Temple Football Hosts Western Michigan in Homecoming Game :: Kickoff Set for 2 p.m. on Saturday at The Linc

Sept. 22, 2008

THIS WEEK
Temple returns home to host Western Michigan in its annual homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Owls' radio broadcast will air on WFIL 560 AM with Harry Donahue calling the play-by-play and Steve Joachim providing color analysis. Live gametracker stats and audio streaming will be available on the Temple Athletics website at www.owlsports.com.

Prior to the game, in a 12:30 p.m. ceremony in the stadium's Red Zone Lounge, football standout Mark Bright (1976-79), baseball star Jesse Hodges, two-sport (women's lacrosse, women's basketball) athlete Carol Schultz Greenberg, and the 1949 NCAA champion men's gymnastics team will be inducted into the Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame. The new inductees will be introduced at halftime.

Under the direction of third-year head coach Al Golden, Temple stands 1-3 overall and 0-1 in Mid-American Conference play. The Owls fell at No. 16/15 Penn State, 45-3, last week. Temple, which leads the nation in kickoff returns with a 34.53 average, lost starting QB Adam DiMichele in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.

Returning 20 seniors and 26 juniors, Temple returns 21 starters this season and the top defense in the MAC. Senior WR Travis Shelton (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is the Owls' top receiver with 13 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore RB Marquise Liverpool (Ramsey, N.J.) leads the Owl rushers with 108 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. Redshirt senior QB Adam DiMichele (McKees Rocks, Pa.) has gone 51-of-85 for 620 yards and five touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Chester Stewart (Hanover, Md.) follows, going 17-of-31 for 123 yards in two games. Defensively, sophomore LB Amara Kamara (Newark, N.J.) and sophomore DB Jaiquawn Jarrett (Brooklyn, N.Y.) have 31 tackles each. The Owls will utilize their East Coast offense and 4-3 defense.

The game with Western Michigan is Temple's second home game. The Owls, who have already played three road games in their first four contests, will play four of their next six games on the road.

Under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Bill Cubit, the Broncos stand 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the MAC after a 41-7 win over Tennessee Tech. WMU returns 20 starters to its multiple offense and 4-3 defense.

Junior RB Brandon West is the top rusher with 432 yards and three touchdowns on 66 carries. Junior QB Tim Hiller is 101-of-141 for 1,102 yards and 14 touchdowns in four games. Senior WR Jamarko Simmons leads all receivers with 327 yards and four touchdowns on 27 receptions. Defensively, senior FS Louis Delmas has 35 tackles and a team-best three interceptions.

Temple has no players on its roster from the state of Michigan. Western Michigan has just one player from Pennsylvania-- sophomore K Caleb Morris (Coudersport, Pa.).

TEMPLE-WESTERN MICHIGAN CONNECTIONS
Temple defensive backs coach Paul Williams worked as the safeties coach at Western Michigan during the 2005 season.

WMU head coach Bill Cubit, a Sharon Hill, Pa., native and Sharon Hill HS graduate, is a familiar foe for the Owls. In addition to coaching the Broncos, he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rutgers in 2001 and 2002. The Bobby Wallace-led Owls defeated the Scarlet Knights in both of those seasons (30-5 in 2001; 20-17 in 2002). Cubit has worked at several Delaware Valley locations, serving as head coach at Academy Park and Sharon Hill high schools in Delaware County, as running backs/receivers coach at Swarthmore (Pa.) College (1976-76) and as head coach at Widener University (1992-96) in Chester, Pa.

A 1975 graduate of the University of Delaware, Cubit played QB and WR for the Blue Hens from 1971-74. The Wayne Hardin-led Owls were 3-1 against Delaware during Cubit's playing days, winning in 1971 (32-27), 1973 (31-8), and 1974 (21-17) and losing in 1972 (28-9).

WMU offensive live coach/assistant head coach of offense Bob Stanley coached at Temple from 1996-97. He served under Ron Dickerson, coaching the offensive live.

TEMPLE-WESTERN MICHIGAN-- THE SERIES
Saturday's game marks the seventh meeting between the Owls and the Broncos and the second in MAC play.

Last season in Kalamazoo, Western Michigan improved its record to a perfect 6-0 over Temple with a 16-3 win at Waldo Stadium before 8,662 fans in the season finale.

SERIES INFORMATION

Temple all-time vs. Western Michigan: 0-6 Temple in games at Temple: 0-1 Temple in games at Western Michigan: 0-5 Temple in games at a neutral site: 0-0 First meeting in series: 1986 at Waldo Stadium, *W, 49-17 Last meeting in series: 2007 at Waldo Stadium, L, 16-3

SERIES HIGHS Temple Owls Rushing: Ventres Stevenson, 31-182 1 TD (1986) Passing: Pat Bonner, 16-28-198, 1 TD (1997) Receiving: Maurice Johnson, 4-90 (1989) Western Michigan Broncos Rushing: Mark Bonds, 24-105, 1 TD (2007) Passing: Tim Lester, 17-25-295, 4 TDs (1997) Receiving: Steve Neal, 5-107, 2 TDs (1997)

Year Site Result Temple Coach WMU Coach 1986 Waldo Stadium *W, 49-17 Bruce Arians Jack Harbaugh 1989 Waldo Stadium L, 24-31 Jerry Berndt Al Molde 1997 Waldo Stadium L, 14-34 Ron Dickerson Gary Darnell 2005 Lincoln Financial Field L, 16-19 Bobby Wallace Bill Cubit 2006 Waldo Stadium L, 7-41 Al Golden Bill Cubit 2007 Waldo Stadium L, 3-16 Al Golden Bill Cubit

* Temple forfeited due to the use of an ineligible player.

HOMECOMING CHEER
Under head coach Al Golden, the Temple Owls are 2-0 in homecoming games. Last year during his inaugural season, Golden led TU to its first win, a 28-14 victory over Bowling Green at Lincoln Financial Field. The win was the first for Golden as a head coach while snapping the team's 20-game losing streak.

Last season, Temple posted a 16-15 win over Northern Illinois for its second straight homecoming win and first victory in MAC play. The win was the first of four for the Owls in 2007.