College Football Preview: Temple vs. Ohio

Temple Owls (8-2, 5-1 MAC) vs. Ohio Bobcats (7-3, 5-1 MAC)

Time: Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. ET
TV: ESPN2

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Last season, the MAC East title came down to this meeting, as the two tangled in Athens. Temple came into that showdown shooting for a perfect 8-0 conference record and 10 straight wins, while 6-3 Ohio looked to knock the Owls off of their perch and propel themselves into the MAC title game via the tiebreaker. The Bobcats did just that, blowing open a close game in the second half and rolling to a 35-17 win behind Theo Scott’s 393 total yards and five total touchdowns (324 passing, 3 TD, 69 rushing, 2 TD).

There’s no doubt that Temple will have that bitter defeat in mind when they take the field tomorrow night with a chance to put themselves in position to win the MAC East with a win at Miami of Ohio (6-4, 5-1 MAC) next week.

The only blemishes on the Owls’ record this season have come on the road at then-ranked Penn State, a 22-13 defeat that the Owls led 13-9 at halftime, and a 31-17 loss at Northern Illinois – also 8-2 and the league’s only undefeated team at 6-0 - in a game that was tied 17-all at halftime.

Since that defeat in DeKalb, the Owls have reeled off four wins in a row to put themselves in the thick of the title hunt in the season’s final weeks. As you could expect, their rushing attack, led by sophomores Bernard Pierce (728 yards, 10 TD) and Matt Brown (702 yards, 6 TD), has had a lot to do with that, but so has new starting quarterback Mike Grrardi.

Last time out in a 28-10 win at Kent State, Gerardi was 21 of 29 for 368 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, and he also ran for a touchdown. In four games, Gerardi has completed 54 of 81 passes (66.7%) for 871 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Temple has also gotten it done behind a defense that has been downright stingy in its last three games. After recording shutouts at Buffalo and against Akron, Temple forced three turnovers, surrendered only 223 total yards, and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown to handing the Golden Flashes their first home loss of the season.

So, Ohio’s up against it against a team that’s unbeaten at home, but the Bobcats are a good team in their own right. Ohio handed Miami their only conference loss, on the road no less, in a dominant 34-13 win on Oct. 23, and they come in with six wins in a row following a 1-3 start and five straight conference wins after losing their opener at home against Toledo.

The ground game has been a big part of Ohio’s surge. The Bobcats’ leading rusher, backup QB Phil Bates, has only 423 yards, but those numbers are deceiving when you consider that the team has run for an average of 215 yards during its six-game win streak.

Both teams are equally adept at stopping the run, as Ohio ranks 16th (115.9 rushing yards allowed per game) and Temple 21st (121.7).

The real difference here could be in the turnover battle. Both teams have more giveaways than takeaways this season, but Ohio is one of the most error-prone teams in the country with 24 giveaways (tied for 106th in the nation). However, the Bobcats are also one of the nation’s best teams when it comes to plucking the opposition’s passes out of the air, as they have 15 interceptions this season.

Whoever wins the turnover battle will likely come out the winner tomorrow night. Who will it be? I’m looking for the Owls to earn their revenge on the Bobcats, and for a second season in a row, head into the final regular-season game with a chance to claim the MAC East.

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