Injuries limit Temple's practice time for UConn

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Temple's unbeaten football team practiced in pads yesterday, probably the only time it'll do so in the 8 days between a win over Central Michigan and Saturday's game against Connecticut (1-1) in South Philly.

"We've been real banged up," said coach Al Golden, whose Owls are 2-0 for the first time since 1981. "We're just trying to get them healthy. We were only out there for about an hour-and-45 [minutes]. We'll see how we come out of it."

Offensive lineman Wayne Tribue won't play against the Huskies. But it looks "favorable" that defensive back Kevin Kroboth, linebacker Jordan Martin and running back Bernard Pierce will.

Pierce, who hasn't started yet, injured his left hand in the second half against CMU and didn't return. He's the Owls' leading rusher, with 132 yards on 30 carries.

"Everybody keeps asking me about medical stuff," Golden said. "You know I'm not going to answer it. I've already answered too much. I don't believe in using the medical report as an excuse.

"We won the game the other night, by the way, without a lot of those guys. If they can't play, they can't play. That's it."

 

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Owls game leaves UConn feeling queasy



Zach Hurd said he hates Temple.

That?s sort of a strong opinion for a foe the UConn football team only plays every now and then. But the UConn offensive lineman wasted no time in proclaiming his hate for the Owls.

Well, not necessarily for the Owls. It?s the memories of the 2008 game, played in the remains of Hurricane Hannah in Philadelphia, that really haunt Hurd. He left that game early with a high ankle sprain that hampered him for much of the remainder of the season.

But wait, that?s not the reason he has such strong feelings about Temple.

?That game still brings back nightmares because of the plane ride home,? Hurd said Tuesday. ?It was up and down, dropping out of the sky. Donald Brown was sitting next to me sweating. I was sweating. We were holding each other. It was a terrible flight that I never want to get involved with again.

?So I hate Temple for that reason.?

The image of the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Hurd holding fast to Brown is precious. Hurd is not the only one who recalls the game more for the flight home than for the outcome.

Temple came close to outplaying the Huskies. The Owls held a 6-0 lead before Tony Ciaravino hit a pair of tough field goals in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. Temple started the overtime with another field goal before Brown scored to end the game on a 7-yard touchdown run.

It was a sloppy, ugly game played in horrendous conditions. Apparently it didn?t come close to the terror that was the flight back to Connecticut mere hours after the game ended.

?The thing I remember was the flight home,? fullback Anthony Sherman said. ?I actually think that?s what made me afraid of flying. It was awful. I thought we were going to die. Hurd?s sweating, Donnie Brown?s got his head between his knees.

?I was sitting behind both of them. They were like, ?Oh my God, what?s going on?? Hopefully there won?t be a monsoon coming up the coast this time.?

Temple will likely be difficult enough without the Huskies? having to battle poor weather conditions. The Owls are 2-0 and are coming off a 9-4 season and their first bowl game in 30 years. But Temple struggled to get past Villanova and Central Michigan in its first two games.

Coach Al Golden said his team hasn?t found any rhythm offensively, partially because running back Bernard Pierce, who ran for more than 1,600 yards last year as a freshman, is battling a hand injury that limited him to just 10 carries against Central Michigan.

?We aren?t playing very well,? Golden said. ?We play well at times and in spurts, but we haven?t put it together collectively.?

Gotta block: There was only one change to the depth chart this week. Leon Kinnard joins Nick Williams on punt return. Kinnard takes the place of Gary Wilburn, who fumbled a punt against Texas Southern that UConn recovered.

However, the fumble wasn?t the only reason Wilburn was pulled from that spot.

?If you?re back there, you?re going to block, too,? UConn coach Randy Edsall said. ?You can?t stand around and watch.?

Scott Lutrus remains No. 1 on the depth chart at Husky linebacker despite sitting out last week with what was called an ?upper extremity? injury. Of course, there was no word about whether Lutrus will return this week. Edsall was asked whether Lutrus would be out for the season.

Edsall simply smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, ?I don?t know.?

Lutrus? status will be announced Thursday night. Or not announced. If his name doesn?t appear on that day?s injury report, he will play Saturday.

Coming back?: Cody Endres and Erik Kuraczea drew indefinite suspensions from the university toward the end of preseason camp. It sounds as if they will be back soon.

Asked about them and when they might return, Edsall said he would address their status next week.

Endres lost his No. 2 quarterback job to Michael Box and is going to have to work to get it back. Kuraczea was on the third-team offensive line and has quite a bit of work to do to get onto the depth chart. Both of them likely have a ways to go to get back into Edsall?s good graces.

Extra points: Temple is the first of consecutive Mid-American Conference opponents for UConn. Buffalo visits Rentschler Field next week. UConn has had little trouble with MAC teams since 2002, going 15-1. The lone loss was a 24-21 overtime defeat against Ball State at Memorial Stadium ... UConn has won 13 straight against MAC teams by an average of 17.8 points.

 

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UConn Expects Physical Test; Lutrus Out


UConn defensive tackles Kendall Reyes and Twyon Martin know they're going to have to get busy Saturday afternoon and that's all there is to it.

Temple has a strong and physical offensive line and an outstanding running back in sophomore Bernard Pierce. Junior quarterback Chester Stewart can run and throw.

The Owls are 2-0 for the first time since 1981 and brewing for another UConn matchup. They'll play their third consecutive home game Saturday.



"They're talented with some pretty big recruits on their line," Reyes said. "They're physical but there's a magic formula for beating someone: just go hard and do your job and that's what we have to do."

Martin said he figures the Temple line will have a chip on its shoulders. The Owls perhaps remember how the UConn offensive line opened gaps for Donald Brown, who rushed for 214 yards on 36 carries in 2008. And Brown dragged some Owls into the end zone on his 7-yard scoring run to seal a 12-9 victory in overtime at Lincoln Financial Field.

"I understand they'll come out with a chip on their shoulder," Martin said. "Well, we should do the same because the team that's the most physical is going to win. Kendall knows how to get me hyped up and I know what things to say to get him hyped up."




Lutrus Out Again

Senior linebacker Scott Lutrus will miss his second consecutive game for the Huskies. Lutrus, who had a nagging stinger throughout the early part of last season, is believed to be dealing with the same injury again. Sophomore Jory Johnson will start at strongside linebacker, backed up by Martin Hyppolite, a redshirt freshman.

Pierce A Handful

Pierce was the Mid-American Conference's leading rusher as a freshman, but went down with a hand injury in the third quarter of the Owls' 13-10 overtime win against Central Michigan last week. He has gained 132 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. Last season he rushed for 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns on 236 carries.

Pierce, 6 feet, 218 pounds, is expected to play against UConn. "It's not bad, I'll get over it," he told Owlscoop.com.

Return Specialists

The Owls do a good job on punt and kickoff returns. New Haven's James Nixon is averaging 23.8 yards on four kickoff returns, and Delano Green is averaging seven yards on four punt returns. Ryan Alderman has one punt return for 28.

"We recognize they have dangerous guys back there," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "We have to go out and execute the scheme we have in. If we can do that we'll be OK ?- and if we kick the ball where we want we'll be OK. They do have dangerous guys but there's been no extra preparation."

Golden Memories

Temple coach Al Golden said he isn't using UConn victories in the last two meetings as motivation.

"[UConn was] a different team at the end of last year than the beginning of the year," Golden said. "We've never done the things they've done. We've never won a bowl game. We've never gone into South Bend and beat [Notre Dame]. We've never beaten someone from the SEC or had those kinds of wins, so this is a tremendous challenge. None of the games prior will have any impact on this game and I think our kids understand that." ?. ? Temple is 26th nationally in rushing defense, holding opponents to a 91-yard average. ? The Owls' Brandon McManus is 6-for-9 on field goals in two games. He hit a 53-yarder in a 31-24 win over Villanova. The school record is 56 yards.

 

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UConn At Temple


Philadelphia weather: Fox CT's Garett Argianas says "Looking great! Mostly sunny and mild. Temps in the lower to middle 70s."


What to look for: Focus and intensity. Will the Huskies play with a sense of urgency? Will the emotions of trying to avenge two narrow losses to the Huskies be a factor for the Owls? This should be a good game.

What UConn must do to win: The defensive line must control the line of scrimmage against a formidable unit in height, size and strength. The Owls' line paves the way for Bernard Pierce, the reigning MAC rushing champion (1,361 yards as freshman). Pierce needs 21 yards to surpass Umar Ferguson (1,513) on the school's career rushing list. The Owls won't just bring Pierce, though. Matt Brown (26 carries for 102 yards) has just four fewer carries than Pierce, partly because of a hand injury Pierce sustained late in the third quarter against Central Michigan last week. ? Quarterback Chester Stewart will test UConn's secondary. Stewart is averaging 176 yards passing and is completing 65 percent of his throws.

What Temple must do to win: Contain the Huskies on the ground. The Huskies feature the nation's 12th leading rusher in Jordan Todman (128 yards a game) and an offensive line that gained confidence against Texas Southern after getting smacked at Michigan in Week One. The Huskies have a serious backfield trio in Todman, Robbie Frey and D.J. Shoemate that Temple must stop. Temple might want to pay attention to the Huskies passing game, too. UConn coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday that he expected the receivers to start taking off.

Best Matchup: The Temple offensive line averages 6 feet 5, 318 pounds and the UConn defensive line is small, averaging 6-2, 268. The UConn front must use speed to its advantage but technique will be important as well. "They're good up front," defensive tackle Twyon Martin said. "You've got to be really good and focused against them. Fundamentals and technique will be important. We execute, we should be OK."

Key injuries: UConn ? LB Scott Lutrus (upper extremity), out. Temple ? Bernard Pierce (hand), Kevin Robot (undisclosed), and Jordan Martin (undisclosed), probable; Wayne Tribune (undisclosed), out.

Of note

Temple celebrates the 75th anniversary of its 1935 Sugar Bowl team ? the first Sugar Bowl played. The Owls were coached by Glenn "Pop" Warner and lost to Tulane, 20-14. They've only been to two bowls since. They beat California in the defunct Garden State Bowl in 1979 and last year, coach Al Golden led them to the Eagle Bank Bowl, which the Owls lost 30-21. ? At 2-0 the Owls are off to their best start since 1981 and despite narrow wins (31-24 over Villanova in Week 1 and a 13-10 overtime win against Central Michigan), a win over UConn could give the Owls confidence going into Penn State Sept. 25.

 

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UConn-Temple Always A Close Battle
Owls Have Dropped Two Heartbreakers


The Temple Owls surely must feel like they haven't gotten a fair shake when it comes to playing UConn, having lost heartbreakers in the past two meetings.

"None of those games matter," Temple coach Al Golden said. "Maybe they're storylines for you guys [in the media] or sound bites or something but for us that hasn't even entered our building. We're a different team, they're a different team."

Buying what he's selling?



Make no mistake, the Owls truly feel they were robbed in 2007 when an apparent catch in the back of the end zone on fourth down was ruled incomplete, securing a controversial 22-17 UConn win at Rentschler Field.

In 2008, remnants of Hurricane Hanna hit the East Coast the weekend of the game and the Huskies used their ground-and-pound style with Donald Brown carrying them to a 12-9 win after the Owls had taken a 9-6 lead in overtime. In the days leading up to that game there was ample talk of revenge.

The Huskies (1-1) expect a great effort from Temple (2-0) Saturday when the teams play a non-conference game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls are off to their best start since 1981, an indication of how long the program has been down. Now in his fifth season, Golden is making a difference.

The unfavorable outcomes against UConn have been part of the Owls' building process.

"I think they've been waiting for this game since the last time we played them," UConn captain and senior fullback Anthony Sherman said. "They have the right to be [pumped]. We beat them twice, close games that could have went either way, one play here, one play there, but it's one of those things where we have to worry about ourselves this week. We have to prepare the right way, know our schemes and execute, and we'll be all right."

If the Huskies fail in Philadelphia today a defeat would be more troubling than the loss at Michigan for the simple fact the Huskies had a lot of issues in the season opener, focused on them in Week 2 against Texas Southern and appeared to play with a sense of urgency.

"I really feel like the way you prepare at practice during the week makes the difference in how you play," senior guard Zach Hurd said. "Temple is a good team. We really have to move forward. We're two games down and 10 more to go. That's it. So we have to have a sense of urgency this week and each week and to keep getting those wins."

If the Huskies don't do that against Temple, they could find themselves in yet another tight battle.

"They've got a pretty talented team," senior defensive tackle Kendall Reyes said. "I don't see us taking them lightly at all. We know what we want to accomplish, but we know it's going to be a challenge."

Temple is the first of the Huskies' three remaining non-conference games (Buffalo, Vanderbilt) before heading into Big East play. The Owls lead the series 7-4 but have not won since a 38-24 victory under Bobby Wallace in 2002.

"We're expecting to get their best game and we know that," said UConn coach Randy Edsall, 3-2 against Temple and 2-0 against Golden. "We have to make sure that we do the things we feel are necessary to win the game and work on our things that are strengths for us."