Philadelphia, PA (The Phan) - Temple used its suddenly impressive running game to remain undefeated in MAC play, edging winless Ball State, 24-19, Saturday at the Linc.
The Owls (3-2, 3-0 MAC) have shown steady improvement under Al Golden but rushing the football still seemed like a distant goal after Temple dropped its first two games of the season.
Enter freshman running back Bernard Pierce. The 6-foot, 210-pound Glen Mills product had his third straight impressive performance against the Cardinals (0-6, 0-2), running for 125 yards and two scores on 25 carries.
Pierce gained 185 yards on 25 carries in his first start when the Owls defeated host Eastern Michigan, 24-12, two Saturdays ago and was named the offensive player of the week in the Mid-American Conference East Division. In his first significant playing time, the freshman racked up 116 yards on 20 carries in the Owls' 37-13 victory over defending MAC champ Buffalo on Sept. 26.
"We're excited about him," Temple coach Al Golden said. "He has certainly provided a spark."
Golden has also been impressed with the improved play of his offensive line. The "big uglies" at Temple are bigger, stronger and deeper than they have been at years.
The Owls line averages 313 pounds among the starters but the team wasn't seeing the same success with Kee-ayre Griffin and Lamar McPherson in the backfield.
Legendary comedian Mel Brooks once deadpanned "'or you got it or you don't."
Temple finally has a running back that's "got it" and the result is a 3-0 mark in conference play for the first time since 1967.
No comments:
Post a Comment