Another Joseph is set to plug middle for Owls

Temple football players Elijah and Elisha Joseph are twins who grew up in Hartford, Conn., doing a lot of things together, but they never had the luxury of being able to wear each other's clothes.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Elijah, a linebacker who was a first-team all-league selection in the Mid-American Conference last season, was never as big as his 6-3, 280-pound brother, who plays nose tackle.

"That's how he got his nickname, 'Peanut,' " Elisha Joseph said with a laugh Thursday before Temple began another day of spring drills at Edberg-Olson Hall.

The siblings pronounce their names the same - Elijah - so coaches and teammates call Elisha "Eli." Elijah is older than Elisha by 20 minutes. The juniors agree that they don't look alike.

Elisha Joseph, who played every game as a reserve defensive lineman last season as Temple went 9-4 and reached the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, could make a bigger impact on the Owls' fortunes this fall. He has been asked to fill the spot vacated by all-MAC tackle Andre Neblett.

"During my career, I've played many positions, so I have some experience at it," said Elisha Joseph, who played tight end and defensive end as a high school senior. "I learned from watching Andre about hard work and leadership, dedication, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done."

The 6-2, 300-pound Neblett started all 37 Temple games during his last three seasons. He was a key reason why Temple last season led the MAC in rush defense, and finished second in total defense, and he helped the Owls earn a share of the conference's East Division title with a 7-1 record.

Now, it's Elisha Joseph's turn to anchor the middle of Temple's defensive line.

"He's doing a good job," said Temple coach Al Golden, entering his fifth season at the Owls' helm. "He's always been one of the strongest guys on the team. He's extremely bright, and we're very pleased at what he's doing at that position right now."

In addition to Neblett, Temple also must replace two all-MAC third-team defenders in middle linebacker Alex Joseph (no relation) and safety Dominique Harris.

Elijah Joseph is moving inside from his outside linebacker spot. And Kevin Kroboth, a 6-0, 192-pound junior, is expected to succeed Harris alongside all-MAC first-team safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. With linebacker John Haley also gone, the two outside positions must be filled.

But Golden has brought the Owls a long way from his first two seasons, when Temple was the youngest team in the nation each year. This spring, Golden activated 26 players off the redshirt list, and the Owls' 28-player, 2010 recruiting class will join the team for preseason camp.

There are 56 returning letter-winners, including 16 starters.

"We have depth, and we are experienced enough," Golden said. "We just need a couple of guys to be the type of leaders to have the overall concept of the defense that Alex Joseph had.

"There were four excellent leaders that we lost. Their legacy right now is that they were such strong leaders, and that's what we're trying to replace right now."