OwlScoop.com - Rapid recovery

October 24, 2009

John Di Carlo
OwlScoop.com Editor

When Temple running back Bernard Pierce left the field on a stretcher with a neck and shoulder injury last week just before halftime, the Cherry and White faithful understandably feared the worst.

Would he be lost for a week? A few weeks? The season?

None of the above. The injuries, despite the somber scene, were not serious, but Pierce was still considered to be "doubtful" by Owls coach Al Golden for Saturday night's game against Toledo at the Glass Bowl.

Well, Pierce went from doubtful to dominant in a matter of days. The 6-foot, 212-pound freshman was sensational in his return to the field, carrying the ball a season-high 40 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the Owls' 40-24 rout of the Rockets.

After starting the season 0-2, Temple has now won five games in a row. And in the midst of this winning streak, the victories keep getting bigger, and the records keep falling.

Let's start with the team stuff.

At 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference, the Owls are alone in first place and in the driver's seat in the MAC East Division race. Temple had previously been tied for first with Ohio in the division, but Kent State's win over the Bobcats earlier in the day has those two teams tied for second at 3-1 behind the Owls.

Beyond that, Temple has already matched last season's win total, and the Owls haven't won five consecutive games since coach Wayne Hardin's team did it in 1979.

Then there's the individual stuff.

It's not a stretch at this point to say that Pierce is on his way to becoming one of the most prolific Temple running backs in the program's history, and he's breaking more freshman records along the way. Former Owl Paul Palmer had six touchdowns as a freshman in 1983; Pierce already has nine seven games into the season. His 1-yard scoring plunge with 6 minutes, 49 seconds left in the first quarter broke Palmer's single-season record, and he got two more after that - a 39-yard second quarter scoring scamper that saw him go virtually untouched on his way to the end zone, and a 2-yard run in the third quarter.

Here's more: Pierce, with 766 rushing yards this season, has shattered Palmer's previous freshman record of 628 yards. And the last time a Temple player rushed for three touchdowns was 2004, when former Owl quarterback Walter Washington did it against Syracuse.

And the last time a Temple running back topped the 200-yard mark in a game? You'd have to go back to Nov. 16, 2002, when Tanardo Sharps tallied 215 yards on 48 carries in a win over Rutgers.

While Temple was fortunate enough to enjoy Pierce's return from injury, Toledo (4-4) was not as fortunate. The Rockets were hoping to have starting quarterback Aaron Opelt back in the lineup, but the senior's shoulder was not well enough to have him ready Saturday night.

And because freshman second-stringer Austin Dantin injured his ankle in last week's game against Northern Illinois, Toledo turned to third-string quarterback Alex Pettee against the Owls. The 6-2, 216-pound junior went 29 of 47 for 265 yards to go with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Temple, behind an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Vaughn Charlton to wide receiver Mike Campbell and Pierce's 1-yard run, jumped out to a 13-0 lead and never trailed.

Pierce started and carried the ball 17 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Temple won the coin toss but deferred its choice to the second half and forced Toledo into a three-and-out on its first series. Pierce's first four carries on the Owls' first drive went for 4, 15 7 and 7 yards before Charlton connected with Campbell along the left side of the end zone. Toledo safety Barry Church, who preserved the Rockets' win last week by blocking a 42-yard field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter, blocked Brandon McManus' point-after attempt.

Toledo drew to within 13-7 when Morgan Williams scored on an 85-yard kickoff return with 6:36 left in the first quarter. Pierce's 39-yard run made it 20-7, and a 30-yard McManus field goal pushed the lead to 23-7 with 9:58 left in the first half. The Rockets, courtesy of an Alex Steigerwald 48-yard field goal and a DaJuane Collins 6-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left before halftime, got to within six at intermission to keep things quite close.

But Temple came out and jumped on a Toledo team that had been outscored by 76-35 in the third quarter this season by scoring the game's next 10 points. A Pierce 2-yard touchdown run and a McManus 29-yard field goal put the Owls ahead comfortably at 33-17 after three quarters, and Charlton connected with wideout Jason Harper on an in route for a 36-yard catch-and-run touchdown at the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter. In celebrating the score, Harper jumped into the air for a flying chest bump with guard Colin Madison. The 6-4, 315-pound Madison won the square off with the 5-9, 190-pound Harper, sending the senior receiver to the turf.

Pettee tossed a 27-yard touchdown to Morgan Williams with 3:02 remaining to wrap up the scoring with Temple playing a prevent defense on that drive.

With Pierce toting the ball 40 times, Charlton needed to do no more than manage the game, and he did, completing 11 of 20 passes for 122 yards and his two touchdowns. He completed four of those throws to Campbell for 40 yards, and two more went to James Nixon for 20 yards. The pair nearly connected for what would have been a 50-yard touchdown bomb late in the second quarter when Nixon had his defender beat, but Charlton underthrew the ball. He later fumbled the exchange with center John Palumbo when the Owls elected to go for it on that drive on fourth-and-1.

Temple, owner of the MAC's top overall defense and rushing defense, held Toledo to 48 yards and 2.1 yards per carry. Linebacker Elijah Joseph led the Owls with 10 tackles, and defensive end Adrian Robinson recorded a sack and a forced fumble. Linebacker Alex Joseph's interception and 39-yard return helped set up Pierce's third and final touchdown, and cornerback Kevin Kroboth tipped a pass that was intercepted by fellow corner Marquise Liverpool at the Temple 2-yard line in the fourth quarter.

The Owls have a chance to extend their winning streak to six games when they play at Navy next Saturday.

Owl-ther news and notes: After Kevin Kroboth stepped into the role last week, Matt Brown gave Temple a jolt in its kickoff return game Saturday night, returning three kicks for 110 yards, including one that went for 47 yards. ? With Bernard Pierce leading the way, the Owls won the time of possession battle, 36:08 to 23:52. ? Toledo wide receiver Stephen Williams became the Rockets' all-time leader in receiving yards Saturday night, passing current New Orleans Saints wide receiver and former Toledo standout Lance Moore. Williams caught eight passes for 76 yards.

OwlScoop.com Editor John Di Carlo can be reached at jgdicarlo@gmail.com

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