Temple Owls 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Temple 2008 Record: (5-7, 4-4)
Temple 2008 Bowl: none
Temple Coach: Al Golden (10-26 at Temple, 10-26 overall)
Temple Offensive Coordinator: Matt Rhule
Temple Defensive Coordinator: Mark D’Onofrio
Temple Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, RB, 394 yards
• Passing: Chester Stewart, QB, 524 yards
• Receiving: Jason Harper, WR, 571 yards
• Tackles: Jaiquawn Jarrett, S, 88
• Sacks: Junior Galette, DE, 7.5
• Interceptions: Dominique Harris, CB, 3; Jaiquawn Jarrett, S, 3; Jamal Schulters, CB, 3

Notable Temple Returning Players: OT Pat Boyle, K Jake Brownell, WR Dy’Onne Crudup, RB Joe Jones, LB Alex Joseph, LB Elijah Joseph, LB Amara Kamara, TE Steve Maneri, DT Andre Neblett, DE Adrian Robinson, G Wayne Tribue, P Jeff Wathne

Temple Key Losses: TE Kevin Armstrong, CB Evan Cooper, C Alex Derenthal, QB Adam DiMichele, G Andre Douglas, OT Jabari Ferguson, WR Bruce Francis, DT Terrance Knighton, WR Travis Shelton

2008 was a year of heartbreak for the Temple Owls. Their 5-7 record was their best in a decade but the Owls were so close to a huge season. They had six losses by less than 10 points, including four of their five conference losses. They also lost two non-conference games in overtime to Connecticut and Navy! Three times the Owls lost on the final play of the game! So Temple was truly ‘right there’ last season.

The Owls weren’t known for their offense in 2008. In fact, they only scored over 30 points three times and averaged just over 23 points per game. While they set a four year high in rush yards, they still averaged less than 100 yards per game on the ground. Departed quarterback Adam DiMichelle will be missed as will his 3-1 Touchdown to Interception ratio. There is a three way battle going on to replace him but his production will be tough to match. At receiver, senior Jason Harper (33 grabs, 571 yards, 3 TD) is the only returning starter and will need to find some help if the Owls want to let their new starter at QB have a chance. At tailback, former linebacker Lamar McPherson is expected to be the number one guy despite having zero career carries. Hopefully he didn’t slim down while transitioning positions as he might have trouble finding much room to run behind the Owl O-Line, which allowed 30 sacks last year and wasn’t very effective opening holes on the ground despite the presence of a solid quarterback. Much like the Ohio Bobcats, the offense is not the strength of this team.

However, Temple probably has the best defense in the MAC. Nine starters return from a unit which held opponents to 23 points per game! Six times last season this group held opponents to 12 points or less! The top 7 tacklers return as well to a squad which returns 8 upperclassmen starters. The defensive line’s star is senior ‘Junior’ Gallete, who notched 7.5 sacks last year. At linebacker, all three starters return, led by senior Alex Joseph and his 87 tackles. The three returnees accounted for 208 stops in 2008. Expect Temple’s rush defense to only get better this year. In the secondary, three starters are back, led by junior safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, who led the team in tackles (88 ) and interceptions (3) last season. Despite the strong season last year, the secondary was at times vulnerable and should be improved this year. Overall, the Owls should be excellent on defense once more.

The schedule is a mixed bag. The Owls have an off week during the second week of the season and then don’t get a break until December. However, Temple only faces one BCS conference team, a road trip to Penn State during week three. The Owls face three teams from the West, all in the first half of conference play. However, they do avoid CMU and WMU and also don’t have to make the league’s longest road trips to Ball State and NIU. Temple also has a tough closing stretch with four of their last six on the road. Overall, the Owls are at best average on offense and face a fairly difficult schedule. However, they have the conference’s best defense and should be able to help their offense by consistently giving them strong field position. While I highly doubt that the Owls can overcome their lack of firepower to compete for the division, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Owls make their first bowl game since 1979.

Temple Big Games: Sept. 26th vs. Buffalo, Nov. 5th vs. Miami (OH), Nov. 13th @ Akron, Nov. 27th @ Ohio

Temple’s Strength:

Temple’s total defense was not that great, but they did a good job keeping the opposition out of the end zone and only allowed 23.08 points per game. With eight starters returning, the unit should be even more formidable this time around. The biggest loss is tackle Terrance Knighton who tallied 7.5 tackles-for-loss. However, the front line should be in good shape with the return of nose tackle Andre Neblett. Ends Junior Galette tallied 7.5 sacks last year and is looking forward to a big senior season. Adrian Robinson did not put up huge numbers as a freshman, but he could turn into a solid pass rusher with a year of experience under his belt. The linebackers return pretty much intact with Alex Joseph, Elijah Joseph and Amara Kamara and the average run defense of a year ago should be pretty good in 2009. The secondary can only be better even without corner Evan Cooper. Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett is ready to emerge as a defensive superstar in the Mid-American Conference.

Temple’s Weakness:

The offense ranked last in the conference in total yards and now they have to survive without quarterback Adam DiMichele. DiMichele was not the most prolific signal caller in the conference by any means, but he did throw 18 touchdown passes and only six interceptions. Sophomore Chester Stewart is next in line and if he can keep the chains moving, this Temple team will go to a bowl. However, it will be much easier for Stewart if the ground game can actually do something. Key-ayre Griffin and Joe Jones have to move the ball on the ground or the offense will be at the bottom of the conference once again.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Owls:

This could be the year. It has been 18 years since the Owls have had a winning season and every year Coach Golden is on the sidelines should bring the team one step closer to actually bringing that drought to an end. The MAC East is pretty wide open this year as the most talented teams are in the West. Buffalo should provide the stiffest competition but the Owls get them at home. Akron and Ohio should sport good teams as well, but Temple has to face those two on the road and losses there could put an end to any hope of a bowl game.

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