Temple University Athletics
Temple Travels to #16/15 Penn State for Noon Game
9.15.08 | Football
Sept. 15, 2008
Complete Gamenotes in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK
Temple continues its road swing with a stop at intra-state rival and No. 16/15 Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for Noon at Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network with Mark Neely handling play-by-play duties and Glen Mason on color commentary.
The Owls' radio broadcast will air on 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.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Al Golden, Temple stands 1-2 overall and 0-1 in Mid-American Conference play. The Owls dropped a heart-breaking 30-28 decision at Buffalo last week in the MAC opener for both teams. For the second consecutive week, Temple lost on the game's final play. Both losses were by a combined total of five points [12-9 overtime to Connecticut, 30-28 at Buffalo].
Returning 20 seniors and 26 juniors, Temple returns 21 starters this season and the top defense in the MAC. Senior WR Travis Shelton (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is the Owls' top receiver with 11 catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore RB Marquise Liverpool (Ramsey, N.J.) leads the Owl rushers with 108 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. Redshirt senior QB Adam DiMichele (McKees Rocks, Pa.) conducts the offense, going 60-of-83 for 614 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, sophomore LB Amara Kamara (Newark, N.J.) has 27 tackles, including 14 solos, two TFL, a sack, and a hurry in three games.
Temple ranks No. 4 nationally in kickoff returns (33.00), while Penn State ranks first in KOR (35.11). The Nittany Lions rank in the Top 25 in 11 NCAA statistics categories.
The game at Penn State is Temple's third road game. The Owls will play five of their next seven games on the road.
The meeting marks the third contest of a seven-game series between Temple and Penn State, with five games scheduled at Beaver Stadium (Nov. 11, 2006; Sept. 20, 2008; Sept. 19, 2009; Oct. 9, 2010; Sept. 15, 2012) and two games slated for Lincoln Financial Field (Nov. 10, 2007; Sept. 17, 2011).
Saturday's game also marks the second meeting between Golden (Penn State `91) and his mentor Joe Paterno, who is in his 43rd season as head coach at Penn State. Last season in Philadelphia, the two coaches met for the first time on opposing benches as head coaches. The Lions left with a 31-0 win.
In the fall of 2006 in Happy Valley, first-year head coach Golden led his 1-9 Owl team into his old stomping grounds of Beaver Stadium. However, Paterno did not coach the game. At Wisconsin the week before, Paterno suffered a broken leg and missed the date with the Owls, marking only the third game he has missed in his 59 years at PSU.  The Nittany Lions were coached in that game by coordinators Tom Bradley and Galen Hall.
The Owls will utilize their East Coast offense and 4-3 defense when they travel to Happy Valley this week.
Under the guidance of 43rd-year head coach Joe Paterno, the nationally ranked Nittany Lions sport a perfect 3-0 overall record after a 55-13 win at Syracuse. PSU returns 16 starters to its multiple offense and multiple defense. Sophomore TB Evan Royster is the Nittany Lions' leading rusher with 306 yards on 38 carries. Senior QB Daryll Clark is 35-of-58 for 524 yards and five touchdowns in three contests, while sophomore QB Pat Devlin is 13-of-24 for 213 yards and two touchdowns in three games. Senior WR Jordan Norwood is the top receiver with 303 yards on 17 receptions and four touchdowns.
TEMPLE-PENN STATE CONNECTIONS
Coaching Staff Connections:
It's not a secret that Temple head coach Al Golden is a Penn State graduate. He is one of three Temple coaches that played at Penn State . Earning a degree in pre-law in 1991, Golden played TE from 1987-81 and won the team's 1991 Ridge Riley Award. Golden also served as the Nittany Lions' LB coach and recruiting coordinator during the 2000 season, working with seven current members on the PSU coaching staff-- Joe Paterno, Dick Anderson, Tom Bradley, Larry Johnson, Bill Kenney, Mike McQueary, and Jay Paterno. As a coach, Golden stands 1-3 against his alma mater, including two games as the defensive coordinator at Virginia.
Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio (Penn State `92) played LB from 1988-91. He and Golden were team captains together during their senior season. D'Onofrio, who earned his degree in labor and industrial relations, led the team in sacks in 1989 as a sophomore and in tackles in 1990 as a junior.
Al Golden and Mark D'Onofrio were teammates with current PSU quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, all lettering for the Nittany Lions in 1989.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Rhule (Penn State `97) is a State College native. He played LB from 1994-97. A three-time Penn State Scholar-Athlete, he earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 1997. Rhule earned his degree in political science. Rhule and PSU wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary, who quarterbacked the Blue and White, attended State College Area HS together. Jay Paterno is also a State College Area HS alum.
PSU assistant coaches Dick Anderson, Tom Bradley, and Bill Kenney were all assistants during the playing careers of Golden, D'Onofrio, and Rhule. PSU assistants Larry Johnson and Jay Paterno were members of the coaching staff that instructed Rhule.
Player Connections:
Temple has 32 players on its roster from Pennsylvania with two walk-on players from Central Pennsylvania. Freshman PK/P Russell Nye hails from State College. His father-- Greg Nye-- is the Penn State men's golf coach. Redshirt sophomore WR Josh Hutchison is from Hollidaysburg. 
Temple senior DB Georg Coleman and Penn State senior K Kevin Kelly and redshirt sophomore DT Tom McEowen are graduates of Neshaminy HS in Langhorne, Pa., playing together under head coach Mark Schmidt. As seniors, Coleman and Kelly led Neshaminy to the state 4A title game. Coleman earned first-team AP All-State honors as a specialist, and Kelly captured first-team AP accolades at PK.
Temple junior WR Dy'Onne Crudup and Penn State redshirt junior CB Willie Harriott are both graduates of Hyde Leadership School in New Haven, Conn., playing together and leading the squad to the Class S state title under head coach John Acquavita.
Temple redshirt junior PK Jake Brownell and Penn State senior S Anthony Scirrotto are both graduates of West Deptford (N.J.) HS, playing together under head coach Clyde Folsom. The duo helped West Deptford to three consecutive Group II state titles and consecutive undefeated seasons.
Temple redshirt junior OT Devin Tyler and Penn State junior LB Navorro Bowman are both graduates of Suitland (Md.) HS, playing together under head coach Nick Lynch. The twosome helped Suitland to a 13-1 record in 2004 and the state 4A title.
Temple juniors CB Anthony Ferla and DE Junior Galette and Penn State redshirt sophomore C Doug Klopacz went to St Joseph Regional HS in Montvale, N.J. Ferla also played with Penn State OL Lou Eliades in the NJ vs. NY Governors Bowl. Both Ferla and Penn State junior DL Maurice Evans were named to the "HS Heisman" team.
Additional Connections:
Before transferring to Temple where he won the 1974 Maxwell Award as college football's Player of the Year, Temple radio color commentator Steve Joachim earned a letter as a quarterback at Penn State under Joe Paterno in 1971.
Sports media relations associate director Cathy Bongiovi (Penn State 1987) earned a degree in journalism. She previously worked at her alma mater for four years (1997-2001), advancing to the 2000 women's basketball Final Four with the Lady Lions.
TEMPLE-PENN STATE: THE SERIES
Saturday's game is the 38th meeting between the Owls and the Nittany Lions, the second-longest series in Temple school history. TU has met only one other opponent more often-- Bucknell (44).
Since the teams' first meeting in 1931, the Nittany Lions lead the series, 33-3-1. Under Paterno, the Lions are a perfect 24-0 against the Owls (since 1975).
Temple has not beaten Penn State since a 14-0 victory on Oct. 18, 1941. The teams tied 7-7 in 1950. The Owls lost by one point in both 1975 and 1976. On. Sept. 6, 1986, the Temple-Penn State game was the first-ever night game played at Beaver Stadium. The Owls and Nittany Lions have also played at twice at historic Franklin Field (1975, 1994) and met in Giants Stadium in 1996.
Last year at Lincoln FInancial Field, a school record 69,029 fans attended the game between Temple and No. 25 Penn State. The crowd is the all-time best attended home game for Temple and the largest crowd ever to watch Temple at Lincoln Financial Field.
The attendance figure also set a Mid-American Conference record. Just the second-ever sellout for Temple football in the modern era, the 69,029 fans broke the 19-year old record of 66,592 fans from a sold out game against Penn State (Oct. 1, 1988) in Veterans Stadium. [Note: Temple football sold out several games during the 1940s at Temple Stadium, which had a capacity of 34,200.]
SERIES INFORMATION
Temple all-time vs. Penn State: 3-33-1 Temple in games at Temple: 3-11 Temple in games at Penn State: 0-19-1 Temple in games at a neutral site: 0-3 First meeting in series: 1931 at Temple Stadium, W, 12-0 Last meeting in series: 2007 at Lincoln Financial Field, L, 31-0SERIES HIGHS Temple Owls Rushing: Paul Palmer, 30-206, 2 TDs (1985) Passing: Henry Burris, 24-42-323, 2 TDs (1994) Receiving: Pete Righi, 7-100 (1975) Penn State Nittany Lions Rushing: Rodney Kinlaw, 27-168, 1 TD (2007) Passing:  Anthony Morelli, 22-33-1, 3 TDs (2007) Receiving:  Terry Smith, 8-144, 1 TD (1991)
Year Site Results TU Coach PSU Coach 1931 Temple Stadium W, 12-0 Henry J. Miller Bob Higgins 1932 Temple Stadium W, 13-12 Henry J. Miller Bob Higgins 1940 Temple Stadium L, 18-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1941 Temple Stadium W, 14-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1943 Beaver Field L, 13-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1944 Temple Stadium L, 7-6 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1945 Beaver Field L, 27-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1946 Beaver Field L, 26-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1947 Temple Stadium L, 7-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1948 Beaver Field L, 47-0 Ray Morrison Bob Higgins 1949 Temple Stadium L, 28-7 Albert P. Kawal Joe Bedenk 1950 Beaver Field T, 7-7 Albert P. Kawal Rip Engle 1952 Beaver Field L, 20-13 Albert P. Kawal Rip Engle 1975 Franklin Field L, 26-25 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1976 Veterans Stadium L, 31-30 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1977 Beaver Stadium L, 44-7 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1978 Veterans Stadium L, 10-7 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1979 Beaver Stadium L, 22-7 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1980 Veterans Stadium L, 50-7 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1981 Beaver Stadium L, 30-0 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1982 Beaver Stadium L, 31-14 Wayne Hardin Joe Paterno 1983 Veterans Stadium L, 23-18 Bruce Arians Joe Paterno 1985 Beaver Stadium L, 27-25 Bruce Arians Joe Paterno 1986 Beaver Stadium L, 45-15 Bruce Arians Joe Paterno 1987 Beaver Stadium L, 27-13 Bruce Arians Joe Paterno 1988 Veterans Stadium L, 45-9 ruce Arians Joe Paterno 1989 Beaver Stadium L, 42-3 Jerry Berndt Joe Paterno 1990 Beaver Stadium L, 48-10 Jerry Berndt Joe Paterno 1991 Veterans Stadium L, 24-7 Jerry Berndt Joe Paterno 1992 Beaver Stadium L, 49-8 Jerry Berndt Joe Paterno 1994 Franklin Field L, 48-21 Ron Dickerson Joe Paterno 1995 Beaver Stadium L, 66-14 Ron Dickerson Joe Paterno 1996 Giants Stadium L, 41-0 Ron Dickerson Joe Paterno 1997 Beaver Stadium L, 52-10 Ron Dickerson Joe Paterno 2003 Beaver Stadium L, 23-10 Bobby Wallace Joe Paterno 2006 Beaver Stadium L, 47-0 Al Golden Joe Paterno* 2007 Lincoln Financial Field L, 31-0 Al Golden Joe Paterno
* coached by coordinators Tom Bradley and Galen Hall
