2009 Temple Owl Recruiting Class

Temple Owls 2009 ... Head Coach: Al Golden

Temple Owls

- 2008 Temple Season
- 2008 Temple Preview
- 2007 Temple Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Results: 5-7

Aug. 29 at Army W 35-7
Sept. 6 Connecticut L 12-9 OT
Sept. 13 at Buffalo L 30-28
Sept. 20 at Penn State L 45-3
Sept. 27 Western Mich L 7-3
Oct. 4 at Miami Univ. W 28-10
Oct. 11 at Central Mich L 24-14
Oct. 21 Ohio W 14-10
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 1 at Navy L 33-27 OT
Nov. 8 OPEN DATE
Nov. 12 at Kent State L 41-38
Nov. 22 Eastern Mich W 35-32
Nov. 29 Akron W 27-6

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 2-10
2007 Results: 4-8

Aug. 31 Navy L 30-19
Sept. 8 Buffalo L 42-7
Sept. 15 at Conn. L 22-17
Sept. 22 at Bo Green L 48-35
Sept. 29 at Army L 37-21
Oct. 6 No Illinois W 16-15
Oct. 13 at Akron W 24-20
Oct. 20 Miami Univ. W 24-17
Nov. 2 at Ohio L 23-7
Nov. 10 Penn State L 31-0
Nov. 17 Kent State W 24-14
Nov. 24 at Western Mich L 17-3

2009 Recruiting Class

Five Best Prospects

1. Deon Miller	WR	6-6	205	Fork Union, VA
2. Alex Jackson	DE	6-4	225	New Berlin, NY
3. Chris Coyer	QB	6-3	205	Vienna, VA
4. Byron Parker	WR	5-11	170	Virginia Beach, VA
5. Kwame Johnson	DB	5-11	185	Wayne, PA

Rest Of The Class

Cody Bohler	OL	6-7	300	Somerville, NJ
Levi Brown	DT	6-3	310	Bethlehem, PA
Blaze Caponegro	RB	6-1	205	Wall, NJ
Kadeem Custis	DT	6-4	275	Philadelphia , PA
Justin Gildea	DB	5-10	175	Hollidaysburg, PA
Elijah Grant	OL	6-5	340	Piscataway, NJ
Marcus Green	LB	6-1	225	Scotch Plains, NJ
Aaron Hush	DE	6-4	210	Piscataway, NJ
Kamal Johnson	DE	6-3	250	Willingboro, NJ
Maurice Jones	DB	5-10	178	Chatham, VA
Brandon McManus	K	6-2	170	Lansdale, PA
Ryan Murray	OL	6-6	325	Chatham, VA
Gary Onuekwusi	LB	6-1	215	Baltimore, MD
Andrew Opoku	WR	6-4	210	North Brunswick, NJ
Deonte Parker	DB	5-11	190	Quincy, CA
Chris Parthemore	TE	6-4	220	Camp Hill , PA
Shahid Paulhill	DT	6-4	275	Fork Union, VA
Bernard  Pierce	RB	5-10	200	Concorde Mills , PA
Geoffrey Prather	LB	6-2	195	Valley Forge, PA
Darryl Pringle	OL	6-4	305	Reading, PA
Evan Regas	OL	6-4	325	Toms River, NJ
Jerry Watters	WR	5-10	160	Cherry Hill, NJ
Jeffrey Whittingham	DT	6-4	285	Atlantic City, NJ

Nov. 28
Temple 27 … Akron 6
Temple busted open a tight game by turning turnovers into late scores with 21 unanswered points in the final eight minutes. Adam DiMichele ran for two four-yard touchdowns and Marcellous Grigsby ran for two short scores in a just over a minute and a half. Akron was only able to manage two Igor Iveljic field goals in the second half.
Player of the game: Temple S Alex Joseph made 11 tackles and broke up two passes
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 20-39, 166 yds,3 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 25-153. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 5-48
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 15-30, 220 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Adam DiMichele, 12-50, 2 TD. Receiving: Jason Harper, 6-115
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... With the world there for the taking, Akron lost its final three games to blow the MAC East, a winning record, and a good season. The defense did a great job against Temple, holding tough throughout, but the offense put the D in a bad position late too many times and there wasn’t enough offensive pop to make up the slack. This was a good season overall that didn’t close out well, but the offense, until the loss to Temple, worked. The defense needs to get healthy up front going into next year.
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It might seem like a disappointment, but going 5-7 is a major step for Temple. Considering that five of the losses game by six points or fewer, the Owls were this close to having a special year. Step one this off-season will be to settle the quarterback situation. Adam DiMichele became the offense, carrying the team on his back at times. Al Golden should be around for another year, but he’s going to be a hot head coaching prospect if he can do just a wee bit more next season. This is still a young team, but it’s loaded with veterans.

Nov. 22
Temple 55 … Eastern Michigan 52
Temple QB Adam DiMichele threw a school-record six touchdown passes and ran for a score, but Eastern Michigan wouldn’t go away as Andy Schmitt threw the ball 76 times with three touchdown passes and two fourth quarter scoring runs. Neither defense could come up with a stop in the back and fourth shootout, highlighted by a wild fourth quarter with 49 points scored. A two-yard Dwayne Priest touchdown run pulled EMU within three with under four minutes to play, but DiMichele connected with Jason Harper for a 45-yard score to put the game away.
Player of the game: Temple WR Bruce Francis caught nine passes for 125 yards and four touchdowns. EMU’s Tyler Jones and Jacory Stone combined for 35 catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a losing cause.
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 50-76, 484 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Andy Schmitt, 7-20, 2 TD. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 18-152, 1 TD
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 21-37, 370 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Joe Jones, 13-31. Receiving: Bruce Francis, 9-125, 4 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Adam DiMichele is closing out his Temple career as one of the greatest quarterbacks, even if the wins haven’t always been there. He’s setting Owl records, highlighted by his tremendous game in the win over EMU, and he’s carrying the offense on his back game in and game out over the second half of the year. This might be a disappointing season considering Temple was hoping for a MAC East title, but a win over Akron next week would mean a 5-7 season. That’s not bad.

Nov. 12
Kent State 41 ... Temple 38
Kent State cranked out 561 yards of total offense with QB Julian Edelman throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Sam Kirkland and running for three scores, but the defense had to hang on. Temple got a 51-yard touchdown catch from Jason Harper in the fourth quarter to tie the score, but Kent State pulled ahead with just over six minutes to play on a 26-yard Nate Reed field goal. Temple had a few final shots, stalling on one drive, but got the ball back late and fumbled it away around midfield to finally end the shootout. The Golden Flashes, who got up 21-3 early before Temple came back, ran for 329 yards and controlled the ball for 36:28.
Player of the game: Kent State QB Julian Edelman ran 22 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns, and completed 18-of-26 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown with an interception
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 21-28, 340 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, 29-87, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Harper, 10-209, 2 TD
Kent State - Passing: Julian Edelman, 18-26, 232 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eugene Jarvis, 23-185, 1 TD. Receiving: Shawn Bayes, 5-60
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... How many painful losses can one team take? Temple is making its own messes, it had to play catch-up all game long against Kent State, but the program still has to be wondering what it has to do to win a close game. On the plus side, Adam DiMichele had a great day, and Jason Harper was unstoppable against the porous KSU secondary, catching 10 passes with two touchdowns, but the lack of a run defense against Julian Edelman and Eugene Jarvis did the Owls in. The Temple defense simply couldn't get off the field. Yeah, the record isn't going to be appreciably better, but the team has been so much more competitive and so much better that it's not fair to call this the same old Temple.

Nov. 1
Navy 33 … Temple 27 OT
In an improbable win, Navy rallied from 20 points down in the fourth quarter with Ricky Dobbs throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Thiel, Eric Kettani running for a one-yard score, and as Temple tried to run out the clock, Clint Sovie picked up a Kee-ayre Griffin fumble and returned it 42 yards for a score with 37 seconds remaining. In overtime, Dobbs ran for a one-yard score, and Temple couldn’t answer as tight end Steve Maneri dropped a pass in the end zone. On the day, Temple’s Adam DiMichele was terrific with three touchdown passes including two 49-yarders to Bruce Francis and a four-yarder to Maneri before Navy came up with its rally.
Player of the game: Navy RB Eric Kettani ran 22 times for 118 yards and a touchdown, and he caught two passes for eight yards
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 17-29, 282 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, 11-56-, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Harper, 10-209, 2 TD
Navy - Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 5-6, 87 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eric Kettani, 22-118, 1 TD. Receiving: Tyree Barnes, 2-34
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Temple has no one to blame but itself for the collapse to Navy. This should be a different sort of heartbreak than the Hail Mary loss to Buffalo; that was a freak play. The loss to Navy was helped by a dropped pass in the end zone, a fumble to run out the clock, and a missed extra point. On the plus side, the team played well with Adam DiMichele showing that he really might be fine to play through the injury problems that cost him time. With a week off to regroup, the team needs to be focuses, and DiMichele needs to heal up, with winnable games against Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Akron to close out the MAC season. Win those three, and it’s off to a bowl.

Oct. 21
Temple 14 ... Ohio 10
Ohio dominated, holding Temple to just 143 yards of total offense, but a bad punt let to a 45-yard Temple drive and a one-yard Kee-ay touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth, Ohio's Boo Jackson lost a fumble deep in his own territory, and Temple took advantage as Adam DiMichele hit Steve Maneri for a five-yard touchdown catch with less than two minutes to play. Ohio finished the game with five sacks and held Temple to 1.7 yards per carry. Ohio averaged 1.6 yards per run.
Player of the game: Temple RB Kee-ay Griffin ran 22 times for 85 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 9-22, 79 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kee-ay Griffin, 22-85, 1 TD. Receiving: Bruce Francis, 4-50
Ohio - Passing: Boo Jackson, 23-40, 220 yds
Rushing: Chris Garrett, 14-48, 1 TD. Receiving: Chris Garrett, 8-82
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offensive line was abysmal, there wasn't any overall offense, and the passing game was horrible against Ohio, but Temple still found a way to pull off the win. The team was overdue to be on the right side of a close victory, and it went to show the value of Adam DiMichele. Gutting it out, despite being hurt and expected to be out, he did what he needed to do in the fourth quarter. With a week off to rest, he should be even better against Navy, and with three weeks until Kent State, he might be healthy again when MAC plays kicks in again.

Oct. 11
Central Michigan 24 … Temple 14
Central Michigan used four takeaways and two Dan LeFevour touchdown passes to Antonio Brown to come up with a tougher-than-expected win. LeFevour was on fire, completing 10-of-11 passes for 106 yards, but he was knocked out with an ankle injury. Brian Brunner came in and led the way to the final 10 points of the game with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Anderson to provide some breathing room. Temple got a 17-yard scoring run from Kee-ayre Griffin and a three-yard Bruce Francis catch in the second to tie it at 14. Temple outgained CMU 301 yards to 297.
Player of the game: Central Michigan WR Bryan Anderson caught eight passes for 149 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Chester Stewart, 15-32, 163 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, 12-76, 1 TD. Receiving: Bryan Anderson, 8-149, 1 TD
Central Michigan - Passing: Brian Brunner, 7-13, 136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Bryan Schroeder, 11-31. Receiving: Bruce Francis, 6-74, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense did its job keeping the Central Michigan offense in check, but there are still too many inconsistencies and too many mistakes from Chester Stewart and the passing game. CMU teed off on the Owl running game, but it didn’t matter with Kee-ayre Griffin coming up with yet another nice performance. Now at 2-5, the season is slipping away with Ohio a must-win next week. However, if Stewart isn’t strong, it’ll be another loss.

Oct. 4
Temple 28 … Miami University 10
Temple only came up with 11 first downs and 294 yards of total offense, but it made the production count as Chester Stewart hit Bruce Francis on touchdown passes from 42 and six yards out in the fourth quarter and connected with Steve Maneri on a two-yard touchdown pass in the second. Miami struggled to keep the offense moving, hurt by four turnovers, with Clay Belton stepping in to replace an ineffective Daniel Raudabaugh. The RedHawks managed 10 points in the third quarter with Thomas Merriweather running for a two-yard score.
Player of the game: Temple QB Chester Stewart completed 11-of-23 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Chester Stewart, 11-23, 178 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, 6-36, 1 TD. Receiving: Marquise Liverpool, 4-52
Miami University - Passing: Clay Belton, 14-22, 147 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Thomas Merrriweather, 26-133, 1 TD. Receiving: Jamal Rogers, 8-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Chester Stewart wasn’t great against Miami University, but he was great when he had to be. The offense is going to sputter all year long, but the defense is making up for it with its second great performance. Now comes the nasty road date at Central Michigan, and since the Owls don’t have the firepower to keep up, they’re going to have to force turnovers and take advantage of every opportunity.

Sept. 27
Western Michigan 7 … Temple 3
Jake Brownell hit a 45-yard field goal for Temple’s lone score, and Juan Nunes caught a 30-yard touchdown pass in the third for Western Michigan. That was it. Temple was held to 196 yards of total offense, and while Western Michigan was held to 288 with just 36 yards rushing. The two teams combined for 18 penalties and each converted just 4-of-16 third down chances.
Player of the game: Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller went 26-of-42 for 252 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Stat Leaders: Western Michigan - Passing: Tim Hiller, 26-42, 252 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon West, 15-35. Receiving: Jamarko Simmons, 8-67
Temple - Passing: Chester Stewart, 10-20, 60 yds
Rushing: James Nixon, 3-53. Receiving: Bruce Francis, 4-27
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... With Adam DiMichele out, the Temple offense went nowhere. Western Michigan teed off against the run, and while James Nixon tore off a 43-yard dash, there wasn’t much of a ground game. Freshman Chester Stewart didn’t even make a thought of throwing the ball deep, but the offense will have to open things up on road trips to Miami University and Central Michigan. With all the offensive issues, the team has to be nearly perfect. The penalties are going to be a problem if these continue.

Sept. 20
Penn State 45 ... Temple 3
Penn State started out slowly, failing to score in the first quarter. And then the floodgates opened with a 31-point second quarter with Daryll Clark throwing two touchdown passes, running for an 11-yard score, and Evan Royster running for a 32-yard touchdown. The Nittany Lions coasted from there with Stephfon Green tearing off a 69-yard scoring dash and Chaz Powell adding a seven-yard touchdown run. Temple was outgained 546 yards to 138 and only managed a 25-yard Jake Brownell field goal.
Player of the game: Penn State LB Navorro Bowman had 11 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Chester Stewart, 16-30, 116 yds, 3 INTs
Rushing: Chester Stewart, 18-15. Receiving: Jason Harper, 3-40
Penn State - Passing: Darryl Clark, 13-20, 196 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Stephon Green, 9-132, 1 TD. Receiving: Deon Butler, 4-66
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Penn State was able to blow away Temple by winning on the line. There's no shame in being steamrolled by a Nittany Lion team that's unstoppable at the moment, but this is a veteran Owl team that should've been able to establish something in the second half despite the loss of QB Adam DiMichele, who got knocked out early with a shoulder injury. There was no running game to fall back on, and Chester Stewart appeared lost taking six sacks and throwing three picks.

Sept. 13
Buffalo 30 … Temple 28
Drew Willy and Naaman Roosevelt connected on a 35-yard Hail Mary as time ran out to give Buffalo the thrilling win to cap off a terrific game. Temple marched 74 yards in 1:44 with Adam DiMichele hitting Bruce Francis on an 11-yard pass for the lead with 38 seconds to play, but Willy was able to take the Bulls the 60 yards in five plays for the winning score. DiMichele threw three touchdown passes and kept the offense moving with his legs, but Willy kept pace with two short touchdown throws.  
Player of the game: Buffalo QB Drew Willy completed 29-of-42 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 29-42, 348 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 14-42, 1 TD. Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 8-132, 1 TD
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 24-33, 285 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Adam DiMichele, 12-51. Receiving: Dy’Onne Crudup, 5-41, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Temple has to find a way to put the Buffalo heartbreaker in the past right away. The Owls played good enough to win, and should’ve won, but it the miraculous Hail Mary will be what everyone remembers. Adam DiMichele showed he could keep the offense moving when he was in a passing rhythm. He could do no wrong late in the game, but it would’ve been nice if there was a running game to help him out. The defense stuffed the UB ground game but struggled to get into the backfield.

Sept. 6
Connecticut 12 ... Temple 9 OT
On a soaked field and in lousy weather conditions, Connecticut got a seven-yard Donald Brown touchdown run in overtime to end a battle of field goals. Temple's Jake Brownell hit two field goals for a 6-0 first half lead, but couldn't get back on the board in the second half. Connecticut got two Tony Ciaravino who missed three field goals, hit two in the fourth quarter including a 37-yarder with 6:35 in regulation. However, he missed a 47-yards with just over two minutes to play. Brownell hit a 21-yard field goal in OT, Connecticut got the TD run, and it was over.
Player of the game: Connecticut RB Donald Brown ran 36 times for 214 yards and a touchdown, while catching a pair of passes for five yards.
Stat Leaders: Connecticut - Passing: Tyler Lorenzen, 10-22, 86 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Donald Brown, 36-214, 1 TD. Receiving: Steve Brouse, 2-27
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 11-28, 170 yds, 2 INTs
Rushing: Adam DiMichele, 10-60. Receiving: Travis Shelton, 4-42
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense got run over by Connecticut, but held up until the very end as it bend, but didn't break. Adam DiMichele couldn't get the passing game going completing just 11-of-28 passes with two interceptions, and while the running game wasn't awful, it didn't do enough to help keep drives going. The Owls converted just 2-of-15 third down chances and held on to the ball for just 25:11.

Aug. 29
Temple 35 ... Army 7
Temple took advantage of two turnovers and a long kickoff return to jump out to a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter before Army finally got on the board with a one-yard Tony Dace run. The Owls got two short touchdown passes from Adam DiMichele, a 17-yard Morkeith Brown fumble return for a touchdown and on the opening kickoff of the second half, a 98-yard kickoff return for a score from Jamal Schulters.
Player of the game: Temple QB Adam DiMichele complete 15 of 22 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 15-22, 159 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Demaryius Thomas, 16-54, 1 TD. Receiving: Bruce Francis, 5-45, 1 TD
Army - Passing: Carson Williams, 6-14, 74 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Collin Mooney, 26-81. Receiving: Jameson Carter, 3-32
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Temple did almost everything it could've wanted to in the win over Army. The defense was terrific, the special teams came through with a few big plays, and the offense took advantage of its opportunities. Now the offense has to be more consistent and has to go on longer drives. Army's offense held on to the ball for stretches because of its style, but Temple has to have the ball most than 22:55.