September 13, 2015
We don’t cover too much college football around here, but Temple is sort of forcing our hand by getting out the blocks so quickly. On Saturday night, the Owls followed up their Sackenberg-filled domination of Penn State at The Linc by going on the road and knocking off the Fighting Kelce’s/Celek’s/Barwin’s of Cincinnati. In case you missed the game, here are the highlights:
It’s not often that a team wins a football game in which they are outgained 557-296, but they do tend to win games when the turnover margin is 5-1 in their favor. If those two stats cancel each other out, the Owls tipped the scales with big plays on special teams (kickoff return for a TD, recovered onside kick).
Temple had a star on each side of the ball in this one:
OFFENSE: Jahad Thomas, junior running back, who had 210 yards and a rushing touchdown from scrimmage to go with that kickoff return to the house at the beginning of the second half. It is a lot of fun to watch this guy run in space. The quick cut and simultaneous burst of acceleration on the return was mighty impressive.
DEFENSE: Tyler Matakevich, senior linebacker, who sealed the game with an interception in the end zone, his second of the day. A tackling machine, Matakevich the third player in Temple history to record 100+ tackles in three straight seasons in 2014. Barring injury, he’ll likely make it four straight:
Tyler Matakevich is best defensive player at Temple since the great Joe Klecko.@BlueStarMedia1
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) September 13, 2015
Joe Klecko (and his son/three-time Super Bowl champ/former Eagles fullback and defensive tackle Dan) is the cream of the crop when it comes to Temple football. Being compared to him is pretty darn good. But why stop at Klecko?
Dear Heisman voters: It's spelled MATAKEVICH. #Temple
— Roy Burton (@TheBSLine) September 13, 2015
Tyler Matakevich ... Heisman frontrunner. Like the sound of that. #LEGIT #WeTheT
— Jack Kerwin (@Rip1123) September 13, 2015
If the Heisman was being handed out today, I might vote for Tyler Matakevich.
— Kellen Livingstone (@Kellencujo) September 13, 2015
On a more serious note, winning at Cincy is a really big deal. The Bearcats were almost unanimously picked as the best team in the AAC before the season, not just the top squad in the East Division. Holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over them helps Temple’s chances to play in the conference championship game immensely. Take a look at some of the “expert” preseason predictions:
Even the league's coaches picked Temple fifth. Coaching Temple has always been an interesting spot, because if you have any sort of success, you bolt for greener pastures. Al Golden is on the hot seat at Miami, but he still got the job at The U right after coaching on Broad Street. Steve “Guys Being Dudes” Addazio just had his contract extended through 2020 at Boston College. If Rhule keeps this type of success up, he will assuredly get some pretty good offers this offseason.
The Owls’ next three games (UMass, Charlotte, and Tulane) are very winnable, so there is a very good chance Temple is 5-0 when UCF comes to The Linc on October 17th. Win that one and a tricky road game at East Carolina the following week (which aren’t gimme’s at all) and…
Yup, there is a legitimate chance that Temple is undefeated when Notre Dame rolls into Philly on Halloween. What a time to be alive.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
