ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -A year ago, Temple lost its best shot at a bowl game when it blew a 20-point lead and lost to Navy in overtime.
The Owls (5-2) couldn’t ask for a better shot at redemption. Once again Navy stands between them and bowl eligibility.
“We talked about that game a lot in the offseason,” Temple coach Al Golden said. “It’s easy for people to say forget a game like that. I wanted our players to remember it. Losing in the manner that we did I want them to understand what went wrong and what needs to change for us to come out on top this season.”
Temple hasn’t played in a bowl since the 1979 Garden State Bowl. Navy has been to seven in a row, and the Midshipmen (6-2) are rolling again this season, with a five-game winning streak.
The Owls have one, too. Though they haven’t had a winning season since going 7-4 in 1990.
we come as hungry as they do.”
Last year, Temple took a 27-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Navy quickly ate up most of the distance, but the Owls were clinging to a 27-20 lead and had the ball with less than a minute remaining when Ross Pospisil stripped the ball from Kee-ayre Griffin.
Clint Sovie scooped it up and raced 42 yards into the end zone to tie the score with 37 seconds remaining and went on to win in overtime.
“We played really well for three quarters, but we didn’t know how to finish. We didn’t have quite the leadership or the experience to hold it together,” Golden said.
That may be different this year.
Running by behind a massive offensive line, tailback Bernard Pierce has already established school records for a freshman with 766 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Pierce is big, he’s fast, has great vision and makes great cuts. He has the power to get the tough yards inside and the speed to hurt you on the perimeter,” Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green said.
Junior tackle Darius Morris and junior guard Colin Madison anchor the right side of a Temple offensive line that features five returning starters and averages 310 pounds per man.
“They’re the biggest offensive line we’ll see all season. This is the one team in which everyone on the starting five is over 300 pounds. They just try to maul you, get on you, push you and the back does a good job of finding the hole,” Niumatalolo said.
Even so, Navy’s option attack averages 140 more yards per game than the Owls’ 146. The Mids have to contend with the nation’s 15th-best run defense though, at 97.3 yards per game.
“We’ve been pretty good against the run all season, but this is the greatest test of them all. Nobody executes that system better than Navy,” Golden said. “That offense never goes backward. There are no penalties, no sacks, no tackles for loss – no negative plays whatsoever.”
Sophomore Kriss Proctor will make his second straight start at quarterback in place of Ricky Dobbs, who has an injured knee.
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