What to watch for
# A smash-mouth game. Army averages 54 runs per game. Temple ran 50 times against Ball State last week and averages 38 runs. Temple is 13th in the nation against the run (90 yards per game). Army is 40th (119 yards). Something has to give.
# Temple to keep feeding explosive freshman running back Bernard Pierce the football. Pierce, one of the country's top true freshmen, has three straight 100-yard games (all Temple wins). He has 15 runs of 10 yards or more in that stretch.
# The matchup between Temple's offensive line and Army's defensive front. Temple could rotate in as many as 10 offensive linemen. Army defensive tackles Mike Gann and Victor Ugenyi must penetrate and be disruptive. Gann has been a part of a tackle for a loss in five straight games.
# Army's offense to continue to ride Trent Steelman on quarterback keepers. Steelman has averaged 96 rushing yards the last two games. Army's fullback dives have been stuffed for an average of 3.1 yards per carry the last two games.
# This game may come down to a winning field goal in the final minute. Army's Alex Carlton is 4-for-4 on field goals of 40 yards or more. Temple's Brandon McManus is 1-for-5.
Army says
"We definitely are not trying to relive those previous experiences at Lincoln Financial Field. We definitely want to start a clean slate and break the losing streak there." ? junior defensive end Josh McNary, whose team has lost to Navy by a combined score of 60-14 in its past two trips to the Linc.
Temple says
"This is the first year we are a Division I scholarship team. The previous three years, we played at or below the Division I-AA level or the championship level...It was basically like starting a program over. We were 1-16 in our first 17 games and we are 12-12 since. We lost four of those on the last play of the game and six of those by a total of 12 points. We've been very competitive so now it's time to hopefully take the next step." ? coach Al Golden
# A smash-mouth game. Army averages 54 runs per game. Temple ran 50 times against Ball State last week and averages 38 runs. Temple is 13th in the nation against the run (90 yards per game). Army is 40th (119 yards). Something has to give.
# Temple to keep feeding explosive freshman running back Bernard Pierce the football. Pierce, one of the country's top true freshmen, has three straight 100-yard games (all Temple wins). He has 15 runs of 10 yards or more in that stretch.
# The matchup between Temple's offensive line and Army's defensive front. Temple could rotate in as many as 10 offensive linemen. Army defensive tackles Mike Gann and Victor Ugenyi must penetrate and be disruptive. Gann has been a part of a tackle for a loss in five straight games.
# Army's offense to continue to ride Trent Steelman on quarterback keepers. Steelman has averaged 96 rushing yards the last two games. Army's fullback dives have been stuffed for an average of 3.1 yards per carry the last two games.
# This game may come down to a winning field goal in the final minute. Army's Alex Carlton is 4-for-4 on field goals of 40 yards or more. Temple's Brandon McManus is 1-for-5.
Army says
"We definitely are not trying to relive those previous experiences at Lincoln Financial Field. We definitely want to start a clean slate and break the losing streak there." ? junior defensive end Josh McNary, whose team has lost to Navy by a combined score of 60-14 in its past two trips to the Linc.
Temple says
"This is the first year we are a Division I scholarship team. The previous three years, we played at or below the Division I-AA level or the championship level...It was basically like starting a program over. We were 1-16 in our first 17 games and we are 12-12 since. We lost four of those on the last play of the game and six of those by a total of 12 points. We've been very competitive so now it's time to hopefully take the next step." ? coach Al Golden
