Temple's Robinson, Pierce earn weekly honors

Temple's Bernard Pierce and Adrian Robinson were both honored Monday for their play against UConn on Saturday.

Pierce (Ardmore, Pa.) earned the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor for
the East division and was also an Honorable Mention National Player of the Week honoree from
the College Football Performance Awards as well as OwlSports.com Athlete of the Week.

In Saturday's 30-16 win over Connecticut, Pierce rushed for 169 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Heisman Trophy candidate's first TD was a 27-yard reception, his career longest reception and first TD.  The game also marked Pierce's sixth multi-touchdown game in his 15-game career.

After three games, Pierce leads the Owls in rushing with 301 yards and three touchdowns. He also has three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. His 169 yards vs. UConn moved Pierce up to No. 8 on Temple's career rushing list. He now has 1,662 rushing yards. Pierce ranks No. 27 nationally this week in rushing (100.33 average).

The MAC honor is the fourth of Pierce's career and his first this season. He is the third Owl to earn conference recognition this fall. Sophomore PK Brandon McManus (Hatfield, Pa.) earned Specialist of the Week accolades on Sept. 6, while junior DT Muhammad Wilkerson (Linden, N.J.) earned Defensive
POW on Sept. 13.

Additionally, junior LB Tahir Whitehead (Newark, N.J.) earned Honorable Mention National Player of the Week honors from the College Football Performance Awards. He had five tackles, three for a loss, and a 10-yard sack against the Huskies.


Robinson (Harrisburg, Pa.), meanwhile, was named the Walter Camp Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week, foundation officials announced on Sunday.

In Temple's win over Connecticut, Robinson forced a fumble and returned it 24 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 8:28 left in the game. He finished with four tackles, including three solos, and two forced
fumbles.

After three games, Robinson has 12 tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

Temple (3-0, 1-0 MAC) travels to nationally ranked Penn State (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 25 for a 3:30 p.m. game at Beaver Stadium. The Big Ten Network will televise the game nationally.