Temple University Athletics
Temple Football Hosts Northern Illinois in Homecoming Game
10.2.07 | Football
Oct. 2, 2007
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THIS WEEK
Under the direction of second-year head coach Al Golden, Temple returns home to host Northern Illinois in its annual homecoming game, presented by Verizon. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Owls' radio broadcast will air on The Big Talker, WPHT 1210 AM, with Harry Donahue calling the play-by-play and Steve Joachim providing color analysis. Live gametracker stats and audio streaming will be available on the Temple Athletics website at www.owlsports.com.
Prior to the game, in an 11 a.m. ceremony in the stadium's Red Zone Lounge, Muna Bitar (fencing), Don Bitterlich (football), Jay Hallman (baseball), Debbie Kelly (women's lacrosse), Dominick Minicucci (men's gymnastics), Michael Moore (men's crew), and the 1938 NIT Champion men's basketball team will be inducted into the Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame. The new inductees will be introduced at halftime.
Under the guidance of 12-year head coach Joe Novak, the Huskies stand 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the MAC after a 35-10 loss at Central Michigan last Saturday. Among current MAC coaches, Novak is the winningest in MAC play.
Temple and Northern Illinois each utilize a multiple offense and a 4-3 defense. The game marks the Owls' return to Philadelphia following a three-game road trip and their third contest in Mid-American Conference play. Both teams are looking for their first MAC win.
Unlike Temple, NIU sports a veteran roster. The Huskies return 41 lettermen from last season, including 15 starters. Northern Illinois has made three consecutive postseason appearances, including two bowl games in the last three seasons.
In series action, Northern Illinois leads, 2-0. Last season in DeKalb, Ill., NIU captured a 43-21 win. The team's first meeting in 1989, the Huskies left Veterans Stadium with a 20-17 win.
Temple has just one player on its roster from the state of Illinois­-- freshman OT Colin Madison (Villa Park, Ill.).
Northern Illinois' roster has no players from Pennsylvania. Actually the Huskies have no players from the East. Their roster features players from the Midwest, 70 from Illinois alone, two from Florida and one from California.
TEMPLE-NORTHERN ILLINOIS: THE SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between the Owls and the Huskies. NIU won both contests, a 43-21 win last season in DeKalb, Ill., and a 20-17 win at Veterans Stadium in 1989.
Last season WR Travis Shelton compiled 311 all-purpose yards, including 204 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to overcome a record day for NIU's DE Larry English and kicker Chris Nendick. Temple QB Adam DiMichele went 20-of-28 for 322 yards and three touchdowns. NIU held a 19-0 halftime lead and then extended it to 40-0 before the Owls got on track.
In 1989, Ventres Stevenson rushed for 133 yards and a TD on 29 carries in the defeat. The Huskies earned the victory on an eight-yard Stacey Robinson TD run with 3:16 remaining.
SERIES INFORMATION
Temple all-time vs. Northern Illinois: 0-2 Temple in games at Temple: 0-1 Temple in games at Northern Illinois: 0-1 First meeting in series: 1989 at Veterans Stadium, L, 20-17 Last meeting in series: 2006 at Huskie Stadium, L, 43-21Year Site Results TU Coach NIU Coach 1989 Veterans Stadium L, 20-17 Jerry Berndt Jerry Pettibone 2006 Huskie Stadium L, 43-21 Al Golden Joe Novak
SERIES HIGHS
Temple Owls
Rushing: Ventres Stevenson, 29-133, 1 TD (1989) Passing: Adam DiMichele, 20-29-322, 3 TD (2006) Receiving: Travis Shelton, 7-204, 2 TD (2006)Northern Illinois
Rushing: Stacey Robinson, 21-87, 2 TD (1989) Passing:  Phil Horvath, 18-28-253, 2 TD (2006) Receiving:  Britt Davis, 6-92, 1 TD (2006)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERRANCE
Sophomore DT Terrance Banks (Newark, N.J.) will celebrate his 20th birthday on game day, Oct. 6, against Northern Illinois.
HOMECOMING CHEER
Under head coach Al Golden, the Temple Owls are 1-0 in homecoming games, presented by Verizon. Last year during his inaugural season, Golden led TU to its first win, a 28-14 victory over Bowling Green at Lincoln Financial Field. The win was the first for Golden as a head coach while snapping the team's 20-game losing streak.
In the game, WR Travis Shelton (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) caught a 43-yard scoring pass to put the Owls on the board in the first quarter before returning a kickoff 96 yards to close out the scoring in the final stanza.
