Temple University Athletics
Owls Set To Begin Spring Football Practice
3.23.07 | Football
March 23, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - 2007 is the year that Temple football must step up and take a stand. After playing the most true freshmen in the nation against the country's third most difficult schedule last year, experience and perspective have a Cherry & White hue. With full Mid-American Conference membership in hand, learning to win is primary. A strong predictor of this necessary attainment will be the spring practice season. With 15 sessions spread over 27 days, the Owls will take to the task fresh from a strong off-season conditioning performance and with just two scholarship seniors on the roster.
"The nucleus of this team will be together for the next 28 games," said head coach Al Golden. "That's a lot of football and that is why this year is so important. We must grow together as a team. Playing 22 true freshmen last year is good only if those players buy into the program, apply the techniques being taught and draw from their experiences from a year ago. If they do not, the outcomes will not change. And if the outcomes do not change, we may be playing 22 true freshmen again. That is the reality of football at this level."
Temple will compete in the MAC's East Division with Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, Miami and Ohio. Against MAC foes in 2006, TU averaged 12.2 more points per game and averaged 37.7 more yards. The team also displayed significant positive differences in penalties, third down conversions, defensive sacks and red zone offense.
"Gaining full league membership changes the entire landscape," said Golden. "Every time anyone associated with Temple football enters the Edberg-Olson Complex, there is only one goal in mind - to win the MAC Championship. Every game means something. League games in late October and November take on added significance as the race for the MAC East title winds down. The challenge of college football is to get into the post-season. Having a conference converts our league contests into an eight game tournament to get into that postseason."
Forty-four players with game day experience will take the field for the Owls this spring. Twenty-four reside on offense, with 19 playing defense and one serving as a specialist. The group has accrued 499 games played among them. As such, the average experience of Temple's returnees is 11.3 games, approximately one full season. This field experience was augmented by the team's extensive off-season conditioning program. Under the leadership of second-year strength coach Tony Decker, players were able to get a minimum of 65 workouts between Monday, Nov. 20, 2006 and the start of spring drills. As a result, a considerable amount of strength and size has been added to the roster.
Temple begins spring practice on Monday, March, 26 and will conclude drills with the annual Cherry & White intra-squad game at the Ambler (Pa.) Sports Complex on Saturday, April 21. Among the team's primary objectives are finishing, execution through repetition, and further developing both team power and toughness. Eighty-seven names reside on the spring roster to achieve these goals, including those of seven mid-year enrollees. For the second consecutive year, the Owls inked the top recruiting class in the MAC. After an initial class that was rated best in the league by CollegeFootballNews.com in 2006, this past February's signees received finest in the MAC recognition from Scout.com.
"We are looking for leaders in every class and at every position, so we need quite a few players to step up," said Golden. "Some of the more talented players have to mature and exhibit leadership ability if we are going to have a winning season. Successful programs have a foundation of accountability and that is built through trust and commitment. This is what we are achieving via our team power exercises. We are going to achieve accountability as a program - accountable to ourselves, to each other, to the University and to what the scoreboard reads on game days."
Offense
The Temple offense has nine returning starters among 24 players with game day experience. The unit is under the direction of veteran mentor George DeLeone, who has 36 seasons of coaching experience on his resume. DeLeone, who also coaches the interior linemen, utilizes a multiple offensive system designed to create balance so as to force defenses to defend the run and pass equally on every down.
"We must become a tougher and more physical offense," said DeLeone. "We should look one year ahead of the way we looked last spring in terms of execution and finishing plays. We need to become a MAC offense. What that means to me is a tough, hard-nosed, overachieving group that plays every week with a chip on its shoulder. We need to compete like we have something to prove each and every time we step onto the field."
Perhaps the most intriguing competition of the spring is under center, where redshirt junior Adam DiMichele and sophomore Vaughn Charlton will compete for the starting job. Both players earned the starting nod as newcomers last season, with DiMichele receiving the more extensive action. Each has demonstrated a great deal of commitment to the team's off-season program. Viewed as tough, unselfish leaders by their peers, the two also register very high on the coaching staff's maturity and "coachability" indexes. The program is confident that it can win with either competitor taking the snaps. The questions of whom will be the primary pigskin caretaker, however, still requires resolution.
DiMichele played in 11 games (nine starts) in 2006 and completed 135 of 220 passes for 1,518 yards and 10 touchdowns, while being selected as the coaching staff's offensive player of the game on three occasions. In six games against MAC opponents, DiMichele was especially effective, completing 95 of 145 passes (65.5 pct.) for 1,053 yards and nine scores. Charlton played in eight games (three starts) as a true freshman, completing 47 of 85 passes for 417 yards and two scores.
Second-year assistant coach Matt Rhule, who serves a dual role as the program's recruiting coordinator, will play a huge role in the quarterbacks' development. After coaching the defensive line in 2006, Rhule - an experienced offensive coach - was moved over to mentor the signal callers. He will have five quarterbacks under his direction this spring, including redshirt sophomore Colin Clancy. Clancy redshirted last season after seeing action as a true freshman in 2005. A pair of Local 215 members - Andrew Case and Rob Beckey - are also in the mix.
Whoever the starting quarterback is determined to be, he will be behind an offensive line with 10 experienced returnees. Leading the unit is redshirt junior center Alex Derenthal. The Davie, Fla. native became the first sophomore in program history to earn the Owl Award as team MVP, after he earned the honor last season when he played every snap in 11 games and graded at 90 percent or better in all 12 contests. The 2006 ECAC All-Star will be joined on the offensive front by redshirt sophomore Devin Tyler. Tyler was one of two Owls, along with Derenthal, to start all 12 games last season. He was named an honorable mention freshman All-American by The Sporting News. Tyler, who has added 30 pounds of muscle to his six foot-seven frame in the past eight months, is slated to start at left tackle. He will be pushed by redshirt junior Jabari Ferguson, who returns to the offensive front after playing tight end in 2006. An extremely athletic big man, Ferguson is joined on the blind side by redshirt junior Sean Satchell. A Cherry Hill, N.J native, Satchell played in nine games and made seven starts at left guard last season.
The tackle positions will be under the direction of 12-year coaching veteran Andrew Dees, who also instructs tight ends. Dees played both tackle and tight end as a collegian at Syracuse before playing two seasons as an offensive tackle in the NFL.
Right tackle at the onset of spring drills is the property of redshirt junior Andre Douglas, who sat out the 2006 campaign after transferring from Rhode Island. A potential all-conference candidate who possesses that rare mix of size, strength and mobility, he will be pressed by redshirt junior Dwavon Battle and redshirt freshman Charles Smith. Battle has been moved to the exterior after playing in eight games and starting the final seven at right guard in 2006. Smith, who stands an imposing six foot-six has made significant conditioning strides under Decker and enters the spring at 332 pounds after arriving in Owl Country in excess of 380.
A multitude of capable candidates will be competing for playing time on the interior offensive line. At the onset of drills, freshman John Palumbo and redshirt junior Brison Manor are penciled in as starters at left and right guard, respectively. Palumbo enrolled at Temple in January after initially signing with the Owls in February 2006. An injury in an all-star game after his senior season, however, delayed the much-anticipated recruit's arrival. Manor, the son of former NFL defensive lineman Brison Manor II, started the first five games of the season for the Owls at left guard in 2006 before sustaining an ankle injury.
Second-year sophomores Darius Morris and Bryce Carter are strong candidates to crack the starting lineup at guard after both saw action as true freshmen last year. Morris played in 10 games, with Carter taking the field in two. Local 215 members Kevin Bennage and Marcos Hanna are also competing for repetitions on the interior.
This time last year, there was a serious shortage of tight end candidates. What a difference 12 months can make. The Owls enter spring 2007 with four experienced tight ends on the roster. It needs to be determined if the group can block at a MAC level. Topping the depth chart at the onset of spring drills is junior Kevin Armstrong, who has impressed in the off-season. A former rush linebacker, Armstrong will receive stiff competition from a pair of sophomores in Marcus Brown and Steve Maneri. Both saw significant time as true freshmen. Brown played in all 12 games (10 starts), making seven receptions for 29 yards and two touchdowns. Maneri saw action in 10 games in a reserve role and had six catches for 61 yards and two scores. Local 215 members Travis Manger and Robert Feeley are also in the mix.
The backfield is an area expected to see a great deal of competition before the Owls kick-off their 2007 campaign against the Midshipmen. The unit is under the leadership of Tyree Foreman, who spent the past three seasons coaching the ball-carriers at Army. The only experienced tailback entering spring drills is Jason Harper, who saw action in all 12 games and made two starts as a true freshman in 2006. He rushed 47 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while catching nine passes for 99 yards. Harper, who is also an effective kick returner, will battle mid-year enrollee Marcellous Grigsby from Sacramento (Calif.) City College to determine who enters fall camp atop the depth chart. Grigsby, a member of Superprep's JUCO 100 squad, will have two seasons of eligibility in Owl Country. Local 215 members Jonathan Metz and David Ricks will provide depth. At least three additional highly-touted prospects arrive to add competition to the tailback position in the fall.
Josh Bundy, the only three-year letterwinner on the roster, returns at fullback. With 26 career games and 12 starts under his belt, he enters the spring 10 pounds lighter. A blue collar-type player, Bundy will be challenged during drills by two members of Local 215 - Alex DiMichele and Bryce Buffaloe. DiMichele, the younger brother of quarterback Adam DiMichele, brings a lot of enthusiasm to the game and played in all 12 games as a true freshman last year, making one start. Buffaloe, who stars in the weight events for the Temple track & field team, is in his second year with the program after walking-on last spring.
The receiving corps, now under the direction of former Georgetown assistant Kevin Gilbride, returns four players with gameday experience. Overall, eight players will compete at the position this spring. It's a talented group with impressive speed, but the unit will need to develop cohesiveness and increase its overall toughness.
Junior Bruce Francis, a former Local 215 member now on scholarship, has established himself as one of the leaders of the corps. The winner of the inaugural Gavin White Jr. Walk-On Award last spring, Francis led Owl receivers last fall with 32 receptions for 484 yards and four touchdowns. A native of Sicklerville, N.J. he has made catches in 16 consecutive games. Francis enters the spring atop the depth chart at the X, where he will receive competition from redshirt senior Domerio Hamilton, redshirt freshman Dale Parris and Local 215 member Phil Bartocci. Hamilton was expected to make an impact last season, but was limited to just five games. Parris, who was sidelined last year while rehabilitating an injury, is ripe with potential. This spring will mark his first practice action on North Broad Street and will be instrumental in determining his commitment level to realize that promise.
Travis Shelton, the national returning leader in all-purpose running after posting a 196.7 average in six games last year, is at Z receiver. The redshirt junior was named an ECAC All-Star at both wideout and kick returner in 2006. Shelton established himself as a game changing force, while playing just half a season last year after redshirting in 2005. With three first cousins playing in the NFL, including Chicago Bears speedster Devin Hester, Shelton will need to display the maturity this spring that goes along with being a high-profile performer. The team's special teams MVP last year, he caught 20 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns while also earning national player of the week honors for his performance in the Owls' win over Bowling Green.
Mid-year enrollee Delano Green, A Prep Star all-region selection, has impressed during off-season conditioning and enters spring as the starter at the Z, where he is joined by redshirt freshman A.J. Bunton and Local 215 member Josh Hutchison. Bunton was limited to brief action in one game last year due to injury. A native of West Deptford, N.J., he brings explosive speed to the offense after being a highly-decorated high school sprinter.
Defense
The Temple defense returns seven starters among 19 players with gameday experience. The unit is under the leadership of second-year coordinator Mark D'Onofrio, a former teammate of Golden's at Penn State who played linebacker for the Green Bay Packers and is in his ninth season coaching the college game. He will call the shots in the Owls' new 4-3 defensive alignment. The team is looking to play 22 players on defense every week in 2007 with an emphasis on pursuit and finish.
"Our expectation this spring is to develop depth and competition at all positions," said D'Onofrio. "We have a young group that includes only one senior. Some of the young players need to develop into the leaders that we will have for the next two to three years. We expect this group to improve on tackling, pursuit, and takeaways, while developing a better understanding of the overall defensive scheme.
"The biggest difference I would like to see by April 21 is to see this group develop maturity and poise, while having our speed and aggressiveness show up on the field. The players need to be accountable to their teammates by understanding and executing their job for the good of the program."
The strength of the defense looks to be the defensive line, where seven players that played significant roles last year return. The group is under the tutelage of Jared Backus, who spent the past two seasons as defensive coordinator at Bucknell. Despite its experience level, however, the defensive front is where some additional leaders need to emerge this spring. Taking an active role in establishing himself as a leader has been sophomore defensive end Brian Sanford. After arriving in Owl Country at 230 pounds last fall, he now tips the scales at 253 and is an all-conference candidate. In six games (three starts) last year, Sanford made 24 tackles and 3.5 tackles-for losses.
Sanford is listed atop the depth chart at defensive end, where he is joined by redshirt junior Leyon Azubuike and Local 215 members Jordan Wadley and Andrew Foster. Azuibuike played in 12 games and made eight starts at rush linebacker last season en route to 24 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, two sacks and two fumble recoveries. Foster, from nearby Willingboro, N.J., has added 40 pounds to his six foot-five frame since his arrival last fall.
A pair of promising newcomers will be competing for the starting job at rush end in the spring. Mid-year enrollee Morris Blueford and redshirt junior James Tindall have both impressed in the off-season program. A nationally-rated recruit by Scout.com, Blueford competed last season at Fork Union Military Academy, which has produced three current Owl letterwinners, as well as Green. Tindall sat out last season under NCAA guidelines but practiced with the Owls at linebacker after transferring from Minnesota. Local 215 member James Namude, who also sat out last season after transferring from Maryland, is also in the mix. Sophomore Junior Galette enters the spring as a reserve at rush end and will be challenged to work his way back to the top of the depth chart. Galette played in 11 games at sam linebacker, making nine starts as a true freshman last season. He made 52 tackles and 5.5 tackles for losses to become one of three Owls to earn honorable mention Freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News. Galette also received national attention when his acrobatic punt block versus BGSU was ranked No. 2 on ESPN's college football plays of the week.
Four experienced performers return on the interior defensive line in redshirt junior Philip Simpson, junior Terrance Knighton and sophomores Andre Neblett and Terrance Banks. Neblett leads the group with his tough style of play, pursuit and ability to finish. He and Knighton have the potential to be a formidable force at nose tackle. Knighton started 11 games at nose last season, making 57 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for losses, three sacks and four pass break-ups. Neblett started nine games on the interior last year as a true freshman and made 18 stops and two TFLs. Also competing at nose is Banks, who made one start while playing in all 12 games in 2006, and Local 215 member Jared Brabham, who has improved his conditioning since arriving as a true freshman last fall.
Simpson will compete at the defensive tackle spot with Local 215 members Daniel Popper and Marcques Henderson. A former high school quarterback and Dade County (Fla.) Player of the Year, Simpson played in eight games and made seven starts on the defensive line last year, including five at defensive end. He made 29 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks, two break-ups and one interception. Popper, a North Wildwood, N.J. native, has been extremely impressive in the off-season program and enters the spring atop the depth chart. Henderson is an active duty Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and is attending the University via the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education program.
The linebacker position will be strong in numbers, especially with the arrival of three additional recruits in the fall. The group is the most inexperienced on the defensive side of the ball, however. The young players have made huge strides in the off-season program and the size and strength increases should show on the field. The group is under the leadership of Curtis Bray, who spent the past four seasons as linebackers coach at Pittsburgh. Seven players are slated to compete at linebacker for the Owls this spring.
Sophomore Alex Joseph enters the spring atop the depth chart in the middle. After playing in 10 games in a reserve role and making 19 tackles as a true freshman last season, he has displayed an upside with all-conference potential. He will be pressed at mike in the spring by a trio of Local 215 members - Dave Chiavacci, Seth Amoah and Omar McDonnaugh-Hales. Chiavacci, from nearby Abington Heights, Pa., is also in the mix at the will after competing in four games as a true freshman last season. Amoah hails from Laurel Springs, N.J. and played in two games as a true freshman in 2006. McDonnaugh-Hales is a Philadelphia native that attended Germantown High School.
The much anticipated gameday arrival of Philadelphia native and Bishop McDevitt product Lamar McPherson will take place in the fall, but a preview is available at sam linebacker in the spring. McPherson exhibits the toughness that coaching staffs covet. After spending a season at Syracuse, He transferred to North Broad Street last fall and practiced at both tailback and safety with the Owls. Listed at 5-11, 205 pounds, he will patrol the strong side with sophomore Le'Ron Irwin and Local 215 member John Brownell. Irwin played in 10 games at linebacker as a true freshman last year.
Highly-touted junior college recruit Wallace Bates, who arrived mid-year, begins his Temple career at will linebacker. A Rivals three star prospect who signed to attend Oregon State out of high school, he is joined at the position by Chiavacci and Local 215 member James Smith.
The secondary should be a much improved area for the Owls in 2007, with eight players returning that saw action in 2006, including six that earned extensive time. The competition is further increased with the additional of two mid-year enrollees that are both expected to be immediate contributors. For the second consecutive year, the unit is under the direction of Newark, Del. native Paul Williams, who enters his 12th coaching season.
The two cornerbacks - the field and boundary corner - are an area of confidence for the Cherry & White. The field corner spot should see a heated competition in the spring between a trio of viable candidates in sophomore Dy'Onne Crudup, junior Evan Cooper Jr., and mid-year post-graduate enrollee Jamal Schulters. Cooper played in all 12 games at corner in 2006 and made nine starts. The son of former Philadelphia Eagle Evan Cooper, he made 52 tackles (31 solo), one TFL and one forced fumble. Crudup saw action in 10 games as a true freshman last year, primarily at wide receiver. Schulters signed an NLI to attend Kansas State in February 2006 before arriving in Owl Country.
The boundry corner position features competition between sophomore Anthony Ferla and mid-year junior college transfer Tommie Williams. Ferla played in all 12 games as a true freshman last season, making 17 stops. Williams arrived after playing two seasons at junior college power Reedley (Calif.) College. Local 215 member and Philadelphia native James Nelson will provide additional competition at corner.
Four players with starting experience will compete at safety. Sophomore Wilbert Brinson and junior Richard Sheppard are the primary candidates at strong safety. Brinson played in 11 games, making four starts, as a true freshman last season. A powerful hitter, he made 31 total tackles and two forced fumbles. Sheppard, a Philadelphia native, has also displayed a penchant for punishing blows, making 35 total tackles in 11 games (five starts) in 2006. Local 215 members Abioye Oyeyemi, one of the Owls' top special teams performers, and redshirt junior Nick Iadonisi are also in the mix.
Free safety features a starting audition between redshirt sophomore Dominique Harris and converted cornerback Georg Coleman this spring. Harris delivered a series of highlight-reel hits in 2006 and is the team's top returning tackler after making 59 tackles (34 solo), one TFL, two interceptions and four pass break-ups. He played in all 12 games and made four starts at free safety and three at strong safety. Coleman also played in every game last season, earning three starts. The Levittown, Pa. native registered 36 total stops, two aerial thefts and 3.5 TFLs. Local 215 members Ricky Uebberoth and Jonathan Miller will provide additional competition.
Special Teams
One of the key elements of the announced coaching staff restructuring in February was the revelation that Golden would serve as the program's special teams' coordinator. Entering his first spring in that role, his primary objective is to develop a top-flight kicking game. The Owls' kicking game had some bright spots in 2006 but generally struggled overall.
The lone returning athlete to the kicking game is 2006 Sporting News Honorable Mention Freshman All-American Jake Brownell. Originally a member of Local 215, the Thorofare, N.J. native transferred to Temple from Navy in the fall of 2005. In 2006, he ranked seventh nationally and first among freshmen in punting yardage, punting 78 times for 3,004 yards (38.5 avg.) with a long of 58. Brownell also made two of three FGAs, connecting from 32 and 27 yards, while kicking-off 16 times for 901 yards (56.3 avg.). He will be pushed in the punting game by redshirt freshman Jonathan Boyer, and on field goals and kick-offs by redshirt freshmen Garrett Clawson and Drew Reinhard.
"We need to have a placekicker emerge from the group that can score points inside the opponents' 30-yard line on a consistent basis," said Golden. "In addition, we have to establish a kickoff man that can kick to the goal line with a hang time of 4.0 seconds. Lastly, we need a punter that can get the ball off in 2.0 seconds, hang the ball in the air for 4.3 seconds and net at least 37 yards per punt. Our focus this spring is to become specialized at the kicking craft and if that means having three different kickers for kickoff, field goals and punts then that is what we will do."
Temple's 2006 kickoff return was second in the MAC and finished 36 nationally with a 21.58 return average. The team's goal this season is to lead the league and finish in the top 10 nationally. Shelton could go a long way towards achieving that goal. He would have ranked fifth nationally with a 28.8 kickoff return average last season if he were eligible for NCAA rankings. He had more kickoff returns (27) in 2006 than every player ranked in the top 10, but did not play in 75 percent of the team's games to qualify. Harper was also effective on kickoff returns, averaging 21.8 yards on 18 returns. Joining the competition on kickoff returns in the spring will be Green, Bunton, Williams, Coleman and Schulters.
The Owls' punt return team struggled mightily last season and finished near the bottom of the MAC. In order to address the problem, Golden has simplified the system and made sweeping personnel changes. Among the players viewed as capable candidates are Green, Crudup, Bunton and Schulters. The team will also experiment with Shelton on punt returns to see if he possesses the necessary mental toughness and focus to be an elite return specialist.
The Owls' kickoff coverage unit or "nut squad" finished 2006 ranked second in the MAC and 70th nationally despite having only two balls kicked for touchbacks all year. Golden believes the squad can improve considerably, given the addition of defensive players to the roster, with five entering at mid-year. One of the challenges this spring will be finding speed wide receivers to contribute to the unit.
Temple's punt coverage team or "pride unit" finished near the bottom of the MAC in covering punts last year and had two punts blocked. To rectify the problem, Golden has made wholesale personnel changes. The pride unit should see a definite benefit from the number of linebackers and defensive backs brought into the program.
The Schedule
Temple will open its inaugural MAC season with consecutive home games for the first time since 2002, when it hosts Navy on Friday evening, August 31, before welcoming Buffalo on Saturday, September 8. The Owls then take flight for three straight road contests at Connecticut (Sept. 15), Bowling Green (Sept. 22) and Army (Sept. 29). The meeting with the Black Knights will be televised nationally on one of the ESPN outlets (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNU).
Temple then competes against three consecutive league foes, hosting Northern Illinois (Oct. 6) in the annual homecoming game before playing at Akron (Oct.13) and welcoming Miami (Oct. 20). The Owls then have a bye before traveling to Athens, Ohio to play the Bobcats in a Friday evening contest on November 2. The legendary Joe Paterno brings his Nittany Lions to Philadelphia for a much anticipated game on November 10, before the Owls host Kent State the following Saturday (Nov. 17). Temple concludes its regular season at Western Michigan on Saturday, November 24. The 2006 MAC Championship will take place at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, December 1.
"We only have to travel six times all year and only four of those will be plane rides," said Golden. "That's a big difference from a year ago when we played eight away games and got on a plane seven times. The MAC is a formidable conference and had marquee wins vs. N.C. State, Illinois, Indiana and Virginia. It is also a league that sent four teams to bowl games last season. With that in mind, our expectation every year is going to be stay in the top third of the MAC. If we can do this, we will always be in contention for the league title and the postseason.
"The regional out of conference schedule makes a great deal of sense and it is only going to get better in years to come. Fans will be able to see Army, Navy, UConn, Maryland, Penn State and crosstown rival Villanova in coming years."
