Temple can't handle Scott in loss to Bobcats

Temple Owls 2009 ... Head Coach: Al Golden

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2009 Results: 9-3

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. W 34-32
11/13 at Akron W 56-17
11/21 Kent St W 47-13
11/27 at Ohio L 35-25

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

Nov. 27
at Ohio 35 … Temple 17
Theo Scott ran for two touchdowns and threw for three scores as Ohio won the MAC East title and will be off to play Central Michigan for the conference title. Scott connected with LaVon Brazill for a 65-yard touchdown and ran for scores from 17 and 43 yards away, but Temple was in the game for three quarters despite turning the ball over three times. Matt Brown pulled the Owls within nine on a nine-yard touchdown run, but it was all Ohio in the fourth quarter.
Player of the Game: Ohio QB Theo Scott completed 17-of-21 passes for 324 yards and three scores, and he ran six times for 69 yards and two scores.
Temple: Passing: Chester Stewart, 7-22, 92 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Matt Brown, 25-172, 1 TD, Receiving: Joe Jones, 5-39
Ohio: Passing: Theo Scott, 17-21, 324 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Theo Scott, 6-69, 2 TD, Receiving: Steven Goulet, 5-65, 1 TD
What It All Means: Obviously the season isn’t a disappointment after this loss, but after all the great things the team had done, this wasn’t the performance it wanted. The defense is far better than it showed against the Bobcats, while the offensive line did its job with Matt Brown doing a fantastic job in place of an injured Bernard Scott. The team got away with not having a passing game all year, but it was a killer against the Bobcats averaging just 3.6 yards per pass and throwing three picks. Fortunately, there will be one more game, the bowl, to make amends.

Nov. 21
at Temple 47 … Kent State 13
With Bernard Pierce out with a shoulder injury, Temple’s backups picked up the slack with Travis Shelton running for a 71-yard touchdown and a one-yarder in the third quarter, and Delano Green scoring on a 52-yard punt return and a 50-yard dash in the fourth as part of a run of 41 straight points. Kent State took a 10-6 first quarter lead on a six-yard Kendrick Pressley catch, but that was it for the scoring until late in the fourth on a 46-yard Freddy Cortez kick. Kee-ayre Griffin returned an interception 36 yards for a score as part of Temple’s second half scoring run.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Travis Shelton ran 18 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns
Kent State: Passing: Spencer Keith, 18-31, 232 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacquise Terry, 8-43, Receiving: Tyshon Goode, 4-65
Temple: Passing: Chester Stewart, 6-16, 124 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Matt Brown, 18-156, 2 TD, Receiving: Evan Rodriguez, 2-44, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Temple offensive line has to get the job done to get to the MAC title game. It was fantastic against Kent State, paving the way for 156 yards and two touchdowns from Matt Brown, and with Bernard Pierce out against Ohio, the offense will need everyone else to step up. Temple will go bowling no matter what happens in Athens, but it’s going to take a special effort to beat Ohio to play for the whole ball of wax. On a nine-game winning streak, the team has figured out how to get the job done when needed, but with nothing happening from the passing game, it’ll be interesting to see what Brown and the rest of the O can come up with.  

Nov. 13
Temple 56 … at Akron 17
Temple overcame an early 17-7 deficit with 49 unanswered points starting with a 22-yard James Nixon touchdown run before Delano Green came up with what would be the winning score on a 66-yard punt return. Temple started off the scoring with a 63-yard Michael Campbell touchdown catch on the first drive, and Stewart ended up throwing a second touchdown pass, a 24-yarder to Joe Jones, and ran for two short scores. Akron managed just 247 yards of total offense and got in the end zone on a nine-yard Andre Jones catch and a two-yard Sean Fobbs fumble return for a score.
Player of the Game: Temple QB Chester Stewart completed 6-of-11 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he ran nine times for 39 yards and two scores.
Akron: Passing: Patrick Nicely, 15-29, 99 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe Tuzze, 8-35, Receiving: Andre Jones, 5-41, 1 TD
Temple: Passing: Chester Stewart, 6-11, 145 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 19-97, 1 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 3-97, 1 TD
What It All Means: With this win, now Temple might get a bowl bid even if there’s a loss to Kent State or at Ohio. With the Bobcats continuing to win, the MAC East title will come down to the showdown in Oxford, but if the Owls keep dominating on defense and if Chester Stewart can provide some semblance of a passing game, even if there’s just a threat, then Bernard Pierce and the running game should be able to do even more. The defensive line is dominating at the moment while the running game continues to produce. Outside of the mediocre passing game, Temple has a nice mix.

Oct. 3
at Temple 34 … Miami University 32
Brandon McManus nailed an 18-yard field goal with three seconds to play to give Temple the win and keep the team’s MAC title hopes alive. The Owls needed the score to overcome a total collapse. Up 31-13 going into the fourth quarter helped by three Bernard Pierce touchdown runs, Temple couldn’t stop the RedHawks in the fourth as Zac Dysert threw two touchdown passes and Thomas Merriweather ran for a two-yard score to take a 32-31 lead, but the two-point conversion attempt failed. That would prove costly as the Owls marched in the final minutes to set up McManus for his score. Dysert threw for 426 yards and three scores.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 40 times for 178 yards and three scores.
Miami University: Passing: Zac Dysert, 31-51, 426 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Thomas Merriweather, 5-27, 1 TD, Receiving: Armand Robinson, 10-118, 2 TD
Temple: Passing: Chester Stewart, 6-11, 143 yds
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 40-178, 3 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 2-44 
What It All Means: The future couldn’t look brighter for Temple with two stars to work around. Bernard Pierce continues to be outstanding, rumbling for 178 yards and three touchdowns on MU, but he had to work for it with 40 carries. Meanwhile, Vaughn Charlton has stepped aside as a passer and Chester Stewart is the new quarterback to work around. He wasn’t out of this world, completing 6-of-11 passes, but he didn’t make the big mistake and he led the way to the winning score. The Owls just need to get past an awful Akron team to set up the showdown with Kent State for the MAC East title.

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.