Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Picture Perfect Win as Temple Returns To BIG EAST
9.1.12 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - In life, there are often no second chances. No second impressions. No shot at redemption.
There's no opportunity to clear your name, to prove your worth, to showcase your growth.
Luckily for the Temple Owls football program, the pigskin world is slightly more forgiving.
After being mercilessly booted from the BIG EAST in 2004 for failing to meet the minimum standards in attendance and fielding a competitive team, the Owls returned to the BIG EAST Conference in front of a 32,709 fans in Friday night's contest.
But the Owls didn't just show up for the fourth and final game of the Mayor's Cup contest against crosstown rival Villanova.
They dominated.
The sound of redemption began with the rattling of helmets and shoulder pads inside the players' tunnel on the service level of Lincoln Financial Field, just moments before the team's four senior captains C.J. Hammond, Justin Gildea, Marcus Green and Martin Wallace exploded onto the field.
It crescendoed into a dull roar as the rest of the 2012 Temple Owls followed the dusk-shortened shadows of their captains into the bright lights.
The plastic prongs of a couple dozen pairs of cleats dug up divots of grass and dirt en route to midfield while their wearers absorbed the chanting of thousands of students and alumni.
Before an amorphous crowd swathed in cherry and white, the Temple offense shuttered a scrambled Villanova defense when Chris Coyer threw his second completion of the game to Kenny Harper for a touchdown.
Celebratory fireworks burst overhead, their shrapnel floating lazily into the upper bowl, as the players gathered in a congratulatory huddle in the end zone. One or two of the guys gazed into the raucous swarm in the seats, each carefully ensconcing the moment in his memory.
You choose to remember a moment for any number of reasons.
Harper will always remember that moment because it was the first receiving touchdown of the sophomore running back's career.
Some fans will remember it as the first scoring drive of the game. Others as the opening drive of the 2012 season.
In his post-game press conference, head coach Steve Addazio remembered it as picture-perfect.
“That opening drive, you couldn't have scripted it any better,” he said. “That's power football.”
But whatever way you choose to remember it, it was a celebration -- a momentous occasion for a Temple football program looking to exorcise a dark period -- to hurdle a stumbling block of losing seasons -- that was no longer indicative of the team's full potential.
It was the second chance that Temple had been hoping for since conference realignment rumors began flying last season.
Tonight, a surging Temple team rewrote recent history by steam-rolling the Wildcats, 41-10, taking home the illustrious Mayor's Cup for the third consecutive season.
It's obviously too early to measure the boost in momentum that a victory in the team's home opener will give the Owls, but steady progression is the foundation of success.
“I came out here wanting to get something accomplished, to get something started. For night one, we accomplished what we needed and wanted to accomplish,” Addazio said.
“This was a much-needed game for us.”
It was the perfect opportunity for the Owls to establish themselves, to prove their mettle while setting the stage for their BIG EAST debut.
As the lights perched high above the field shined down, the only shadows on the field were the ones cast by a roster full of men who played with fearless tenacity, the silhouettes of a team that played larger and stronger and faster than it appeared on paper, their hard-nosed perseverance chasing out the shadows of doubt of seasons past.
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
There's no opportunity to clear your name, to prove your worth, to showcase your growth.
Luckily for the Temple Owls football program, the pigskin world is slightly more forgiving.
After being mercilessly booted from the BIG EAST in 2004 for failing to meet the minimum standards in attendance and fielding a competitive team, the Owls returned to the BIG EAST Conference in front of a 32,709 fans in Friday night's contest.
But the Owls didn't just show up for the fourth and final game of the Mayor's Cup contest against crosstown rival Villanova.
They dominated.
The sound of redemption began with the rattling of helmets and shoulder pads inside the players' tunnel on the service level of Lincoln Financial Field, just moments before the team's four senior captains C.J. Hammond, Justin Gildea, Marcus Green and Martin Wallace exploded onto the field.
It crescendoed into a dull roar as the rest of the 2012 Temple Owls followed the dusk-shortened shadows of their captains into the bright lights.
The plastic prongs of a couple dozen pairs of cleats dug up divots of grass and dirt en route to midfield while their wearers absorbed the chanting of thousands of students and alumni.
Before an amorphous crowd swathed in cherry and white, the Temple offense shuttered a scrambled Villanova defense when Chris Coyer threw his second completion of the game to Kenny Harper for a touchdown.
Celebratory fireworks burst overhead, their shrapnel floating lazily into the upper bowl, as the players gathered in a congratulatory huddle in the end zone. One or two of the guys gazed into the raucous swarm in the seats, each carefully ensconcing the moment in his memory.
You choose to remember a moment for any number of reasons.
Harper will always remember that moment because it was the first receiving touchdown of the sophomore running back's career.
Some fans will remember it as the first scoring drive of the game. Others as the opening drive of the 2012 season.
In his post-game press conference, head coach Steve Addazio remembered it as picture-perfect.
“That opening drive, you couldn't have scripted it any better,” he said. “That's power football.”
But whatever way you choose to remember it, it was a celebration -- a momentous occasion for a Temple football program looking to exorcise a dark period -- to hurdle a stumbling block of losing seasons -- that was no longer indicative of the team's full potential.
It was the second chance that Temple had been hoping for since conference realignment rumors began flying last season.
Tonight, a surging Temple team rewrote recent history by steam-rolling the Wildcats, 41-10, taking home the illustrious Mayor's Cup for the third consecutive season.
It's obviously too early to measure the boost in momentum that a victory in the team's home opener will give the Owls, but steady progression is the foundation of success.
“I came out here wanting to get something accomplished, to get something started. For night one, we accomplished what we needed and wanted to accomplish,” Addazio said.
“This was a much-needed game for us.”
It was the perfect opportunity for the Owls to establish themselves, to prove their mettle while setting the stage for their BIG EAST debut.
As the lights perched high above the field shined down, the only shadows on the field were the ones cast by a roster full of men who played with fearless tenacity, the silhouettes of a team that played larger and stronger and faster than it appeared on paper, their hard-nosed perseverance chasing out the shadows of doubt of seasons past.
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
Tuesday, June 02
Saturday, May 30
Tuesday, May 19
Tuesday, May 05
