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Temple, 'Nova to meet again as memories of '09 linger

Temple linebacker Tahir Whitehead had a pained look on his face. He had just been asked to think back to Sept. 3, 2009. That was the day Villanova's Nick Yako converted a 32-yard field goal with no time left to give the Wildcats a 27-24 victory over the host Owls in the season opener for both teams.

Brandyn Harvey helped Villanova upset Temple at Lincoln Financial Field last season. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
Brandyn Harvey helped Villanova upset Temple at Lincoln Financial Field last season. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)Read more

Temple linebacker Tahir Whitehead had a pained look on his face.

He had just been asked to think back to Sept. 3, 2009. That was the day Villanova's Nick Yako converted a 32-yard field goal with no time left to give the Wildcats a 27-24 victory over the host Owls in the season opener for both teams.

Temple and 'Nova had played up for the first time since 2003. The occasion was the inaugural Mayor's Cup at Lincoln Financial Field.

Temple, a Mid-American Conference member that entered last season with high hopes for a turnaround year, was expected to start off a big year with a triumph over 'Nova of the Colonial Athletic Association and the Football Championship Subdivision.

"It was disbelief," said Whitehead, a 6-foot-2, 228-pound native of Newark. "You started to think back to previous plays in the game, and what brought us to that point."

Friday evening, exactly one year later, 'Nova and Temple will get together again in the same event to kick off their 2010 seasons. And the rematch is an intriguing one, with the Wildcats coming off a national championship year and picked to repeat, and the Owls as the team to beat in the MAC after enjoying their first winning season since 1990.

After 'Nova (14-1) won it all last season under 26-year coach Andy Talley, Temple's loss to the Wildcats became more respectable.

But the Owls earned their real kudos by going on to reel off a school single-season record of nine straight wins on their way to a 9-4 finish, a co-championship in the MAC East Division, and a berth opposite UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl in Washington.

In its first postseason appearance since 1979, Temple went down to the Bruins, 30-21. Now, the Owls start over against a dangerous Villanova squad that earned respect in '09.

The Wildcats have come out on top against Temple in each of their last three face-offs, including 1980.

"This is a meaningful game right off the bat," said Temple coach Al Golden, who has revived an Owls program after the team went 10-26 his first three seasons. "This is a significant game because of the rivalry, it's a city game, and the thing I'm most excited about is that we didn't have meaningful games, two, three years ago. We know how to win now, how to prepare, and I think the kids understand the importance of this game."

While the sting of Villanova's last-second win last season won't be easy to forget for the Owls, a couple of them said the team is not looking at this year's meeting as a "revenge" game.

"Obviously, everyone is looking forward to the season beginning," said 6-foot-5, 312-pound center John Palumbo, from Lyndhurst, N.J. "You go through all the struggles during camp with your teammates, so I wouldn't say that we want to play Villanova so bad. We just want to get into the season. This is the fun part now."

Whitehead concurred.

"Villanova just so happens to be the first game on our schedule," he said.

Doubleheader. Fans who show tickets for the Phillies-Brewers game Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park, can buy tickets for $10 to the Villanova-Temple game at the Linc. . . . Jake Quinn, a 6-5, 260-pound offensive lineman from St. Mark's High in Wilmington, has orally committed to Temple for 2011.