No. 20 Virginia (0-0) at Temple (0-0)

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Despite being separated by only 255 miles, No. 20 Virginia and Temple meet for the first time Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, the season opner for both schools.

Virginia finished the 2003 season at 8-5 and beat Pittsburgh in the Continental Tire Bowl. The Owls are coming off a dismal 1-11 campaign and enter their last season as a member of the Big East.

The Cavaliers return 15 starters from last season, but none of them is Matt Schaub. Quarterback Marques Hagans, the backup the past two seasons, will be asked to replace Schaub and his nearly 3,000 passing yards.

Running backs Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman combined for almost 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns. Tight end Heath Miller will provide a great target for Hagans and should be a candidate for the Mackey Award.

Six of the front seven return for the defense. Ahmad Brooks, who had 117 tackles in 2003, leads one of the best linebacking groups in the country as he is joined by Darryl Blackstock and Kai Parham.

The overhaul of the Big East was not enough to convince the league to change its mind about Temple, which is being evicted after the 2004 season and will compete as an independent in 2005.

One of the few bright spots in 2003 was quarterback Walter Washington, an shifty runner who started the final four games and averaged 315 yards total offense in his last three, all against nationally ranked foes.

The defense regressed noticeably last season, allowing 202.8 rushing yards per game. The anchor is linebacker Rian "Goo" Wallace, the Big East's top returning tackler with 148.

Temple will try to snap a 17-game losing streak to nationally ranked opponents. The Owls' last win over a ranked foe came in 1998, when they knocked off No. 14 Virginia Tech, 28-24.