October 9, 2007
Tyler turns the tables, stops English
Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer
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Oct. 21, 2006 was a day Temple left tackle Devin Tyler and the rest of the offensive line spent the whole offseason trying to forget.
Playing at Northern Illinois, the Owls watched as Huskies defensive end Larry English terrorized Tyler and Temple to the tune of a career-high 4.5 sacks. Northern Illinois' defense held Temple to minus-6 rushing yards en route to a 43-21 victory.
Saturday, Tyler was able to flip the script and get the better of English. This time, English was held to just four tackles and no sacks. The job Tyler and backup left tackle Jabari Ferguson did on English was one of the reasons Temple was able to edge out a 16-15 win on Homecoming weekend at Lincoln Financial Field.
"I have to tell you that Devin Tyler really got beat up bad in this game a year ago," Temple head coach Al Golden admitted after Saturday's win. "And to have the courage to face your demons the way he did today … maybe, and I say maybe, because he's go to do it every day, maybe this will be the kind of the impetus to propel him in his career, because he really battled 51 (English) real well today. I thought this was the first time Devin really responded and looked it in the eye and stared it down and didn't look for any trap doors or any excuses."
Tyler said this was a game he was thinking about as soon as the schedule was released.
"I remember playing him last year and he did a good job," Tyler said. "We just had to focus more and trust our techniques our coaches are teaching us."
Ferguson kept things simple when it came to explaining his technique in dealing with English.
"We kept hitting him and hitting him and hitting him," Ferguson said. "We just tried to slow him down."
English came into the game with seven sacks, good for second in the MAC. He had 12 last season.
Saturday's game was an encouraging one for both Tyler and Ferguson, as both have had their fair share of struggles this season. Golden has been waiting for one of them to step up and claim the starting job, and Tyler may be on the verge of doing so. Although they still split time, Tyler received the majority of Saturday's snaps.
In addition to Tyler and Ferguson at left tackle, the entire offensive line clamped, especially in the second half. The Owls amassed 114 rushing yards in the second half after netting just 36 in the first half. Daryl Robinson led the balanced attack with 71 rushing yards, all of which came in the second half.
OwlScoop.com staff writer Kenny Walter can be reached at kenneth.walter@temple.edu.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
O-line woes continue
September 9, 2007
O-line woes continue
Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer
Talk about it in the Message Boards
Temple's offensive line looked like it had made some progress in last week's season opener against Navy.
But Saturday's 42-7 loss to Buffalo showed the unit still has plenty of work to do.
The Bulls' defense was in the Owls' backfield all game, holding Temple to minus-36 yards rushing and collecting five sacks in the rout. Owls quarterback Adam DiMichele felt pressure bearing down on him all game and suffered through an afternoon that saw him go 13 for 23 for 160 yards and two interceptions.
"We've got to get some continuity in our offensive line," Temple head coach Al Golden said in his postgame press conference. "Honestly, we've got to settle on an offensive line that's going to be around here for a while. We've got to start training some guys who are going to be around and do it the right way and are tough. I don't know who that is, but I'm going to evaluate that (Saturday night)."
Perhaps the lone bright spot of the afternoon was a 10-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jason Harper that saw him break a tackle after cutting back to create some running room. The second quarter score brought Temple to within two touchdowns at 21-7.
The Owls had an opportunity to cut into that deficit right before the half, but the offensive line woes doomed Temple again. DiMichele completed four straight passes, the last of which was a 27-yard strike to freshman wide receiver Marquise Liverpool, to bring the Owls from their own 14-yard line to the Buffalo 23. But after an incompletion on first down, the pocket closed in on DiMichele again, forcing him to scramble and toss an errant pass to the sideline. The play resulted in a 17-yard intentional grounding penalty and pushed the Owls out of field goal range after they failed to convert on a difficult third-and-27 from the Bulls' 40-yard line.
The second half was not much better. Buffalo added three more sacks to its total, and Temple's line was flagged for two holding penalties early in the fourth quarter.
The frequent blitzes and stunts got the better of the Owls all afternoon. Buffalo was bringing pressure from the edges, forcing DiMichele to either take the hit or scramble.
He did a lot of both on Saturday.
"They did nothing today that we didn't see on film," junior center Alex Derenthal said. "They just worked harder then we did."
Buffalo's edge rushers prevented Temple from establishing any offensive flow, forcing the Owls to use some two tight end sets on an afternoon when they were already without Matt Balasavage. Golden said the freshman tight end, who caught his first career touchdown last week against Navy, wasn't able to make the trip to the game but didn't elaborate on any injury.
Buffalo outside linebacker Larry Hutchinson was someone the Owls simply could not stop. He collected eight tackles and three sacks and forced two fumbles. Defensive end Trevor Scott added two sacks and six tackles of his own.
The minus-54 yards from DiMichele's sack totals made Temple's rushing yardage an ugly statistic in the books, and Harper led four Owls' ball carriers with just 25 yards on six carries.
"We never got any run game going," a visibly disappointed Golden said. "That's the understatement of the year, maybe the decade."
Life my not necessarily get easier for the Owls when they travel next week to East Hartford to play Connecticut. The Huskies haven't exactly had the toughest of schedules so far, rolling to easy wins over Duke and Maine, but they've done what they're supposed to do. In a 45-10 drumming of Duke, UConn allowed just 23 rushing yards, and it held Maine to 64 yards on the ground in a 38-0 rout Saturday.
Golden hasn't been afraid to shake things up and try different combinations on the offensive line. Aside from Derenthal, no one's starting job on the line would be considered safe. Neither Devin Tyler nor Jabari Ferguson has done enough to stake a firm claim at left tackle, and freshman Lloyd Codada is still learning at left guard. Brison Manor and Andre Douglas were listed as Saturday's starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively, but perhaps Dwavon Battle and freshman Derek Dennis could see some time there in the future.
A team as young as Temple is bound to go through some growing pains, but Saturday's rout at the hands of Buffalo was a step backward for the Owls, literally and figuratively.
O-line woes continue
Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer
Talk about it in the Message Boards
Temple's offensive line looked like it had made some progress in last week's season opener against Navy.
But Saturday's 42-7 loss to Buffalo showed the unit still has plenty of work to do.
The Bulls' defense was in the Owls' backfield all game, holding Temple to minus-36 yards rushing and collecting five sacks in the rout. Owls quarterback Adam DiMichele felt pressure bearing down on him all game and suffered through an afternoon that saw him go 13 for 23 for 160 yards and two interceptions.
"We've got to get some continuity in our offensive line," Temple head coach Al Golden said in his postgame press conference. "Honestly, we've got to settle on an offensive line that's going to be around here for a while. We've got to start training some guys who are going to be around and do it the right way and are tough. I don't know who that is, but I'm going to evaluate that (Saturday night)."
Perhaps the lone bright spot of the afternoon was a 10-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jason Harper that saw him break a tackle after cutting back to create some running room. The second quarter score brought Temple to within two touchdowns at 21-7.
The Owls had an opportunity to cut into that deficit right before the half, but the offensive line woes doomed Temple again. DiMichele completed four straight passes, the last of which was a 27-yard strike to freshman wide receiver Marquise Liverpool, to bring the Owls from their own 14-yard line to the Buffalo 23. But after an incompletion on first down, the pocket closed in on DiMichele again, forcing him to scramble and toss an errant pass to the sideline. The play resulted in a 17-yard intentional grounding penalty and pushed the Owls out of field goal range after they failed to convert on a difficult third-and-27 from the Bulls' 40-yard line.
The second half was not much better. Buffalo added three more sacks to its total, and Temple's line was flagged for two holding penalties early in the fourth quarter.
The frequent blitzes and stunts got the better of the Owls all afternoon. Buffalo was bringing pressure from the edges, forcing DiMichele to either take the hit or scramble.
He did a lot of both on Saturday.
"They did nothing today that we didn't see on film," junior center Alex Derenthal said. "They just worked harder then we did."
Buffalo's edge rushers prevented Temple from establishing any offensive flow, forcing the Owls to use some two tight end sets on an afternoon when they were already without Matt Balasavage. Golden said the freshman tight end, who caught his first career touchdown last week against Navy, wasn't able to make the trip to the game but didn't elaborate on any injury.
Buffalo outside linebacker Larry Hutchinson was someone the Owls simply could not stop. He collected eight tackles and three sacks and forced two fumbles. Defensive end Trevor Scott added two sacks and six tackles of his own.
The minus-54 yards from DiMichele's sack totals made Temple's rushing yardage an ugly statistic in the books, and Harper led four Owls' ball carriers with just 25 yards on six carries.
"We never got any run game going," a visibly disappointed Golden said. "That's the understatement of the year, maybe the decade."
Life my not necessarily get easier for the Owls when they travel next week to East Hartford to play Connecticut. The Huskies haven't exactly had the toughest of schedules so far, rolling to easy wins over Duke and Maine, but they've done what they're supposed to do. In a 45-10 drumming of Duke, UConn allowed just 23 rushing yards, and it held Maine to 64 yards on the ground in a 38-0 rout Saturday.
Golden hasn't been afraid to shake things up and try different combinations on the offensive line. Aside from Derenthal, no one's starting job on the line would be considered safe. Neither Devin Tyler nor Jabari Ferguson has done enough to stake a firm claim at left tackle, and freshman Lloyd Codada is still learning at left guard. Brison Manor and Andre Douglas were listed as Saturday's starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively, but perhaps Dwavon Battle and freshman Derek Dennis could see some time there in the future.
A team as young as Temple is bound to go through some growing pains, but Saturday's rout at the hands of Buffalo was a step backward for the Owls, literally and figuratively.
Recruiting Spotlight: Ryan Murray
August 28, 2007
Recruiting spotlight: Ryan Murray
Temple football coach Al Golden literally made a big splash on the recruiting scene when he landed a verbal commitment from 6-foot-6, 333-pound offensive tackle Ryan Murray, a local product from Philadelphia's Edward Bok Technical School.But for as imposing as Murray is on the football field, he wants to make just as much of an impact in the classroom.
In other words, he gives equal weight to both parts of his role as a student-athlete.
"I know I've got to stay on top of things," Murray said. "I'm a student before I'm a football player, and that's really important to me."
When Murray visited Temple, the university's academics impressed him, and so did the people involved with a football program that is perceived to be on the rise.
"Temple has a lot to offer me," Murray said. "I really liked the facilities, the coaching staff, and the future that awaits me here. Being close to my family and being able to have them at all of my games was a big factor for me."
Per NCAA rules, Murray cannot sign an official national letter of intent until February. He said he received recruiting interest from Maryland and Pittsburgh, but he chose to conclude his recruitment early and stay close to home.
Murray said he's become a solid trap blocker, but he knows he has one more season of high school football to refine his game before he gets to North Broad Street.
"I'm going to take this season to work on my speed," Murray said. "The next level is a much faster game at a faster pace."
Murray, who said he is leaning toward majoring in engineering or business, should be prepared for the rigors of athletic and academic life in college, at least when it comes to getting up early to start his day. In order to get from his home in Northeast Philadelphia to Bok's campus in South Philadelphia, he has to take four SEPTA buses to make it to school on time.
"I think waking up early and taking the bus to school gives me an advantage for the early morning routines of a college athlete," Murray said.
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