The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page D09

Sunday, October 10, 2004 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER www.philly.com D9 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Panthers rally, reject Owls' upset bid By Kevin Tatum INQUIRER STAFF WRITER At the end of three quarters yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field, the beleaguered Temple football team was in the rare position of having only to preserve a lead to claim a victory. It didn't happen. Pittsburgh wiped out a 10-point deficit with three fourth-quarter touchdowns, and Temple went down, 27-22, in its Big East Conference opener. The Owls were coming off a 70-16 thrashing delivered by Bowling Green last week at the Line. "I told the team I was very proud of them, because we talked after last week's game about showing, at this point in time, how much pride we have," Temple coach Bobby Wallace said.

"They came to play today and showed a lot of pride and a lot of character. We played hard." A homecoming crowd of 19,517 watched Temple's bid to register its first win against Pittsburgh since 1998. Playing their final season in the Big East, the Owls (1-5 overall, 0-1 conference) are still looking for their first league victory since defeating Rutgers at the end of the 2002 season. The Owls will visit Rutgers on Saturday. Temple's only points in the second half yesterday came when quarterback Walter Washington hit wide receiver Phil Goodman with a 7-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to play.

In the first half, Washington (30 of 44 passing, 314 yards) connected on two touchdown passes, and the Owls also scored on a safety. Washington wound up with career highs in pass attempts, completions, yards and touchdown passes (three). He also rushed for 82 yards on 23 carries. Pittsburgh (3-2, 1-1) took the lead for the first time at 20-16 on a 1-yard run by tailback Raymond Kirkley and an extra point with 8 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the game. Kirkley added another score later that gave the Panthers a cushion against Temple's late score.

Temple's failure to convert on fourth and goal at the Pittsburgh 1 at the end of the third period proved to be costly. Pittsburgh, coming off a 24-17 loss at Connecticut last week, pulled to 16-13 on a trick play that left wide receiver Greg Lee streaking down the middle of Pittsburgh 27, Temple 22 Pittsburgh 3 3 0 21 27 Temple 7 9 0 6 22 First quarter Tern-Brown 8 pass from Washington (Lux kick), 9:12. Pit-FGCummings 45,6:35. Second quarter Tern-Safety, Palko tackled in end zone, 1 4:53. Tem-Chuku 35 pass from Washington (Lux kick), 6:53.

Pit-FGCummings 33,3:29. Fourth quarter 50 pass from Palko (Cummings kick), 14:01. Pit Kirkley 1 run (Cummings kick), 8:38. Pit Kirkley 5 run (Cummings kick), 2:49. Tern-Goodman 7 pass from Washington (run failed), :15.

the field unattended. On the play, Kirkley took a handoff from quarterback Tyler Palko (13 for 18 passing, 191 yards) before pitching the ball back to Palko, and Palko hit Lee in stride for a 50-yard touchdown with 14:01 left. Temple played without linebacker Rian "Goo" Wallace, the Owls' second-leading tackier, who was suspended for the game by Wallace after being involved in a locker-room skirmish last week after a practice. He was replaced by sophomore Ryan Gore, a graduate of George Washington High who made his first start for Temple and made four tackles. Defensive tackles A.J.

Lindsey and Randy Johnson also were promoted to the starting lineup as Wallace continued to search for players who can bring a spark to the Owls. "Our main objective was to hold them," Gore said. "But our offense wasn't moving the ball, and it's a total team effort, and we have to put it on all of ourselves." At halftime, Temple welcomed six members to its Athletic Hall of Fame. The inductees include Mark Macon, the Owls' and the Atlantic Ten Conference's all-time leading scorer in basketball; field hockey player Jane Catan-zaro-Delaney, who is the NCAA's all-time leading scorer; former Olympic softball player Dionna Harris; wrestler Bill Hy-man, who holds Temple records for wins in a season and a career; three-time all-American lacrosse player Mandee Moore O'Leary; and former NFL player Tre Johnson. During the first two quarters, the honorees were treated to a very efficient half of football by their Owls.

Pittsburgh was forced to punt on the first possession of the game, and Temple drove the ball 79 yards on nine plays before an 8-yard pass from Washington to tailback Tim Brown gave the Owls a 7-0 lead. After a 45-yard field goal by Pittsburgh's Josh Cummings on the Panthers' ensuing possession put the Panthers on the board, Temple added to its lead with a safety in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Eric Carpenter got the two points for the Owls when he sacked Palko in the end zone after the Panthers had stopped Temple on downs at the visitors' 1-yard line. The Owls had moved 79 yards on 15 plays before Umar Ferguson was stacked up at the line of scrimmage on fourth down. Washington's 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ikey Chuku opened Temple's lead to 16-3 with just under seven minutes left in the second period, and Pittsburgh scored the last points of the half when Cummings was good on a 33-yard field-goal attempt with 3:29 to go.

A 48-yard field-goal attempt by the Owls Ryan Lux as time ran out was the last play of the half. "Coming off of last week, we came out and saw the intensity, and everything was up early," Goodman said. "We came out on the note that we wanted to. Coach has been preaching to us all year to jump on people early. We came out in the tone we wanted to; it's just that we have to close the deal." RON CORTES Inquirer Staff Photographer Too late, Pittsburgh's Clint Session (right) knocks the ball away from Temple's Ikey Chuku in the end zone.

Officials ruled that Chuku had possession of the ball when it crossed the goal line, and the 35-yard touchdown pass extended Temple's second-quarter lead to 16-3. Commentary By Bob Ford For Owls, a different kind of defeat instead of against them. He will keep thinking of things to say to the players, although not as much needs to be said when you don't lose by 54 points. What did he say, anyway? "We talked about that time in the 1970s when Nebraska beat Missouri something like 63-0, and the next week Missouri beat No. 8 or 9 Notre Dame," Wallace said.

"That's what's so great about college football. You come to play every day because you've got a chance to win every day." Well, not every day. But yesterday, the Owls did have a chance, although it slipped away. It hurt, just like they knew it would, because if losing is a place, it is a place they have been too many times before. 34-17.

Instead, Wallace was left to compare this loss with the previous one, to talk again about being proud of the kids. Temple has been operating from a very deep defensive hole all season. The top three corner-backs from spring practice are all gone, and three others are either out or hobbled by injuries. Good football programs can't get down to their fifth- or sixth-best cornerbacks and not see the drop-off. For a program like Temple, the losses have been devastating.

Additionally, three defensive players were making their first collegiate starts yesterday (none of them cornerbacks). Having to make changes on a defense that just gave up 70 points might not seem like a bad idea how badly can you mess it up? but it still doesn't do much for continuity. "It's really patchwork back there," Wallace said of the secondary situation. Jermaine Har- TEMPLE from Dl lems, and a large part of the reason why Temple hasn't had a winning season since 1990 and is leaving the Big East Conference at the toe end of a boot. Identifying the problem is a lot easier than solving it, however.

Wallace keeps pressing forward, though, looking for the gap with daylight beyond. Four plays yesterday were the difference between starting the Owls' final Big East season with a win and racking up a ninth straight conference loss. But, then again, it is usually four plays. Twice, Temple didn't get into the end zone on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line. And twice, the defensive secondary was fooled by gadget plays and burned for long completions.

Turn around those four plays which is what very good or very lucky teams might have done and Temple could have won the game by something like graves, who has an ankle sprain, moved from right corner to left corner in place of injured Ray Lamb yesterday. David Reese, a sophomore, moved up to start at right corner, and Andre Turner, who has a broken rib, played much of the game as well. "We didn't know who was going to start until after warm-ups. That's how banged up we are," Wallace said. "They're so banged up, they can't practice.

Then they have to play on Saturday. It creates a little difficulty in planning." Temple's record is 1-5, and things aren't going to get any easier. The Owls could possibly win another game or two. Rutgers and Syracuse look beatable. Then again, so did Pitt.

Wallace will keep bringing them out for practice those who can practice and sending them out for the games. Perhaps one of these weeks, the four plays will turn their way 19,51 7. Pit Tern First downs 16 27 Rushes-yards 37-126 38-144 Passing 234 314 Comp-Att-Int 14-19-0 30-45-0 Return Yards 28 18 Punts-Avg. Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 4-55 8-65 Time of Possession 28:33 31:27 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing: Pittsburgh, Kirkley 21-86, Palko 12-28, Mason 2-7, Furman 1-6, Team 1-(minus 1). Temple, Washington 23-82, U.Ferguson 9-55, Brown 6-7.

Passing: Pittsburgh, Palko 13-18-0-191, Furman 1- 1-0-43. Temple, Washington 30-44-0-314, Team 0-1-0-0. Receiving: Pittsburgh, G.Lee 8-159, Gill 2-34, Kirkley 2- 24, DelSardo 2-17. Temple, Ibeh 7-73, Brown 5-38, Chuku 4-83, Allbrooks 3-42, Goodman 3-22, U.Ferguson 3-20, J.Harris 3-1 5, Dunbar 2-21 Contact staff writer Kevin Tatum at 21 5-854-2583 or ktatumphillynews.com. Penn pulls out win in double overtime Contact columnist Bob Ford at 21 5-854-5842 or bfordphillynews.com.

Read his recent work at http:go.philly.combobford. Penn 32, Bucknell 25 Penn 3 6 6 7 3 7 32 Bucknell 14 0 8 0 3 0 25 First quarter Buck-Trotter 66 pass from Cangelosi (Bower kick), 6:45. Buck-Cangelosi 8 run (Bower kick), 4:45. Penn-FG Arguello 27, :07. Second quarter Penn-McDermott 1 run (kick failed), :18.

Third quarter Penn-K. Ambrogi 7 run (pass failed), 6:53. Buck-K. Davis 2 run (K. Davis pass from D.

Wilson), 3:29. Fourth quarter Penn-Marabella 12 pass from McDermott Overtime Buck-FG Korn 47. Penn-FG Nolan 42. Second overtime Penn-McDermott 1 run (Nolan kick). Down by 14 points early on, the Quakers used Pat McDermott's quarterback sneak to top Bucknell.

made after Bucknell sophomore Ryan Korn nailed his first field goal of the season. Korn's kick from 47 yards scraped the crossbar to give the Bison a shortlived 25-22 lead in the first overtime. "When Coach called on me to replace Arguello, who was 1 for 3 in the first half, I was ready to go," Nolan said. McDermott completed 32 of 55 passes for 384 yards and a touchdown and also ran for two scores, including the game-winner, to lead the Quakers. Receiver Dan Castles finished with a dozen catches for 132 yards.

The Quakers had 489 yards in total offense. Penn's poor performance through the first half gave no indication of how the game would turn out. The Quakers lost two fumbles, including one at the Bucknell 9-yard line, suffered a half-dozen penalties, and gave up two first-quarter touchdowns that came within two minutes of each other. Bucknell's first score came on a 66-yard option pass from Mike Cangelosi, a junior slot-back, to Nisan Trotter, a senior wide receiver who got behind the Quakers' secondary. Penn compounded that defensive lapse with a special-teams mistake that occurred when the usually reliable Duval Thompson fumbled on the ensuing kickoff at the Quakers' 40.

Five plays and a pair of Penn penalties later, Cangelosi ran hard to his right and scored on an 8-yard pitch. The Quakers drove 65 yards on their first possession, to the Bucknell 15, but the march ended in a botched field-goal attempt by Arguello. Just before halftime, the Quakers got momentum going their way when J.J. Stanton intercepted a Wilson pass at the Penn 40 and returned the ball 47 yards to the Bucknell 13. Four plays later, McDermott plunged in from a yard out for Penn's first touchdown.

The Quakers set the stage for their dramatic finale after Kyle Ambrogi scored on a 7-yard run and McDermott connected on a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Marabella in the fourth quarter. "We were really frustrated in the first half," Bagnoli said. "We left a lot of points on the field. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but I felt physically we matched up well with them, and if we could create a few turnovers, we'd be OK." "We think we're always going to win the game," Castles said. "That's why we've been successful." Contact staff writer Ron Reid at 215-854-4469 or rreidphillynews.com.

10,602. Penn Bucknell First downs 26 15 Rushes-yards 32-105 57-137 Passing 384 182 Comp-att-int 32-56-1 10-14-1 Returnyards 81 17 Punts-avg. Fumbles-lost 3-3 3-1 Penalties-yards 8-63 8-71 Time of possession 27:19 32:41 By Ron Reid INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LEWISBURG, Pa. In a resilient performance as entertaining as it was emotional, Penn came back from a 14-point deficit yesterday to beat Bucknell, 32-25, in double overtime before a record crowd of 10,602 disbelieving fans. The Ivy League champion Quakers (3-1) played exceptional offense, defense, and special teams when they needed it most.

Penn's victory on parents' weekend snapped a 17-game winning streak in nonconfer-ence home games for Bucknell (2-3). The biggest play came on the last snap of the first overtime, when Evan Nolan, the Penn kicker who lost his job to Bryan Arguello a week earlier, booted a 42-yard field goal to tie the score at 25. Nolan's kick, on his 22d birthday, forced a second overtime, in which Pat McDermott, Penn's junior quarterback, scored on a 1-yard sneak to win the game. "It's been a roller coaster with our kicking game," said a highly pleased Al Bagnoli, the Quakers' coach. "Bryan struggled today, and we went back to Evan, who came through under tremendous pressure," Bagnoli said.

The game ended after Bucknell quarterback Daris Wilson threw an incomplete fourth-down pass in the end zone. "I was thinking what I had to do to win the game," Nolan said of the high-pressure kick he INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing: Penn, Mathews 18-64, K. Ambrogi 9-47, McDermott 5-(minus 6). Bucknell, Cangelosi 7-50, Lovelace 7-29, K. Davis 6-28, D.

Wilson 30-27, DeStefano 5-1 3, Team 2-(minus 1 0). Passing: Penn, McDermott 32-55-1-384, Mathews 0- 1-0-0. Bucknell, D. Wilson 9-12-1-116, Cangelosi 1- 2-0-66. Receiving: Penn, Castles 12-132, Mathews 6-53, Marabella 3-33, Pisarri 2-61 Carre 2-37, Mizell 2-31 Makovsky 2-20, K.

Ambrogi 2-12, Robinson 1-5. Bucknell, Nutt 3-41, Trotter 2-83, K. Davis 2-33, Miller 1-19, Lovelace 1-9, Cangelosi 1 -(minus 3)..