Temple preps for another tough conference test at home

The Owls pulled off the impossible last Saturday–their first win over a ranked opponent (East Caolina, No. 19) since 1998.

Now the question arises. Can the 5-win Owls keep it going and get into contention to earn a Bowl berth? They’ll test that against Memphis at home.

“Obviously, coming off that game on Saturday, I thought it was a great day for Temple,” head coach Matt Rhule said. “[It was a] great day for our university, for our players, and for our fans. We appreciate everyone for supporting us.”

Friday night things won’t get much easier as the team tied for first in the AAC comes to town for the 7:30 p.m. contest, televised nationally on ESPNU.

“There’s a really good team coming to play here on Friday night and they’re in first place for a reason,” Rhule said. “Our hands are going to be full, we’re trying to get some guys healthy, trying to get ourselves prepared to play, and hopefully our kids will have their minds right, get their bodies as healthy as they can get them, and go out there and battle an outstanding team.”

The key will be Temple’s run defense, led by linebacker Tyler Matakevich, stopping the Memphis ground attack. They’ve accumulated over 200 yards in back-to-back games–both victories.