Saturday, September 20, 2008
Al Golden and an assistant used to play for Joe Paterno almost two decades ago.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Asked to assess Penn State’s strengths, Temple coach Al Golden paused for a couple seconds before uttering a one-word answer.
“Wow,” he said before another brief pause.
Today Golden gets to see Penn State in person when the Owls visit Beaver Stadium.
The 16th-ranked Nittany Lions (3-0) are rolling through the non-conference schedule, rushing for more than 260 yards a game and passing for 270. The defense is containing opposing tailbacks and holding overmatched opponents to 12 points a game.
“Tremendous amount of weapons. Well-coached, disciplined,” Golden said. “Tough, fundamentally sound.”
Golden would know — he played for coach Joe Paterno almost two decades ago. Temple defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio did too. They were co-captains on the 1991 team.
Now, they’re trying to lead Temple back to respectability. The results have been encouraging so far this season, even if the Owls are just 1-2.
Temple opened the season with a 35-7 win over Army before losing the next two games by a combined five points. Connecticut beat them on a field goal in overtime. Buffalo got a touchdown pass as time expired to hand Temple a stinging 30-28 loss last week.
“Is it deflating? That’s the obvious question,” Golden said. “There’s no eclipse, no locusts on the field, so I told them ‘We’re going to be all right.’ ”
Another loss still seems highly likely though today. Temple hasn’t defeated Penn State since 1941.
It doesn’t matter to Paterno, a master of talking up weaker opponents.
“This is the best Temple team I think I’ve seen in a while,” Paterno said. “This will be a really good football team on Saturday. When I say really good, I mean solid and in the right position and not going to beat themselves, that kind of thing.”
Penn State has outscored Temple the previous two seasons by a combined 78-0. The Owls would seem to have a better chance of at least getting on the scoreboard with dual-threat quarterback Adam DiMichele leading the offense.
DiMichele averages more than 243 yards per game of total offense. In last week’s loss to the Bulls, he was 24-of-33 passing for 285 yards and three scores.
A former Penn State recruit, DiMichele dreams of spoiling the Nittany Lions’ season with an unlikely upset that would put Temple football back on the national radar.
“They get up 28-0, and that’s going to be a hard thing to come back from,” said the fifth-year senior. “Hopefully we can do some things early in that game, and be in it in the fourth quarter.”