Lights Out!

This preseason, the Temple football team adopted the motto "Flip the Switch" as a reminder to be ready to play in any situation. On Friday night, the Owls flipped the switch and it was lights out for Army, which dropped a 35-7 decision to the Cherry and White in the opening game of the 2008 campaign.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- In a reversal of fortune, the Temple football team used big plays on defense and special teams to pound Army, 35-7, in the season opener for both teams on Friday night at Michie Stadium.

Tommie Williams knocked the ball loose from punt returner Carlos Sandiego and recovered the fumble in the first quarter, setting up the first score, and freshman defensive end Morkeith Brown -– a military veteran -– scored on a 17-yard fumble return to give Temple a 21-0 lead at the half. Jamal Schulters’ 98-yard kickoff return to start the second half put the Owls up 28-0.

Williams’ play set Temple up at the Army 8-yard line and Adam DiMichele found Bruce Francis in the corner of the end zone on 3rd-and-goal from the 5. Francis, who finished with a team-high five receptions for 45 yards, faked running a slant then cut for the back pylon.

“That was three steps to the slant, three steps to the pylon, and you hope they bite on it,” Francis said. “Everybody was counting on everybody on that play. We needed the line to protect because it’s a long developing play. We need the receiver to not get hung up at the line. And we needed Adam to make the right read. Everybody did what we needed to, and that’s why we were successful.

“It was big to get a touchdown, because when you score seven you get into a groove, you start to get the nicks and kinks out of training camp and start to play hard.”

Army’s new option offense dominated the talk coming into the game, but the Owls debuted a new look of their own -– running a no-huddle offense throughout the game. There were mixed results, but DiMichele led a 10-play, 71-yard drive late in the first quarter, which he capped with a seven-yard strike to tight end Steve Maneri. DiMichele finished 15 for 22 for 159 yards with two scores and an interception (on a pass that bounced off Travis Shelton’s chest).

“It’s what we see when the game’s unfolding, we just tried to calm down their pressure with some two back (sets) and some change of tempo,” Coach Al Golden said of the no-huddle attack. “We were just reacting on the fly.”

The lead went to three scores when Army quarterback Carson Williams dropped the ball while rolling right. Brown -- who had a three-year stint in the military, including one in Afghanistan as a diesel mechanic -- scooped up the fumble and ran in for the score, giving Temple a 21-0 lead 10 seconds into the second quarter.

“I’m still proud of being a veteran, but right now, I’m more happy to be an Owl,” Brown said. “When I saw it, I just thought ‘Gotta go, gotta get in there.’ We don’t get (those chances) that often. I wasn’t going to fall on it. Scoop and score. That’s what we’re taught. That’s what we do.”

The Black Knights’ lone points came with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter when Tony Dace scored on a one-yard run. But Marquise Liverpool answered with a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

The Owls nearly saw a third special teams highlight when Delano Green avoided three Black Knights on an electrifying punt return, but the sophomore fumbled after a 50-yard gain and Army recovered.

Last season, two special teams scores and a defensive touchdown sparked the Black Knights to a 37-21 victory over the Owls.

“We were a selfish team last year, and this year we coached special teams in training camp and it was great,” Golden said. “This is the first time since we’ve been here that we’ve produced in all three phases.

“All we’re talking about this year is to focus on the process of executing. You drop a pass? Flip the switch. Commit a penalty? Flip the switch. The product will take care of itself.”

Temple hosts UConn in its home opener next Saturday.

Listen to the postgame comments of Golden, DiMichele, and defensive end Junior Galette:

Golden: Listen to Audio

DiMichele: Listen to Audio

Galette: Listen to Audio