Temple Owls
Mid-American Conference
Temple has turned into a relatively steady team in the MAC due to their style of play. The Owls can stay in just about every game with their prolific ground attack and their stifling defense. This group also keeps the turnovers down. That is how Temple won eight games this year and three of their four losses, including one against Penn State, came by four points or fewer.
2011 Record: 8-4, 5-3
Last Bowl Appearance: 2009 EagleBank Bowl vs. UCLA (L 21-30)
Big Wins: 9/24 at Maryland (38-7), 10/8 at Ball State (42-0)
Bad Losses: 10/1 Toledo (13-36), 10/22 at Bowling Green (10-13)
Coach: Steve Addazio (8-4 at Temple, 8-4 overall)
Bowl Record: 0-0 at Temple, 0-0 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Scott Loeffler
Defensive Coordinator: Chuck Heater
Strengths:
Bernard Pierce is one of the best running backs in the nation. He has put up some big numbers for a while now and will again in 2012. But this year the bruising 6-2 junior rushed for 1,381 yards and 25 touchdowns. Pierce was slowed by some nagging injuries late in the year, but by the end of the Owls season he was back at full strength and it showed. But the Owls do not rely entirely on Pierce. Matt Brown is a great change of pace back and he rushed 142 times for 867 yards and five touchdowns. Few teams have had any success stopping those two. On the other side of the ball, the Owls defense has again been stingy. They held five opponents to a touchdown or less and that is very impressive. Stephen Johnson is a great tackler and leader from his middle linebacker position. Defensive end Adrian Robinson and linebacker Tahir Whitehead led a talented group of pass rushers who are the most consistent in the Mid-American Conference.
Weaknesses:
The weakness on defense is in the secondary. Safeties Justin Gildea and Kevin Kroboth can make some big plays, but this unit gave up a ton of yards, and points, to both Toledo and Ohio. The secondary does get tested quite a bit in the MAC, but this is a team that did not have Western Michigan or Northern Illinois on the schedule. Those are two teams that may have been able to throw all over the Owls. Keep an eye on cornerback Maurice Jones early in the bowl game to see how he matches up with the opposing wide receiver. If Temple needs to drop back help, the Owls could be in trouble. And when the defense gets in trouble and Temple gets behind, there is not much this team can do. The Owls will go through an entire game and throw a dozen passes. And even then they could be spread out between multiple quarterbacks. Whether it is Chester Stewart, Mike Gerardi or Chris Coyer under center, this is not an Owl team that can move the ball with any consistency. If they need quick points, Temple may be forced to stay on the ground as much as possible.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, RB, 1,381 yards
Passing: Chester Stewart, QB, 743 yards
Receiving: Evan Rodriguez, WR, 427 yards
Tackles: Stephen Johnson, LB, 113
Sacks: Adrian Robinson, DE, 6.0
Interceptions: Justin Gildea, S, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 256.67 (7th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 123.25 (117, 13)
Total Offense: 379.92 (68, 7)
Scoring Offense: 30.08 (44, 5)
Rushing Defense: 122.58 (24, 1)
Pass Defense: 192.92 (21, 1)
Total Defense: 315.50 (15, 1)
Scoring Defense: 13.83 (3, 1)
Turnover Margin: .50 (26, 3)
Sacks: 2.67 (17, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.75 (53, 7)
