College Football - Friday Games and Notes: Temple beats Villanova 31-24 on late 43-yard FG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Villanova coach Andy Talley was trying to say something about how the city should be proud of a great game between two rivals.
He was being drowned out from the Temple locker room next door, where the victorious and vociferous Owls were belting out "High Hopes." The song made famous the last few years during the Phillies' postseason runs had moved across the street as the Owls reveled in finally beating the defending FCS national champions.
Brandon McManus kicked a 43-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to lift Temple to a 31-24 win over the Wildcats on Friday night. The Owls scored a bizarre touchdown on the final play, too.
"It's hard to beat champions and you can just tell all night you've got to knock the champion out," Temple coach Al Golden said.
McManus also kicked field goals of 53, 44 and 40 yards in front of more than 32,000 fans, the second-largest crowd to watch the Owls in Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls won the Mayor's Cup presented to the winner of this series.
"There's a lot of irrelevant games in college football this weekend. This isn't one of them," Golden said. "This is going to be a meaningful game for years to come. It's got a regional flair."
Justin Gildea scored on a 26-yard fumble return on the last play of the games. There was a penalty on the play and it took nearly 15 minutes for officials to sort out if the score would stand.
The Owls went ahead 22-21 on Chester Stewart's 62-yard TD pass to Michael Campbell. Stewart fumbled the snap on the next possession and the Wildcats recovered inside the 25. Nick Yako kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:56 left that put Villanova up 24-22.
The Owls had circled the date of this game since the schedule was released after the Wildcats beat them last season. Golden was quick to note that with all of Temple's milestones last year — first winning season since 1990, first bowl game since 1979 — the Owls failed to beat city rival Villanova.
"There's going to be skeptics and cynics that say, 'Well, you beat a I-AA team.' I'm going to tell you right now, wrong," Golden said. "We beat champions."
For most of this one, it looked like the Wildcats would win for the fourth straight time. Villanova's Chris Whitney completed 15 of 17 passes in the first half and finished 17 of 25 for 133 yards with two touchdowns.
The Wildcats won this game last season and won the previous two meetings in 2003 and 1980.
"We had our opportunities to win the game and it sort of slipped away there at the end," Talley said.
Whitney's first TD pass was a 3-yarder to Matt Szczur, the Most Outstanding Player in the FCS title game. The two-sport star was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and had a 21-game hitting streak in the minors this year.
Talley rested Szczur to get him fresh for the grueling season ahead. He caught five passes and even completed one.
"I'm not used to losing with this team at all," Szczur said. "Kudos to Temple. They came out and played an amazing game."
Aaron Ball's 9-yard run gave Villanova a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
McManus ended the half with a 54-yard field goal, the second longest in Temple history; Don Bitterlich hit a 56-yarder in 1975. McManus had plenty of oomph as the ball would have been good from at least 5 more yards.
The Owls needed all of McManus' kicks to eek out this victory. He hit one in the third quarter and another in the fourth that brought the Owls within five.
Stewart, who made four starts last year, made a perfect pass to Campbell to put Temple ahead. The Owls botched the 2-point conversion. Stewart was 16 for 27 for a career-high 200 yards. Campbell had eight catches for 127 yards.
"He got open, I put it on him and he made a play with it and scored," Stewart of the TD pass.
Years of futility had eroded Temple's fan base until Golden revitalized the program. Fans tailgated outside the Linc, home of the NFL's Eagles, hours before the rare 5 p.m. kickoff. Only a Penn State game in 2007 ever drew more fans.
"The people of Philadelphia should really embrace college football in the area," Talley said. "I thought it was just tremendous for the people who came to the game, both programs and college football."
Foles' big day helps Arizona rout Toledo 41-2
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Just two weeks ago, Arizona coach Mike Stoops said his young defense was terrible after a lackluster scrimmage.
He feels a little better now.
Arizona's defense, featuring seven new starters, dominated Toledo and Nick Foles threw for 360 yards to lead the Wildcats to a 41-2 victory Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
Arizona allowed just 80 yards rushing and Toledo's only score came when offensive lineman Conan Amituanai was called for holding in the end zone, giving the Rockets the safety.
"I can't think of the last time we shut someone out," Arizona senior defensive end Ricky Elmore said.
While the defense was shutting down the Rockets, Foles led the Wildcats to 518 yards of offense. He tossed two touchdown passes and rushed for another score.
Nic Grigsby added two TD runs as Arizona recorded its first road victory outside the Pac-10 in nine seasons.
"It was nice to break that little curse we had," Elmore said.
Foles completed 32 of 37 passes with an interception that occurred when a ball went off the hands of running back Taimi Tutogi and bounced to Toledo defensive back Diauntae Morrow.
Arizona's speedy bunch of receivers seemed to be open on nearly play. Ten different players had at least one reception, with Juron Criner leading the way with 11 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.
"I know if I get those guys the balls, they're going to make plays," Foles said.
Still, it was the young defense that stood out.
Stoops scolded the group after they looked sloppy in the team scrimmage, telling them that they needed to grow up in a hurry.
"We had to pressure these young guys," he said, adding that he still saw plenty of mistakes that need fixed.
"I'm not going to beat our chests. We've got a long way to go," he said.
Arizona is coming off a solid 2009 season and came within seconds of getting to the Rose Bowl, falling short in a 44-41 double-overtime loss to Oregon.
There's been a lot of talk about the Wildcats getting to their first Rose Bowl in the 111-year history of the program. To accomplish that feat, the defense will need to continue to get better.
Co-defensive coordinator Greg Brown said he hopes the opening win will provide some confidence.
"It's going to be a great learning tool," he said. "Believe me, we made a lot of mistakes."
Toledo had the top offense in the Mid-American Conference a year ago, but it did little right against the Wildcats. Sophomore quarterback Austin Dantin was 14-of-23 passing for 103 yards.
Foles showed a nice touch on his first touchdown throw, lofting a 9-yard pass over a defender and into the hands of tight end David Douglas, who got one foot down in the back of end zone with 8:40 left in the first quarter.
Foles completed five passes for 58 yards on the opening drive, but the Wildcats didn't do much after that until late in the first half.
Grigsby, who struggled with a shoulder injury last season, scored on a nifty 36-yard run. He cut across the middle and outraced two Rockets to corner of the end zone, capping a nine-play, 91-yard drive and giving Arizona a 14-2 lead.
One play later, Derek Earls picked off Dantin's pass over the middle to get the ball back for the Wildcats. Foles scored on a 1-yard run with just 17 seconds left in the half, making it 21-2.
Arizona hadn't ventured this far for opener since going to Penn State in 1999. It also was the first time a Pac-10 team has played at a Mid-American Conference stadium.
-- John Seewar
Features
Hoosiers treating 16-day break like new start
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Bill Lynch could get caught up with Thursday night's numbers.
The Hoosiers scored six times on six red zone possessions. They converted three turnovers into three touchdowns. They blocked a punt and scored a touchdown off that, too.
Perfect? Hardly.
One day after the Hoosiers routed Towson 51-17, Indiana's coach walked back into the football complex with his own critique.
"For the first game, no turnovers, very few penalties, and almost no breakdowns in the kicking game, that's good," Lynch said Friday. "But there are some things we can correct. We can't overpursue (on defense), we can't give up long touchdown passes, and offensively, we weren't very good on third downs. That's something we've talked about a lot, and we're going to get that fixed."
The Hoosiers have plenty of time to work out the kinks.
They don't play again until Sept. 18, a 16-day layoff that gives Lynch ample time to scour the tapes and make corrections.
He can start by showing the defense the two big plays it allowed against Towson — a 42-yard scramble on a fourth-and-1 that led to one second-quarter score and the 64-yard TD pass that produced Towson's only score in the first half.
"The fourth-and-2, it was a broken play, really, off a play-action pass and he broke it and then the other guys overpursued, and that was it," Lynch said. "The second touchdown was kind of the same way."
Otherwise, there were complaints.
Indiana (1-0) ran 26 times for 155 yards, 6.0 yards per carry. Ben Chappell was 16-of-23 for 182 yards with two TDs, no sacks and would have put up even better stats without the drops. More important, the offense committed no turnovers, while Tyler Replogle, Mitchell Evans and converted receiver Matt Ernest all had interceptions and the Hoosiers committed only four penalties.
That's not all.
Redshirt freshman Ted Bolser, a 252-pound tight end who wasn't even listed on the team's two-deep depth chart, caught four passes for 82 yards and earned the confidence of Chappell.
"He's a great player, he's fast, and he's something we haven't really had since I've been here," Chappell said.
The bad news for Western Kentucky, Indiana's next opponent, is that the Hoosiers could be at full strength in two weeks.
Tandon Doss, Indiana's top receiver, sat out Thursday with a groin injury, but Lynch thinks he should play after the long layoff.
Lynch plans to use next week's practices like an extension of fall camp, complete with position battles and players fighting for playing time. Practices will be scripted much like they were in August — with the Hoosiers going Monday through Thursday, taking Friday off so coaches can recruit and practicing again next Saturday. After two more off days, the Hoosiers will get back into their regular grind Sept. 14, the one they'll use for the following 11 weeks.
It may not be the ideal schedule, but Lynch will make it work — and he'll try to get his players to correct the opening night mistakes.
"I'm really glad we have a long time off before we go into 11 straight weeks," he said. "You always want to start off on a positive because everybody has goals, so you want to leave a game with some confidence. We talked all week that they were going to make some plays and that the team that's going to have the most success is the one that bounces back from adversity. For the most part, that's what I thought we did."
-- Michael Marot
Elsewhere
NCAA rules Masoli eligible, can play immediately
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — In another surprising twist to a month-long saga, Mississippi quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has been cleared to play football just one day before the start of the season.
Three days ago, the NCAA ruled that the former Oregon quarterback had to sit out a season after enrolling at Mississippi. But the university appealed that decision and announced Friday that the NCAA Division I Subcommittee for Legislative Relief had overturned the first ruling.
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said he couldn't talk about specifics of Friday morning's appeals hearing, but was thrilled with the committee's decision.
"It's a big lift for us and the team's really excited," Nutt said. "We feel very fortunate. Jeremiah and his family were in tears they were so happy afterward.
"It's a great feeling."
Masoli is expected to be the Rebels' starting quarterback this season, though Nutt said sophomore Nathan Stanley will start against Jacksonville State on Saturday because of the short notice.
Masoli played for Oregon the past two seasons, leading the Ducks to the Rose Bowl in 2009. But he was kicked off Oregon's team earlier this summer after two run-ins with police. He pleaded guilty to a second-degree burglary charge and was also cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Masoli had already received an undergraduate degree from Oregon, and decided to transfer to Ole Miss where he entered the Parks and Recreation graduate program. The NCAA will often waive a one-year residency requirement for athletes who enter a graduate program not offered at the previous school, but initially didn't clear Masoli because "the waiver exists to provide relief to student-athletes who transfer for academic reasons to pursue graduate studies, not to avoid disciplinary measures at the previous university."
Obviously, the NCAA subcommittee disagreed, and the Rebels' offense is likely better for it.
"We would like to thank the NCAA staff and subcommittee for approaching this case and all of its details with diligence and fairness," Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said in a released statement.
Masoli accounted for 51 total touchdowns over two seasons at Oregon, and is considered one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.
-- David Brandt
Georgia's Ogletree suspended after theft charge
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia safety Alec Ogletree has been suspended for at least one game following a misdemeanor theft charge.
University police obtained a warrant on a misdemeanor theft charge stemming from a June incident in which a scooter helmet was reported missing from a student athlete academic center, Chief Jimmy Williamson said.
The helmet was later reported to be in Ogletree's possession and a warrant on a theft by taking charge was issued following an investigation, Williamson said.
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said in a statement Friday that Ogletree will miss Saturday's game against Louisiana-Lafayette.
"Certainly it's an unfortunate sequence of events," Richt said. "I'm disappointed in the situation and will continue to gather information as the case is processed through proper legal channels.
"In the meantime, Alec is still responsible for a poor decision and will serve a minimum one game suspension as a result."
A woman who answered the phone at the Clarke County jail said Ogletree turned himself in Friday and was released on bond. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound safety from Newnan is the ninth Georgia football player to be arrested this year.
Stadium, not strip mine, now in WVU uniform ad
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Nike has replaced the image of a strip mine with that of a football stadium in ads promoting a new West Virginia University football uniform.
Nike decided Thursday to revise the ad after environmentalists complained about the depiction of a mountaintop removal mine behind the image of a uniform intended to honor 29 men killed in the Upper Big Branch mine blast.
That mine was an underground operation.
Activists said they didn't object to the actual uniform, but that the ad appeared to be a tacit endorsement of mountaintop removal by both Nike and the university.
Both insisted that wasn't their intention.
Nike says it designed the black and white uniforms as a tribute to the state's coal mining heritage.
The uniforms will be worn for a single game this year, the Backyard Brawl at Pittsburgh Nov. 26.
BSU assistant won't travel to game after arrest
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Boise State assistant football coach has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and won't make the trip to the Broncos' season opener in the Washington, D.C., area.
According to the Ada County Sheriff's Department, running backs coach Keith Abu Bhonapha was arrested early Friday.
Head coach Chris Petersen said the 30-year-old Bhonapha's arrest was a "personnel matter" and that the team wouldn't comment — other than to say he wouldn't make the trip.
The third-ranked Broncos plays the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies at the Washington Redskins' home stadium in Landover, Md., on Monday.
According to the Ada County report, a trooper with the Idaho State Police arrested Bhonapha just before 2 a.m.
Bhonapha played for the University of Hawaii from 1999 to 2002 and was hired by Petersen at Boise State in 2006.
Virginia, Idaho senators make friendly bet
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — U.S. Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and James Risch of Idaho have made a friendly wager on Monday night's football game between Virginia Tech and Boise State.
The highly ranked teams — Boise State is No. 3 in the preseason Top 25 and Virginia Tech is No. 10 — will play at the Washington Redskins' home stadium in Landover, Md.
The senators both plan to attend the game, and the one whose team loses will have to pose for a picture on the steps of the U.S. Capitol wearing the jersey of the opposing team.
Warner is a Democrat, and Risch is a Republican.
LB Antonio Hoskins withdraws from ULM
MONROE, La. (AP) — Louisiana-Monroe linebacker Antonio Hoskins has withdrawn from school.
First-year ULM head coach Todd Berry, who announced Hoskins departure on Friday morning, says it stemmed from personal matters. Hoskins, a sophomore, was not expected to be a starter this season but could have seen playing time.
The Warhawks open the 2010 season on Sept. 11 against No. 17 Arkansas in Little Rock, Ark.
