle, Sean Satchell and Alston Smith will compete for playing time. Dickson was cited as the defense's most improved player at the conclusion of spring drills.

"The bottom line is that the defensive front has to be a strength for our football team," said Wallace. "The recovery of Fichter's leg, Braker's knee and Wormley staying healthy is critical to the success of this unit. We feel Burton is an All-American candidate. He is definitely an NFL player with the ability to be a dominant force. Mendenhall is a very solid player that gives us a lot of speed."

The Temple linebacker corps is faced with replacing a pair of three-year starters in Rian "Goo" Wallace, a two time All-Big East selection, and Troy Bennett, the team's 2004 defensive MVP. Wallace decided to forgo his senior season in 2005 after making a team-best 101 total tackles at WLB to rank second in the Big East and 18th nationally in stops in 2004. Bennett made 95 tackles and 8.5 TFLs at SLB last season.

Senior Manuel Tapia and junior Ryan Gore are atop the depth chart at will and sam linebacker, respectively. Tapia has played in 29 career games (one start) and Gore, a Philadelphia native, has played in 23 career contests (one start).

Dunbar, who played in all 11 games at tight end last season and made 10 starts, moved to linebacker in the spring. He will compete with sophomore Vince Yasenchak, who missed the entire 2004 campaign with a knee injury after playing five games as a true freshman.

"Linebacker is an area where we are inexperienced, but have some veteran players," said Wallace. "It's not as though we will be playing rookies. Tapia and Gore have been around for a while, and so have Dunbar and Yasenchak. It's going to be a challenge, but we have a good defensive line in front of them and anticipate a sound secondary behind them."

Temple's outside safety positions, the strong safety and owl safety, must find replacements for a pair of two-year starters with the departures of Lawrence Wade and Sadeke Konte. Seniors Bobby Fulmore and Justin Johnson, both junior college transfers entering their third seasons in Owl Country, are the expected starters.

Fulmore played in all 11 games and Johnson saw time in 10 contests last season. Competition at the outside safety positions will come from senior Andrew Smith and sophomores Willie Hardemon and Matt Powell.

"We have a pair of seniors starting right now at outside safety in Fulmore and Johnson," said Wallace. "They are a little inexperienced but were red-shirted out of junior college and have seen playing time. We are confident in their ability to get the job done. Hardemon has to step up to be a solid back and give us the depth we need."

The Temple secondary, comprised of the cornerbacks and free safety position, persevered through a difficult 2004 that began with injury and eligibility issues. Despite this adversity, the unit showed marked progress at season's end.

The Owls entered their final three contests allowing 255.6 passing yards, but permitted 227.3 passing yards in those games, which included a victory over Syracuse and hard-fought losses to nationally-ranked West Virginia and Boston College.

"Getting the same three guys lined up every day and every week is our first goal in the secondary," said Wallace. "Ray Lamb needs to be healthy so he can be the leader."

Lamb, a third-year senior, enters preseason camp listed on depth chart at both free safety and cornerback. He completed an inspirational comeback last season. After suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 2004 spring game, he underwent surgery after swelling subsided and came back to start six games.

Senior Jermaine Hargraves and junior David Reese enter preseason as the starters at left and right cornerback, respectively. Both started four games last season. Hargraves made interceptions in starts at Rutgers and UConn. Reese was cited as the team's co-most improved defensive player at the conclusion of spring drills. The duo will be pushed by a talented cornerback pool that also features senior letterwinners Delonne Wilbourn and Darren Sinclair.

Mid-year junior college transfer Garrett Schultz is coming off a productive spring and will push Lamb for a starting role at free safety. Schultz shined in the Cherry & White intrasquad scrimmage, making several key plays, including an interception returned for a score.

Special Teams

Temple did not lose a single letterwinner on special teams, in terms of the kicking game, from 2004. The Owls return a pair of experienced kickers in second-year senior Ryan Lux and sophomore Danny Murphy, as well as veteran punters in fifth-year senior Mike McLaughlin and second-year senior Jake Hendy. Second-year senior Jacob Simon returns to perform long snapping duties.

"We have to see improvement in the kicking game," said Wallace. "We have some veteran players kicking and punting the football for us, and they need to be more consistent. Right now, we're not very consistent on field goals or punting, and that's going to be critical for this football team. Even with the snaps this spring, our consistency was not as good as it was in the fall. We have a lot of work to do."

Lux made nine of 17 field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards. McLaughlin punted 34 times for a 36.5 average, including seven fair catches and six inside the 20. Hendy had 28 punts for a 37.1 average, including two fair catches and eight inside the 20-yard line.

The Owls lost both their primary punt and kick returner from last season in Phil Goodman and Jamil Porter. Brown, who returned five punts last season, and Holley showed their skills on return units in the spring and performed well. Brown returned three kickoffs for a 19.3 average in 2004.

"What's good for Temple football is victories," stated Wallace in closing. "Being the best you can be is important and that equals success. But I think for this program to take a step forward, we have to win games. I don't want to put a number on it, but it has to be a significant improvement over what we have achieved so far."

Temple University Athletics

2005 TEMPLE FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

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