Tag Archives: Temple Owls

Tavon Young selected by Ravens

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Former defensive back Tavon Young was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.

Young was the sixth pick of the fourth round and No.104 overall.

Last season, Young totaled seven pass defensed and 41 total tackles in 11 games after setting career-highs in interceptions and passes defended as a junior with nine and four, respectively.

The Oxon Hill, Maryland native was an American Athletic Conference honorable mention selection as a junior.

Young, who is the 64th football player to be drafted into the NFL in the program’s history, is the first Owl to be drafted since 2012.

Former football player Adrian Robinson dies Saturday

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Update No. 2:

Statement from coach Matt Rhule:

“The Temple football program lost a friend, a brother, and a wonderful young man today. Adrian Robinson was one of the greatest competitors I ever had the pleasure of coaching and I know he was an even better teammate. I first met Adrian as an 18 year old high school senior. I was so proud to see him back at Temple this spring finishing his degree and being a loving father to his new daughter.  He will always be a part of me and will always be a part of this program. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Robinson family – his parents Terry and Adrian Sr., brother Averee and sister Aija, and his daughter Avery Marie.”
Statement from Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin Clark:
”The entire Temple University community is mourning the tragic passing of one of our former all-time great football players, Adrian Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this incredibly tough time.”

UPDATE: Robinson’s agency, Symmetry, confirmed the news on Sunday morning on Facebook

“It deeply saddens all of us to share with you that Adrian Robinson Jr. passed away last night at the age of 25. Adrian was a beloved father, son, brother, friend and teammate. We ask that you please respect his family’s privacy during this difficult time, and especially keep his daughter Avery Marie in your prayers. Thank you for all of your support and consideration.”

 

According to a report from Owlscoop.com, former football player Adrian Robinson died Saturday night at the age of 25.

The former defensive end was a 2011 team captain who appeared in every game during his collegiate career.

During his final year as an Owl in 2011, Robinson accumulated 52 total tackles and a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss as the Owls went 9-4, including a 37-15 win over the University of Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

Robinson’s brother, Averee Robinson, is a junior defensive lineman with 20 career tackles and 2.5 sacks. He also has 2.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.

Robinson, who started 38 career games and was a 2011 and 2009 first-team All-MAC honoree, totaled 156 career tackles, 24 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss. He was also named 2009 MAC Defensive MVP by Sporting News.

Robinson was a graduate of Harrisburg High School and was one of five Owls to appear in the 2008 Big 33 game, an all-star football game that featured the top high-school football players from Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native had five stints in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and most recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014.

Michael Guise can be reached at michael.guise@temple.edu or on Twitter @Michael_Guise

Matthews named to all-conference team

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Junior Brandon Matthews’ list of achievements grew on Friday when he was named to the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Golf All-Conference team for the second consecutive year.

In 11 of 12 tournaments this year, Matthews placed among the Top 10 individual finishers.  He also set a school record for season stroke average at 71.0, and tied program records for total victories (eight) and consecutive wins (three) during the spring portion of the schedule.

Matthews was also named the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Golfer of the Month for April this past Wednesday.

On Monday, Matthews will compete in the U.S. Open qualifier at the Trump National Golf Club in Pine Hill, New Jersey before heading north to play in the NCAA Regional in New Haven, Connecticut at The Course at Yale next weekend.

Matthews leads Princeton Individual after opening day

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Day One of the two-day Princeton Invitational took place Saturday afternoon at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square. Junior Brandon Matthews stayed hot, posting a 2-under-par 68 to lead the tournament at the halfway point.  Matthews and Cornell’s Mike Graboyes were the only players to shoot under par on Saturday, as Graboyes posted a 69.

Temple sits in second place on the team leaderboard with a combined score of plus-15, four shots off Yale for the top spot. Senior Matt Teesdale had the second-best round for Temple with a 3-over 73. Freshman Evan Thornton was next with a 6-over. Senior Pat Ross, sophomore Evan Notaro and junior Liam Fahey rounded out the leaderboard for the Owls with rounds of 78, 79 and 83, respectively.

The tournament concludes Sunday afternoon in Ardmore at the Merion Golf Club, beginning at 11 a.m.

Matthews named American Golfer of the Week

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After what coach Brian Quinn called one of “the biggest wins in Temple University golf history” at the Furman Intercollegiate March 27-29, junior Brandon Matthews followed it up with a win at the Met Intercollegiate in Purchase, New York. He was then honored with the American Athletic Conference Golfer of the Week award for his efforts.

The win in New York last weekend was the seventh of Matthews’ Temple career. Back-to-back victories for Matthews has his Golfstat.com ranking up to No. 39, which is the highest ranking of any golfer in The American. His average score per round sits at a 71.

Temple will be back in action this weekend at the Princeton Invitational.

Players swipe Soccer Six honors

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After a season in which he captained Temple’s men’s soccer team as a sophomore, defender Robert Sagel earned his second Philadelphia Soccer Six All-Star Team selection at the Soccer Six Banquet on Tuesday night at the University City Sheraton. Midfielders Felipe Liborio and Miguel Polley were also named to the all-rookie team.

Sagel started each game and played every minute for the second consecutive season in 2014.

Liborio, meanwhile, started 17 games, logged the third-most minutes for the Owls and scored a goal in his freshman campaign, while Polley posted a goal and three assists, second to junior midfielder Jared Martinelli, in 16 games as a redshirt freshman.

After a 10-4-4 season in 2013, the team finished with a 2-14-2 record last fall, its worst mark under coach David MacWilliams since the 2006 season (2-14-1).

Men’s tennis blanked by Navy

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The Owls traveled across the Pennsylvania state border to Maryland and were swept by Navy, 7-0, on Saturday.

The Owls only won one match in nine contests. The only victory came from juniors Nicolas Paulus and Hicham Belkssir in the first flight doubles match.

Tough competition has caused the Owls some trouble this season. They only have one conference win and are winless against nationally ranked opponents.

Navy controlled the match from the beginning by securing the doubles point in two matches with respective scores of 6-3 and 6-4. The Midshipmen also won three out of the six singles matches in straight sets.

Owls coach Steve Mauro said his team was unable to play the aggressive style that it’s accustomed to. In Saturday’s match, Mauro said his team had to play a more conservative style, trying to just keep balls in play.

The weather played an important part in the match Saturday as both teams played sloppy tennis.

“The wind played a huge factor in the match today,” Mauro said. “Because we haven’t been able to play that much outside hurt us because we were not used to the wind conditions. The official told me that the wind was blowing at about 20 miles per hour … it was like we were playing on a different surface.”

The Owls lost all three third-set tiebreakers to fall on the wrong side of those singles matches. This season, the team has struggled to win those all-important tiebreakers and win close matches.

Mauro said both teams were just trying to get the balls over the net through the gusty conditions. He also said that he is looking forward to the team’s remaining games, which will all be at home.

The Owls (11-9, 1-2 American Athletic Conference) will have three days off before hosting a doubleheader at the Student Pavilion on April 8 against Coppin State at 11 a.m. and Rider at 3 p.m.

-Dalton Balthaser

Denver match cancelled to snow

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Temple will no longer be playing on Friday against the University of Denver due to poor field conditions. The game was canceled at 3 p.m. after close to three inches of snow accumulated on the field with more expected to come.

It is possible that the match will be played Saturday if Denver’s flight back to Colorado Friday night is canceled. If not, the Owls will play next at home against the University of Florida on Saturday, March 28 to start off Big East Conference play.

Temple currently holds a five-game winning streak and an 8-1 record.

-Matt Cockayne

Former running back arrested on trafficking charges

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Former Temple running back Matt Brown was one of two men arrested on numerous human trafficking and prostitution charges Thursday.

According to a report from Baltimore’s WBAL-TV 11, Brown and 30-year-old Anthony Leon Eley Jr., Brown and Eley Jr. brought three girls – ages 14, 16 and 17 – to a Baltimore hotel room. Police said one of the girls asked for money.

Vice detectives had responded to an advertisement known to be used by prostitutes and arranged a meeting at the hotel, leading to the arrests. According to the report, both men told police they knew the girls were underage and taking part in prostitution.

Brown, a 25-year-old Baltimore resident, was a special-teams standout for the football team from 2009-2012, and is the school’s fourth-best all-time leading rusher. He signed for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May 2013, but was released prior to the start of the season. He also had a brief stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League from 2013-14, but failed to appear in a game before his release in June 2014.

Brown was released on bail Thursday night and will await a May 19 trial in Baltimore. His father, Warren Brown, is a Baltimore attorney.

Brown marks the second former Temple running back arrested in three days, and the fourth Temple-affiliated player arrested this week.

The school’s second-highest all-time leading rusher, former running back Bernard Pierce, was arrested on DUI charges early Wednesday morning. He was released by the Baltimore Ravens later that day, the team with which he had spent the entirety of his three-year NFL career.

Pierce rushed for 532 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry as a rookie in 2012, but his numbers progressively dipped through his next two seasons as Baltimore’s backup running back.

On Monday night, current Temple players Dion Dawkins and Haason Reddick were arrested on aggravated assault and related charges stemming from an incident at an off-campus party in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section in January. Both players were released on bail Monday night and will appear in court for a preliminary hearing March 31.

They have been suspended from the team, but still remain on the roster.

Owls make WNIT tournament

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The women’s basketball team was included among the 64-team field selected for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, which was announced Monday night.

The team’s inclusion in the tournament marks the first time it will take part in postseason play since the 2011-12 season.

Temple needed to win five of its last six games of the regular season in order to guarantee itself a .500 record and become qualified for postseason play.

The Owls’ first-round loss in the American Athletic Conference tournament put some anxiety in the team as a win over the Pirates would have put them in a more favorable postseason situation.

Sitting at a 16-16 overall record, the team was unsure if it would receive an invite to the WNIT.

The last time the team reached postseason play was in Williams’ freshman year when it also played in the WNIT. The Owls, then in the Atlantic 10 conference, finished with a 23-10 record that season.

They advanced two rounds in the tournament with wins over Quinnipiac University and Harvard University before losing to Syracuse University.