Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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TEMPLE OWLS GAME 1 • AUG. 31 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM BY DAN MURPHY hen head coach Steve Addazio left for Boston College in December, players and recruits lined up to tell the Temple athletics director who they wanted as their next coach. One name came up time and time again: Matt Rhule. Rhule was in place before Christmas and spent his first couple months at Temple sleeping in his office rather than finding a home. The former New York Giants assistant had once helped resurrect Temple's program as an offensive coordinator under Al Golden from 2007-11. His energy made an immediate impact on the new group this spring. "He's really changed the whole approach around here," said Keith Pompey, who covers the Owls for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I was under the impression that this guy is a players' coach or a pushover, but it was the opposite. They wanted someone who is going to challenge them, but at the same time see what they were going through." Rhule plans to throw the ball more than recent Temple teams, and his new offense set off a game of musical chairs on the offensive depth chart this spring. Under Addazio, Temple averaged only 120.8 passing yards per game, which ranked them 116th nationally. The quarterback position, previously stocked with the team's best athletes, has dispersed throughout the lineup. Last year's starter Chris Coyer moved to the H-back/ tight end position for his senior season. His backup and fellow senior Kevin Newsome, a 6-2, 231-pounder who transferred from Penn State two years ago, switched to tailback under Rhule. That leaves junior Connor Reilly as the starting quarterback heading into fall training camp. Reilly was an afterthought on the depth chart a season ago, but is better suited to operate the new attack. "He's probably going to be the starter against Notre Dame," Pompey said. "He's 1,054 yards in the 10 games he played in a Temple uniform, and fellow senior Matt Brown are both gone this year. Newsome and incoming freshman Zaire Williams are next in line, but they likely won't be as busy as their predecessors. W 2013 Schedule Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 11 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 116 ! Opponent at Notre Dame Houston Fordham at Idaho Louisville at Cincinnati Army at SMU at Rutgers Central Florida Connecticut at Memphis 2012 Result — — — — L, 45-17 L, 34-10 W, 63-32 — L, 35-10 — W, 17-14 (OT) — Prediction Notre Dame 31, Temple 3 — The Owls' defensive backfield should provide a hospitable welcome to whoever takes over for Everett Golson at quarterback to start the season. It won't be the same picnic for the Owls' starter trying to run away from Stephon Tuitt, who currently outweighs Temple's left tackle by 45 pounds. The athleticism on the Irish defense will be too much for Temple to overcome. Quick Facts X-FACTOR: Sophomore linebacker Tyler Matakevich was a steal for Temple in the 2012 recruiting class. He led the Owls defense with 101 tackles as a true freshman, reaching double-digit tackles six times, and won Big East Rookie of the Year honors for his performance. PHOTO COURTESY TEMPLE got a real strong arm, but he's not very mobile." Part of the new reliance on passing the ball also stems from the lack of a dominant running back to carry a heavy share of the load this season. Two years ago, Bernard Pierce, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens, carried 273 times for the Owls and ran for 1,481 yards. He was replaced by Boston College import Montel Harris in 2012. Harris, who ran for Strength: Wide Receivers Senior Deon Miller is back to full health this season after playing in only eight games last year while battling mononucleosis. He'll join athletic junior Jalen Fitzpatrick, who led the team with 30 catches last year in a much more run-focused offensive attack. Senior Chris Coyer, the former starter at quarterback, will also provide another capable weapon at the tight end position. Head coach Matt Rhule's new offense will focus on throwing the ball more, especially if he decides to stick with the less-mobile junior Connor Reilly as the starting quarterback. If Reilly receives time to throw, he'll have some athletes on the receiving end to make plays. All-Time Series: First meeting Last Meeting: — Head Coach: Matt Rhule, 0-0 (1st year) 2012 In Review: 4-7 overall, 2-5 Big East (sixth) Final 2012 Ranking: Unranked 2012 Stats Rankings: 107th total offense (322.0 yards per game) and 90th total defense (437.2 yards allowed per game) Returning Starters: 16 (9 offense and 7 defense) Key Losses: RB Montel Harris (1,054 rushing yards) and S Vaughn Carraway (69 tackles) 2013 Preseason Rankings: No. 97 by Athlon and No. 109 by Lindy's Last Bowl Appearance: 2011 (New Mexico Bowl, Wyoming, W 37-15) Did You Know?: Temple is the eighth "first meeting" opponent Notre Dame has played since 2008. The others were: San Diego State (2008), Nevada (2009), Connecticut (2009), Tulsa (2010), Utah (2010), South Florida (2011) and Wake Forest (2011) … Temple's most famous football alum is comedian Bill Cosby, who played fullback for the Owls … Temple is entering it second season of its second stint in the Big East after being forced out of the conference in 2004 for poor performance and attendance averages. Returning Leaders Rushing: Chris Coyer (444 yards, 2 TD) Passing: Chris Coyer (946 yards, 8 TD) Receiving: Jalen Fitzpatrick (363 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: Tyler Matakevich (101) Sacks: Nate D. Smith (3.5) Interceptions: Tavon Young (2) Weakness: Secondary Temple returns two upperclassman starters in the defensive backfield this season, but that's not necessarily a good thing for a group that finished last year ranked No. 115 in pass efficiency defense (154.4 rating) despite not playing many offensive juggernauts. Redshirt freshman Nate L. Smith, who was originally committed to West Virginia, might give the secondary a physical boost. He'll have a hard time carrying a group that allowed 668 passing yards to its two new quarterbacks in this year's spring game. "It was just a continuation of last year," Pompey said. "If you can throw the ball against them, you'll beat them." BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 116-127.Opponent Previews.indd 116 6/25/13 2:54 PM