Temple's home opener shifts for Eagles game

The home football opener for Temple, against Navy, that was originally scheduled for Aug. 30 has been moved to the next evening to make room for an Eagles exhibition game.

Temple will open against Navy at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Even though the Eagles' preseason schedule has not been released, it is believed that they will host the New York Jets Aug. 30. The Eagles were not available for comment.

"The Eagles were contractually obligated," Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw said yesterday. "Unfortunately, that meant we had to find another space for that."

When the Temple-Navy game was first scheduled, the Phillies were scheduled to host the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park at 7:05 p.m.

The Phillies moved the game time to 1:05 p.m. Once that happened, the Eagles no longer had to worry about a traffic conflict, and the preseason game's date was switched.

"We will attempt to make the most of it, and the Eagles have pledged to do what they can to help us market it, and that is not required in our agreement, Bradshaw said.

What might hurt Temple is that the game will be played at the beginning of the Labor Day weekend.

"We thought Thursday night would be ideal because it's 'welcome back' week for Temple students and many people wouldn't be heading to the Shore until the next day," Bradshaw said.

When Bradshaw was told of the conflict, he called the NCAA in an effort to move the game to Aug. 29.

"That Thursday is the first available day for an NCAA game," Bradshaw said. "I inquired about a waiver, and was told it wouldn't get very far.

"We still plan on having Temple's first night football game at Lincoln Financial Field," Bradshaw said. "That way, our fans can start their Labor Day weekend off with an exciting Temple football game against Navy."