First, he redshirted. Then, he sat on the sidelines for two seasons. Then, he was mostly used a reserve.
But through it all, Temple senior linebacker Stephen Johnson waited patiently for his opportunity. And now that its finally arrived, its fair to say hes making the most of it.
Johnson is currently the leading tackler on one of the nations top defenses.
I mean, I knew my chance would come, Johnson said from practice this week, as the Owls prepared for Saturdays homecoming game against Buffalo at Lincoln Financial Field (1 p.m.). It was just about being prepared when it did come. I didnt want any regrets.
The only people with any regrets last weekend were the poor souls on Ball States offense, who got a close-up view of Johnsons pads and helmet throughout Temples 42-0 romp.
In the impressive win, Johnson finished with a career-high 16 tackles, earning his first MAC East Defensive Player of the Week honor in the process. The middle linebacker now has 52 tackles on the season19 more than anyone else on the Owlsand is the anchor of a Temple defense that has given up an average of just 272.17 yards per game, ninth in Division I.
Each year, weve been getting better and each year Ive been getting better because of the great coaches helping me improve, Johnson said. Its just tremendous from where we were at to where we are right now.
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Temple (4-2, 2-1 MAC) will look to keep it defensive domination going for another week but may have its hands full with Buffalo (2-4, 1-1 MAC), which averages 365 yards of offense per game and is led by the dynamic tandem of quarterback Chazz Anderson and tailback Branden Oliver.
In his weekly conference call, Temple coach Steve Addazio called the Buffalo offense explosive, and expressed concern over how to slow down Anderson, who averages over 200 yards of passing and 30 yards of rushing per game.
Quarterbacks that beat you with their arm and beat you with their feet, I have great appreciation for that because I think thats whats dynamic in college football, Addazio said. And hes got that. So therefore, weve got to do a great job in covering and containing in the pocket.
Luckily, Addazio owns a defense that hasnt had problems containing too many players this season. In fact, in all four of Temples wins, the opposing team has been held to one score or less.
Buffalo has noticed.
Theyve been very, very difficult to score on, UB coach Jeff Quinn conceded. Last week they took over the game, from the first play to the last play. Its going to take everything we have on both sides of the ball.
Johnson will certainly give everything he has Saturday, since it will be his last homecoming game as a college football player.
Like many seniors, Johnson has begun to think about his post-football lifehe hopes to work in software design and maybe travel out to the West Coastbut he currently has only one thing on his mind.
Right now, Im thinking about the conference and Im thinking about Buffalo, he said. Its a very crucial game. Were trying to win the conference.
Penn back on national TV
Fresh off an easy non-conference win over Fordham, Penn puts its 16-game Ivy League winning streak back on the line Saturday at 3:30 at Columbia, a game that can be seen live on VERSUS.
The struggling Lions are 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the Ivy League, and the Quakers (2-2, 1-0 Ivy) havent lost at Columbias Wien Stadium in 16 years.
But Penn can look to history as a reason not to overlook the Lions, especially when streaks are on the line. Why? That Columbia victory 16 years ago stopped Penns NCAA record 24-game winning streak.
No easy games for Nova
With a 1-5 overall record and a 0-3 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association, Villanova is certainly struggling through a very difficult season. And the Wildcats wont be getting any reprieves when they face a nationally ranked team for the third straight week.
The opponent for Saturdays game is No. 13 James Madison (4-2, 2-1 CAA), which will host Villanova at 1:30 pm at Bridgeforth Stadium.
The Wildcats are coming off losses to nationally ranked foes in William & Mary and New Hampshire, and will also play teams in the Football Championship Subdivision Top 25Old Dominion and Maineover the next two weeks.
CSN contributor Dave Zeitlin writes a weekly college football notebook focusing on Temple, Villanova and Penn. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.