Temple shocks Huskies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Another week, another loss. Jake Brownell's third field goal of the game, a 39-yarder with nine seconds left, gave Temple a 16-15 victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday in a Mid-American Conference game. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Owls, who had lost 27 of their last 28 games. For Northern Illinois, the loss extended their losing streak to two games, dropping the Huskies to 1-5 and 0-3 in the MAC. The 1-5 start is the worst start since 1998, NIU coach Joe Novak's third season The Owls avenged last year's 43-21 loss at Northern Illinois. After the loss, Temple coach Al Golden promised his team would be a different squad when they played Northern Illinois again. Golden proved to be a man of his word. “This team is a team of the future,” Novak said. “They have everybody coming back next year.” The Owls trailed 15-13 after Northern Illinois' Justin Anderson's 39-yard touchdown run with 7:08 remaining. After forcing a Huskies' punt, Temple took over at its own 22-yard line with 3:30 remaining. Temple quarterback Adam DiMichele then sparked a 12-play, 56-yard drive to set up the game-winning kick. DiMichele completed 18 of 32 passes for 202 yards for Temple, while freshman tailback Daryl Robinson gained 71 yards on 14 carries. DiMichele, a transfer from Penn State, hurt the Huskies with several quarterback draws. He finished with 14 rushes for 55 yards. “They run (the draw) slow and he's a good kid to run it,” Novak said of DiMichele. Anderson had another sparkling performance. Since starting tailback Montel Clanton went down with a season-ending injury, Anderson has been the one constant for the offense. Saturday, Anderson carried 29 times for 163 yards, and has now rushed for over 150 yards in four straight games. The Huskies' recent history at professional stadiums hasn't been very good. They suffered a 16-6 loss to Iowa at Soldier Field in the first game of the season. TCU crushed the Huskies in San Diego last year. Akron defeated Northern Illinois in the 2005 MAC title game at Ford Field. Northern Illinois suffered a 37-6 to South Florida in 2001. That trend continued Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Huskies got off to a good start when Anderson scored a 1-yard touchdown to end a scoreless drought at the 5:57 mark of the second quarter. Temple trailed 6-0 before tackle Terrance Knighton recovered a fumble and raced 66 yards into the end zone. Two field goals by Brownell made it 13-6 before Anderson's TD capped a seven play, 95-yard drive by the Huskies. Temple's homecoming victory was its first since the team's 28-14 homecoming win over Bowling Green on Oct. 28, 2006. NOTES: Northern Illinois junior quarterback Dan Nicholson left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. Nicholson watched the final few minutes from the sidelines on crutches. He completed 12-of-25 passes for 101 yards before his injury. Nicholson didn't throw a touchdown pass or interception. Backup Ryan Morris completed one of three passes for 12 yards, but was sacked twice. Wide receivers Britt Davis and Greg Turner did not dress Saturday. Turner sat out with a finger injury. “I don't know,” Novak said when asked when Turner and Davis will return. “At least one week with a chance for two to three weeks. It will be a game-time decision. We will plan like they won't. A bonus if they do.” The absence of Turner hurt the Huskies in point-after-attempts. Without his holder, kicker Chris Nendick missed two PATs. Before Saturday, Nendick had missed two PATs in his whole career. Jeff Fontana took over the holding duties Saturday. “The first one was a high snap,” Novak said. “I don't know what happened on the second one. It's a shame. Those two missed extra point attempts were the difference in the game.” Marcus Perez returned after a three-game absence. Perez had a 29-yard kickoff return and caught five passes for 63 yards to finish with 154 all-purpose yards. “He gives us something back there,” Novak said of Perez. “He has the ability to break one. It was good to have him back.” The NIU defense didn't give up a touchdown against the Owls. Temple's lone touchdown came on a Terran Knighton's 66-yard return for a touchdown off a Nicholson fumble. The Huskies converted 3-of-13 third down chances and finished with 259 yards of total offense compared to 352 for Temple. Safety Alex Kube is another bright spot for the Huskies this season. Kube recorded a career-high 14 tackles for his fourth double-digit game of the season. Freshman defensive tackle D.J. Pirkle notched his first career sack in the third quarter to finish with two sacks. The Daily Chronicle contributed to this story.