Temple & Pierce outrush Navy

Temple Owls 2009 ... Head Coach: Al Golden

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2009 Results: 6-2

9/3 Villanova L 27-24
9/10 OPEN DATE
9/19 at Penn St L 31-6
9/26 Buffalo W 37-13
10/3 at Eastern Mich W 24-12
10/10 Ball St W 24-19
10/17 Army W 27-13
10/24 at Toledo W 40-24
10/31 at Navy W 27-24
11/5 Miami Univ.
11/13 at Akron
11/21 Kent State
11/27 at Ohio

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Results: 5-7

8/29 at Army W 35-7
9/6 Connecticut L 12-9 OT
9/13 at Buffalo L 30-28
9/20 at Penn State L 45-3
9/27 Western Mich L 7-3
10/4 at Miami Univ. W 28-10
10/11 at Central Mich L 24-14
10/21 Ohio W 14-10
10/25 OPEN DATE
11/1 at Navy L 33-27 OT
11/8 OPEN DATE
11/12 at Kent State L 41-38
11/22 Eastern Mich W 35-32
11/29 Akron W 27-6

Temple Owls

Oct. 31
Temple 27 … at Navy 24
Temple became bowl eligible for the first time since 1990 as Bernard Pierce ran for 267 yards with scores from 68 and 41 yards out, and James Nixon returns a kickoff 100 yards for a score. Navy got two short scoring runs in the second half from Vince Murray and Kriss Proctor to go up 24-17, but Temple scored the final ten points for the win. Temple outgained Navy 311 yards to 254.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 29 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns
Navy: Passing: Kriss Proctor, 2-4, 27 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Vince Murray, 33-115, 1 TD, Receiving: Mario Washington, 1-31
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 5-17, 37 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 29-267, 2 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 2-24
What It All Means: Temple really and truly is bowl eligible. The Owls are doing it with great defense and Bernard Pierce, who’s carrying the offense. The passing game continues to be miserable with Vaughn Charlton struggling yet again with just 37 yards and two interceptions, but Pierce carried the load and the D came through when it had to. On a six-game winning streak, now it’s back to MAC play with winnable games against bad Miami and Akron teams up next before the showdown with Kent State.  

Oct. 24
Temple 40 … at Toledo 24
Bernard Pierce was supposed to be out hurt, but the Owl freshman ran for a career-high 212 yards and scoring from one, 39, and two yards out. Toledo got an 85-yard kickoff return for a score from Morgan Williams after Pierce’s one-yard score, and made it interesting with a 48-yard Alex Steigerwald field goal and a six-yard DaJuane Collins touchdown run to pull within six at halftime. And then Temple took over with 17 straight points highlighted by a 36-yard Jason Harper touchdown catch. Williams added a 27-yard touchdown catch, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 40 times for 212 yards and three scores.
Toledo: Passing: Alex Pettee, 29-47, 265 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: DaJuane Collins, 17-59, 1 TD, Receiving: Stephen Williams, 8-76
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 11-20, 122 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 40-212, 3 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 4-40, 1 TD
What It All Means: Wasn’t Bernard Pierce supposed to be hurt? Expected to miss time banged up, the star freshman carried the Owls yet again with a MAC Player of the Year-like 40-carry, 212-yard day with three scores. Now on a five-game winning streak with Miami and Akron up next in MAC play, the East is there for the taking. If the run defense keeps playing like it did against the Rockets, the Owls will be playing Central Michigan for the title. 

Oct. 17
at Temple 27 … Army 13
Temple’s defense came up with a big fourth down stop and had an interception helped out by replay to give the program its fourth win in a row. Bernard Pierce ran for a one-yard score and Jason Harper caught a 37-yard scoring pass to give Temple an early lead, but two Alex Carlton field goals and a four-yard Ali Villanueva touchdown catch tied it going into the fourth. Vaughn Charlton connected with Steve Maneri for a six-yard score and Kee-ayre Griffin ran for a one-yard touchdown to put the game away.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 11 times for 65 yards and a score
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 5-5, 56 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 19-67, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 4-62, 1 TD
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 8-14, 115 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 11-65, 1 TD, Receiving: Jason Harper, 2-42, 1 TD
What It All Means: Temple has its longest winning streak in 24 years, four games, but it lost its star, RB Bernard Pierce, to a shoulder injury and now the offense is a big concern. If the attack has to rely on Vaughn Charlton and the passing game on a regular basis, and asks for him to complete 8-of-14 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns every game, there will be problems. The offense will have to open it up a bit to get by Toledo, and if Pierce isn’t part of the attack, Temple can’t keep up. 

Oct. 10
at Temple 24 … Ball State 19
Bernard Pierce ran for 125 yards, setting a Temple record as the first freshman with three straight 100-yard games, and he ran for scores from two and three yards out to pull Temple away in the second half. The Owls held an early 10-0 lead on a 28-yard James Nixon catch, but Ball State came back in the third with a 50-yard Torieal Gibson touchdown grab and a Eric Williams fumble recovery in the end zone And then Pierce took over with his two scoring runs. Temple’s Jaiquawn Jarrett picked off two passes and recovered a fumble in the end zone.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 26 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Ball State: Passing: Kelly Page, 22-37, 237 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: MiQuale Lewis, 9-54, Receiving: Briggs Orsbon, 10-82
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 17-30, 186 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 26-125, 2 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 4-35
What It All Means: Bernard Pierce has been a godsend. The freshman running back has taken the offense on his shoulders and allowed QB Vaughn Charlton to settle down and not have to press. Most importantly for a Temple team that struggles to consistently crank out yards, Pierce has helped with time of possession, with the Owls holding the ball for over 37 minutes against Ball State. 3-0 in conference play, the team takes a week off against Army before going on the road to deal with Toledo in a key showdown.

Oct. 3
Temple 24 … at Eastern Michigan 12
Bernard Pierce ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns, with the two scores coming in the first quarter on the way to a 21-0 lead as Temple won a surprising breather. Eastern Michigan, who was without starting QB Andy Schmitt, sputtered offensively with just 280 yards of total offense and two second quarter field goals before finally getting into the end zone in the final moments on a one-yard Terrence Blevins run.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 25 times for 180 yards and two scores
Eastern Michigan: Passing: Kyle McMahon, 25-36, 230 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Priest, 12-14, Receiving: Jacory Stone, 8-85
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 9-18, 123 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 25-180, 2 TD, Receiving: Jason Harper, 3-83
What It All Means: The Owls have found something in Bernard Pierce. He has changed the face of the offense and has taken all the pressure off of Vaughn Charlton and the woeful passing game by running for 116 yards against Buffalo and 180 yards against EMU. The Owls came up with a whale of a defensive performance on the road, and while it was only against Eastern Michigan, it was a huge victory with home games against Ball State and Army up next. There’s a chance to go on a nice run and completely turn around the season after a rough start. 

Sept. 26
at Temple 37 … Buffalo 13
Elijah Joseph returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown and James Nixon scored on a 92-yard kickoff return as Temple got revenge for last year’s Hail Mary loss to the Bulls. UB held a 6-3 lead before Nixon gave the Owls the lead for good, and Joseph added to the Owl run of 27 straight points with just seven seconds to play in the first half. Buffalo got its lone touchdown on a six-yard Marcus Rivers touchdown catch.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 20 times for 116 yards and a score.
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 26-41, 281 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 8-31, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 9-120
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 6-17, 95 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 20-116, 1 TD, Receiving: Evan Rodriguez, 3-17, 1 TD 
What It All Means: After the ugly way the season started, the Owls needed a win no matter how it looked. The defense came up big time and again to stop Buffalo from ever getting back in the game, but there has to be a huge concern with the offense. Vaughn Charlton and the passing game were awful, and while Bernard Pierce ran well to provide something for the Bulls to deal with, Charlton can’t complete 6-of-17 passes if the Owls are going to beat Eastern Michigan next week.

Sept. 19
at Penn State 31 ... Temple 6
Penn State got up 21-3 in the first half helped by two short touchdown passes from Daryll Clark and a seven-yard scoring run from Evan Royster. Temple was never in the game, registering just two field goals, but managed to pull within 18 in the third quarter before the Nittany Lions put the game away. Sean Lee and Josh Hull combined for 25 tackles for Penn State.
Player of the Game: Penn State RB Evan Royster ran 19 times for 134 yards and a score
Penn State: Passing: Daryll Clark, 16-26, 167 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Evan Royster, 19-134, 1 TD, Receiving: Chaz Powll, 4-40
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 15-33, 205 yds
Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, 11-42, Receiving: Joe Jones, 4-75
What It All Means: Temple is still generating decent pressure up front, even in the losses. The offense isn't doing much of anything, Penn State's defense had a lot to do with that, but the defense did a decent job with Elijah Joseph coming up with a sack and two tackles to lead the way. At some point, someone on offense has to step up and become a playmaker, and that has to happen in the MAC opener against Buffalo.

Sept. 3
Villanova 27 … at Temple 24
Temple blew a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter with Villanova’s Nick Yako nailing a 32-yard field goal as time ran out for the upset to win the Mayor’s Cup. Chris Whitney threw three touchdown passes for the Wildcats with a six-yard strike to Brandyn Harvey with 1:24 to play, and then John Dempsey gave the offense back with one of three picks thrown by Temple’s Vaughn Charlton. Charlton threw three touchdown passes including a 75-yard pass to James Nixon.
Player of the Game: Villanova QB Chris Whitney completed 24 of 35 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 17 times for 33 yards.
Villanova: Passing: Chris Whitney, 24-35, 278 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chris Whitney, 17-33, Receiving: Brandyn Harvey, 9-142, 1 TD
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 19-28, 317 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kee-ayre Griffin, 21-70, 1 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 5-93, 1 TD
What It All Means: Temple got a big game out of QB Vaughn Charlton, who had a nice all-around game outside of the three crushing interceptions. The pass rush was more than fine, coming up with five sacks, and the running game was serviceable, but the five turnovers cost the Owls the game. On the plus side, even though the D gave up yards late, it was a decent all-around performance and was something to build on. Going forward, after the sure loss to Penn State next week, the offense has to do a far better job of holding on to the ball or this will be another lost season in a big hurry.