Temple welcomes UConn to Lincoln Financial Field Saturday at noon and will be looking to enact some revenge for two painful losses in 2007 and 2008 (remember Big East officials, you only need one foot to be inbounds in college).
Temple is 2-0 for the first time since 1981 and will have to improve in several areas if they want to push that record to 3-0 when they enter Happy Valley next weekend.
The Owls’ running game, a perceived strength entering the season, has averaged 3.3 and 3.2 yards per carry in the two victories for Temple this season.
Heisman hopeful Bernard Pierce has seen his carries limited due to a concussion he suffered during training camp and his offensive line has struggled so far this season to open up the kind of holes he ran through freely last season.
Expect much of the same defensive packages for UConn that Temple has faced most of the year, 8 and 9 men in the box. Teams are not sold on Chester Stewarts ability to win games with his arm and will refuse to let Pierce and Matt Brown beat them on the ground. And despite Al Golden’s affirmation this off-season that the offense is finally ready to compete with the defense, I’m not buying what he’s selling.
Uconn presents an interesting challenge for Golden’s squad. The level of competition should be the best the Owl’s have seen this season, but UConn is a bit of an unknown as well. After being witnesses to the untied shoelace wonder Denard Robinson and the Michigan Wolverines in a 30-10 defeat, the Huskies blasted Texas Southern 62-3.
The Huskies come into the match up ranked 27th in the nation in rushing yardage through the first two weeks. Temple’s defense showed flashes of last seasons NCAA record defensive turnaround by offering a stout defensive front, limiting Central Michigan to 43 yards rushing. Something has to give.
These two schools have planted the seeds of a heated rivalry, starting unofficially in the mid 2000’s when UConn was picked as one of the universities to replace Temple in the Big East. Expect a grind it out, physical match up in South Philly full of emotion from the Cherry and White.
Ultimately, if Temple’s offense is finally ready to catch up to the defense as Al Golden testifies, this team will go places. But there’s been zero evidence of a cohesive offensive unit in the 8 quarters I’ve seen.
Prediction – UConn: 24 Temple: 20
Al Golden will be the Eagles next Head Coach in 2012 after AR resigns..
A “Golden Age” for Philadelphia Eagles Football will be the “Slogan” designed and marketed everywhere by Laurie/Banner’s crap-shoot marketing dept…
(you will see it everywhere on Banners,Buses,Flags,Shirts,Hoodies,Hats,Stickers,you name it..)
G Temple won handily. Your prediction was wrong. The Temp prevailed.