Category Archives: Sports

Club rugby teams kick off season with wins

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The men’s and women’s club rugby teams both picked up wins during the past weekend as their seasons are now underway. 

The men’s team defeated West Chester 30-0 last Saturday with scoring from Brad Volm, John Shine, and John Waldron, who each had a try in the game.  Devin Sugg went 3-3 on penalty kicks and 3-3 on extra points to contribute a total of 15 points.  Zach McLellan and Volm each provided “huge tackles,” said club President Matthew Violette in an email.  “[The tackles] really got the crowd going.”

On the women’s side, the Owls defeated former division I team, Delaware, 12-5 last Saturday.  This year the Blue Hens are in division II with the Owls and coach Owen Jones said he used the game as a benchmark for the season.  Senior Kayleigh Dymond scored both tries for the club and junior Erin Langeheine made one conversion. 

“Junior Kristin Shedaker was the heart and soul of the defense all day long,” Jones said in an email.  “Every single girl impressed and played very well.  It was a great result to start the fall season.”

Both club teams will be back in action this weekend.  The women’s team will travel to Drexel on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start at Vidas Field and the men’s team competes away at Shippensburg on Saturday.

Pierce named MAC Offensive Player of the Week

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For the second time this year, junior running back Bernard Pierce stood atop the Mid-American Conference.

Pierce was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, it was announced today.

Pierce rushed for 149 yards and a school record five touchdowns on 32 carries in the Owls’ 38-7 blowout of Maryland on Saturday.

Pierce leads the MAC in rushing yards (496) and touchdowns (12) and his touchdown mark also leads the nation through the season’s first four games.

Pierce, Owls blow out Maryland

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With his performance today, junior running back Bernard Pierce etched his name deeper into Temple football’s record books.

Pierce scored five touchdowns, a career high and Temple single-game record, en route to the Owls’ 38-7 win over Maryland.

The defense dominated Maryland, which came into the game as the fifty-fifth highest scoring offense in the country. The Owls sacked Terrapins sophomore quarterback Danny O’Brien three times and forced one interception.

The Owls improved to 3-1 on the season while the Terps dropped to 1-2. Pierce’s 12 touchdowns on the season currently leads the nation.

Coach Steve Addazio at press conference after the game.

Owls up big at half vs. Maryland

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It didn’t take long for the Owls to make their impact on today’s game vs. Maryland.

Junior running back Bernard Pierce scored four touchdowns in the first half and the Owls lead the Terrapins, 31-0 at halftime.

Pierce scored three touchdowns in the first quarter alone, and his fourth score marked a career high. Junior placekicker Brandon McManus kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give the Owls the 31-0 lead. The Owls scored on all five of their first-half possessions.

Senior redshirt-quarterback Chester Stewart had an impressive first half, going 6-6 passing with 115 yards to go along with 47 rushing yards.

Owls vs. Maryland

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The Owls will look to improve their record to 3-1 today versus Maryland.

The Owls will take on the Terps on Capital One Field at Byd Stadium today at 12:30.

The Owls will try to capture their third win of the year after losing to Penn State last week. The Terps will try to improve to 2-1 after dropping last week’s game to West Virginia.

Stay tuned to TTN for halftime and post-game blog updates and a full game recap later.

 

Record draw for Penn State game

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If the Owls had been able to hold on and win their game against Penn State on Saturday, the victory would have been viewed by a record audience.

The game, which was televised nationally on ESPN, had a 1.6 national rating. That means the game was aired in approximately 1,610,910 households and was viewed by nearly 2 million people, both Temple football records.

The game was also a record draw at Lincoln Financial Field. The attendance of 57,323 was the second-largest in Temple football history and the student attendance of nearly 11,000 was a Temple record.

The Owls’ next game this Saturday against Maryland will air on ESPN3 in addition to being broadcast on 1210 WPHT-AM.

Stewart to start for Owls at QB

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Coach Steve Addazio announced at a press conference today that redshirt-senior quarterback Chester Stewart will make his first start of the season for the team’s Saturday road game against Maryland.

“We’ve got two quality quarterbacks, both played a lot of football for us.  We decided to start Chester Stewart,” Addazio said.  “That doesn’t mean Mike Gerardi won’t play, all playing time is based on how our players perform in the game.  That’s how it is at every position.”

The change in the starting lineup will leave redshirt-junior quarterback Mike Gerardi on the bench, at least for the start of the game.  Gerardi has thrown 30-59 for 423 yards and three touchdowns in his first three starts of the season.

The Owls posted a 2-1 record with Gerardi at center.  Last Saturday in the 14-10 Penn State loss, Gerardi went 9-22 for 95 passing yards and threw two fourth quarter interceptions. Stewart came off the sidelines late in the second quarter, and was used in the Owls’ next five offensive drives before Gerardi spelled him, with the score 10-7 in favor of the Owls, to start the fourth quarter.

Although both Stewart and Gerardi saw significant playing time in the last game, Addazio said he does not expect to run a two-quarterback system.

“It’s not a two-quarterback system in any way, shape, or form,” Addazio said.  “It’s just the simple fact that we have two quarterbacks that have played a lot of football here.  We’re giving the opportunity to one to take it and run with it.”

“A two-quarterback system is usually for when you have two different guys and you’re trying to do two different things,” Addazio added.  “Our intent is to get the right guy in there [who] is going to consistently go.”

You Should Always be Camera-Ready…

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…especially if you’re front row at a game that’s being broadcast on ESPN.

Case and point: Sophomore Cherry Crusader, Charlotte Jacobson.

This is what our cameras caught,

Charlotte cheering for the Owls while they have the lead.

Still in the lead, Charlotte has nothing to do but smile.

…And this is what ESPN’s camera’s caught

After Temple's loss to Penn State Charlotte forgets the game is being broadcast on national television.

Don’t let this happen to you! Remember, someone’s always watching…

PSU defensive tackles live up to hype

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On Tuesday, Sept. 13 coach Steve Addazio told the media during a press conference that he was impressed by what he saw of the Penn State defensive front on film.

“Their defensive front is one of the best defensive fronts I’ve seen,” Addazio said.  “I look at Devin Still and Jordan Hill and those tackles are outstanding, they’re disruptive, big, athletic.”

“I think they’re a legitimate defense,” Addazio added.

So come game day, it was no surprise to Temple’s coaching staff or redshirt junior quarterback Mike Gerardi that the Nittany Lions’ defensive line made an impact on the game’s outcome. 

Gerardi also stated on Tuesday during the press conference that he thought the tackles had talent.

“Their defensive tackles are pretty good,” Gerardi said.  “You really got to understand that you have to get the ball out of your hands.  You got to understand that they’re going to get pressure on you, only rushing three or four, leaving seven guys in coverage.  So just got to go through progressions and execute and just take what they give you.”

By the end of a 14-10 loss for the Owls yesterday, the running game generated a total of 74 yards, the lowest of the season.  Penn State defensive tackles junior Jordan Hill and senior Devon Still played a factor, as Hill recorded three total tackles and Still posted six tackles with one sack.