Temple

CARLOS DIAZ, facing the most dreadful opponent anyone could meet, speaks only of winning.The sophomore wide receiver talks of the day he can lace up his shoulder pads and wear the colors of the Temple University Owls again."

For a final time, they dressed in black tie, danced to live music, nibbled appetizers, wore their fezes, raised their glasses and bid farewell to their distinguished 38-year-old honoree.It was a fitting tribute from members of the Shriners to the veritable rock (and stone and concrete and cinder block) of their organization: the Boumi Temple at 4900 N. Charles St."It's hard to replace a building like this," said Boumi member John Genoa of Catonsville, one of 1,200 people at last night's gala.

Towson had turned an 18-point deficit into a one-possession game. It was on the cusp of a victory in a barometer game against a program with a rich history, but the Tigers couldn't complete the comeback yesterday and lost to visiting Temple, 75-70. A win over a national name from the Atlantic 10 would have given Towson (5-4) its best nine-game start since 1989-90, when the Tigers made the first of two straight appearances in the NCAA tournament. They haven't experienced March Madness since, and third-year coach Pat Kennedy is trying to distance Towson from 10 straight losing seasons.

When Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs stepped onto the field with slightly more than two minutes to play and his team facing a three-point deficit against Temple, the fans inside Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium cheered. For as poorly as the Midshipmen had played Saturday afternoon, they still had a chance and they now had the quarterback who led an improbable fourth-quarter comeback against the Owls on this same field almost a year ago to the day. But Dobbs, who did not start and was intended to be the emergency quarterback because of an injured right knee, couldn't spark a stagnant offense with his arm. Navy's final offensive snap ended with Dobbs being sacked and Temple, behind a huge performance by freshman running back Bernard Pierce, held on for a 27-24 victory before an announced crowd of 28,305.

In its previous two lopsided victories this month, Navy pretty much ended any suspense by halftime. Yesterday, on Senior Day against hapless Temple, the Midshipmen didn't even wait that long. Showing no signs of looking ahead to their upcoming clash with Army, the Midshipmen completed a spotless November with their best home performance of the season by knocking out Temple early, then cruising to a 42-6 blowout before 33,927 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. On paper, the nation's top-ranked rushing offense figured to own the worst rushing defense in Division I-A, and Navy (8-3)

Philadelphia -- An October scare came early for Maryland yesterday when one of the worst football teams in the country jumped out and scored first. Then came another one - coach Ralph Friedgen. "He chewed us up a little bit and spit us out," senior receiver Danny Melendez said of Friedgen's halftime speech. It was a game the Terps (4-2) were expected to win handily against a Temple program that has had only one winning season in the past two decades. Mistakes kept the winless Owls (0-6)

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland players constantly accelerated past Temple defenders to the goal. The Terrapins outraced the Owls for ground balls and sprinted to intercept Temple's clearing passes.Now which was the team playing its third game in four days?Shaking off any fatigue, No. 4 Maryland scored the game's first six goals and dashed past No. 7 Temple, 11-5, yesterday at Ludwig Field.Sascha Newmarch had four goals and two assists for the Terps (7-2), who won their seventh straight. The Owls (6-2)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Barely into her first final four, Maryland goalie Alex Kahoe began writing her own page in the Terps women's lacrosse record book.Kahoe's sensational first-half performance offset a slow start yesterday for the Terrapins' attack and put Maryland in position to beat Temple, 9-6, in an NCAA Division I semifinal.In the first 14 minutes, the redshirt freshman made three point-blank saves among her first six stops. The sixth, her second snuff within 22 seconds left, was the 213th save of her young career, breaking a Maryland record for saves in a single season.

PHILADELPHIA -- Maybe they'll fall at Virginia Tech in two weeks.Perhaps someone will knock them off in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.Or maybe nobody is going to beat Massachusetts, and the Minutemen are going to stay unbeaten right through the NCAA tournament.The nation's top-ranked team continued its perfection with a 59-35 victory over Temple at McGonigle Hall last night. Massachusetts (20-0, 8-0) handled its toughest road test of the season with aplomb, as the Minutemen crept to a 30-12 lead at the half and befuddled the Owls' offensive scheme.

A year ago, Temple was the most improved team in Division I-A football, having posted a 7-4 record after a 1-10 season the year before. At the same time, Navy was finishing the year 5-6, which was the team's best victory total since 1982.However, this year they have but one win between them -- a total that will double this afternoon when Temple (1-5) plays host to Navy (0-5) at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Before the season, the game seemed to pit two teams that were about to turn the corner.