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Thursday, October 26, 2000

By Shelly Anderson, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Temple is at that stage of its development where moral victories count for something.

The Owls (4-4, 1-3) weren't really downhearted Saturday after getting clobbered by Miami, 45-17.

It was the first game this year that Temple went into the fourth quarter with little possibility of winning. Yet the Owls hung on for a while.

They had a whopping first-half possession advantage of 20:54 to 9:06, but some big plays by the Hurricanes -- including Santana Moss' 71-yard punt return for a touchdown -- helped Miami build a 28-10 lead after two quarters.

"I'm proud of our players, and I am more encouraged than ever about the possibility of us having a winning season and going to a bowl game," Temple Coach Bobby Wallace said.

Temple is off this week. Its remaining games are at Boston College (4-3, 1-3) and at home against Syracuse (3-4, 1-2) and Pitt (5-1, 2-1). The Owls and those other three teams are trying to climb over one another to grab one of the Big East's five bowl slots.

Wallace said the open date -- the Owls' first after eight games -- is a relief. "We're mentally tired," he said.

He is happy to have finally settled on a starting quarterback, junior Devin Scott, who was in a battle with junior-college transfer Mike Frost most of the season. Scott was 16 of 30 passing for 129 yards against Miami.

Temple will have to win two of its final three games to fulfill Wallace's wish of a winning season and a bowl trip.

"We've got to win some close games," he said.

Rough road for Rutgers

Don't pity Rutgers, Coach Terry Shea said.

The Scarlet Knights (3-4, 0-4) are coming off a 28-21 victory over winless Navy, but they have a tough slate the rest of the way.

"We certainly felt good about winning a football game," Shea said. "It was a real well-played game. Having lost four in a row, we needed that to get back on track."

Rutgers plays at Boston College this week, has home games against West Virginia and Notre Dame, then closes the season at Syracuse. Those four teams are a combined 12-1 against Rutgers since Shea became coach in 1996. That lone Scarlet Knights win came last year in a 24-21 upset over Syracuse.

Shea, whose job security is precarious, might have a few tricks up his sleeve to give Rutgers a chance to win at least one more game.

"We know darn well what they're all about, how physical they're going to be and what kind of pounding the games will become," he said of the remaining opponents.

"It will require us to be more creative. We'll do that. We'll tweak some things to see if we can come up with some answers."

Not shy

It's the kind of question most coaches steer away from, but Temple's Bobby Wallace was game.

He was asked about the match-up of No. 5 Miami (5-1, 3-0) and No. 2 Virginia Tech (7-0, 5-0) in the Orange Bowl next week.

The game could determine not only the Big East title and its accompanying berth in a Bowl Championship Series game, but whether one of the teams might make it to the national championship game, which this year is the Orange Bowl.

The Owls have played both teams, losing by a combined 80-30.

"It's a tough call because they're so close offensively," Wallace said. "I think defensively, Miami might be a little better.

"If I had to pick one, I'd pick Miami."

Of course, he didn't have to pick one, but it was kind of refreshing that he did.

Game of the week

Miami is host to Louisiana Tech (2-6) in a non-league game.

For Miami, it pretty much amounts to a tune-up for the big game next week against Virginia Tech, but at least it will be an interesting diversion for the Hurricanes.

Louisiana Tech has a pass-happy offense led by freshman quarterback Luke McCown. He was 47 of 65 for 433 yards last week in a 38-28 loss to Auburn.

It's not unusual for Louisiana Tech to throw 50 or 60 times. The offense often does not huddle and uses three, four, even five receivers.

"It will be something different for us," Hurricanes Coach Butch Davis said.

Quote of the week

"We are happy to win. But we are more happy that we did not have any major injuries. That was a concern, playing on the AstroTurf there at Veterans Stadium. That is not the best surface to play on, so there is always that concern."

-- Miami Coach Butch Davis, after the Hurricanes' victory at Temple.