Temple's defense is young, and it shows

Temple's defense is experiencing rookie jitters.

That's what happens when a team is forced to rely on freshmen against experienced major-college teams.

That was the case in games against Penn State and South Florida. And it will be the case in Saturday's Big East game at Connecticut.

The Huskies (3-3, 0-1 Big East) have four seniors and three juniors starting on offense. The Owls (2-2, 1-0) will answer with a freshman-laden defensive unit.

"If they are out there, it's because we think they are the best guy," Temple defensive coordinator Chuck Heater said after Tuesday's practice. "That's the cost of doing business."

There has been a trade-off. Redshirt freshman Nate D. Smith is the team's leading tackler with 29, but the middle linebacker makes his share of rookie mistakes. So does true freshman linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who made a game-high 15 tackles in Saturday's victory over South Florida. It was his first career start.

The linebackers are not the only freshmen to start in games this season for Temple.

Redshirt freshman Hershey Walton, a defensive tackle, and linebacker/defensive end Brandon Chudnoff started at Penn State. True freshman Tavon Young started as a fifth cornerback against Maryland.

"That's part of our problem on defense," Heater said. "We are not executing consistently. We are doing some good things. But there's a breakdown here and there's a breakdown there. And those end up being big plays.

"So, yeah, [playing freshmen] can lead to some inconsistency."

That inconsistency is part of the reason the Owls rank 88th nationally in third-down conversion defense (43.3 percent) and last in the Big East in total defense (393.5 yards per game). They are tied with South Florida for last in rushing defense at 173.5 yards per game.

But Temple realizes that game experience is the best way for these young players to improve.

"When you make a mistake out there, you've just got to play the next play," Matakevich said. "You can't think about 'Oh, I've been messing up or I did this three plays ago.' You've just got to focus on the play that's at hand."

All aboard. Temple will take a chartered Amtrak train to Connecticut for Saturday's game. The Owls will depart from 30th Street Station about noon Friday and head to New Haven, Conn. They will return by train to Philadelphia after the game.