Temple University Athletics
Football Places Three on Academic All-Area Team
12.9.15 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - Three members of the #24 Temple Owls football team earned recognition for their academic accomplishments being named to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Academic All-Area Team. Redshirt senior wide receiver John Christopher, senior center Kyle Friend, and redshirt sophomore fullback/linebacker Nick Sharga were among 25 student-athletes honored for their success in the classroom while competing at various levels of NCAA football. The three Owls also made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll last school year.
Christopher is the lone graduate student recognized, after finishing his undergraduate degree over the summer. He is one of three senior Owls to appear in every game since the 2012 season and will finish his career with 49 straight games played. He finished 2015 with 19 catches for 205 yards. His biggest game of the season was at UMass, where he led the team in receiving and made a 15-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal. He also threw for and caught a two-point conversion with quarterback P.J. Walker against UCF.
Friend joins Christopher as two of five players as three-time selections. The two-time team captain stretched his start streak to a team-high 41 games before missing the final month of the season with injury. Before that, he was the keystone to an offensive line responsible for the largest time of possession improvement over the 2014 season in the FBS. The Owls offense doubled their rushing touchdowns from last season, while cutting down on sacks and interceptions. Friend was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, the "Academic Heisman." He'll graduate this semester with a business management degree from the Fox School of Business.
Sharga, the only Owl to play both offense and defense this season, also had the highest GPA on the team at 3.8. He earned a single digit jersey during training camp, an honor reserved for the toughest members of the team as voted by their peers. He had not played a snap with the Owls before this season but served as starting fullback in three games and also started at middle linebacker once. He finished the year with 15 tackles, including one for loss. His blocking helped Jahad Thomas to his first 1,000 yard campaign.
Players on this team were selected by the sports information offices of 30 area institutions from the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Temple is the only FBS program represented on this team.
The Owls will finish the season with a match-up against former MAC rival Toledo in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22nd and the game will air on ESPN. For tickets and package information, visit owlstix.com.
Christopher is the lone graduate student recognized, after finishing his undergraduate degree over the summer. He is one of three senior Owls to appear in every game since the 2012 season and will finish his career with 49 straight games played. He finished 2015 with 19 catches for 205 yards. His biggest game of the season was at UMass, where he led the team in receiving and made a 15-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal. He also threw for and caught a two-point conversion with quarterback P.J. Walker against UCF.
Friend joins Christopher as two of five players as three-time selections. The two-time team captain stretched his start streak to a team-high 41 games before missing the final month of the season with injury. Before that, he was the keystone to an offensive line responsible for the largest time of possession improvement over the 2014 season in the FBS. The Owls offense doubled their rushing touchdowns from last season, while cutting down on sacks and interceptions. Friend was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, the "Academic Heisman." He'll graduate this semester with a business management degree from the Fox School of Business.
Sharga, the only Owl to play both offense and defense this season, also had the highest GPA on the team at 3.8. He earned a single digit jersey during training camp, an honor reserved for the toughest members of the team as voted by their peers. He had not played a snap with the Owls before this season but served as starting fullback in three games and also started at middle linebacker once. He finished the year with 15 tackles, including one for loss. His blocking helped Jahad Thomas to his first 1,000 yard campaign.
Players on this team were selected by the sports information offices of 30 area institutions from the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Temple is the only FBS program represented on this team.
The Owls will finish the season with a match-up against former MAC rival Toledo in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22nd and the game will air on ESPN. For tickets and package information, visit owlstix.com.
Players Mentioned
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