 |
| ERod's 54 yard catch-and-run. Photo: Tom Schoenewald |
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Temple made an emphatic statement for its football program Saturday with a 38-7 victory over Maryland before a Terrapins home crowd at Byrd Stadium that began heading for the exits long before the fourth quarter even began.
Junior tailback Bernard Pierce tied a school and conference record with five touchdowns in the Owls' first-ever triumph over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.
Temple's victory came just days after the program was linked to the Big East as part of the fast-moving, national conference realignment discussion.
Though Temple (3-1) played Penn State close last week, many wondered if the Owls were worthy of consideration for a Bowl Championship Subdivision conference, such as the ACC. Temple plays in the non-BCS Mid-American Conference.
Based on this performance, the answer might be a resounding yes.
"I'm a guy that's not much for B.S.," Temple coach Steve Addazio said in response to a BCS question. "I'm a guy that's based on facts and what is. And what is, is we are a hard-playing team. And we took a BCS win today.
"And Temple has a passion in Philly for college football like they never had before."
The Owls will probably receive more Philly love in the immediate future.
Saturday marked the program's biggest win since the Owls upset No. 14 Virginia Tech, 28-24, in Blacksburg, Va. in 1998. Back then, the Owls and the Hokies were both in the Big East.
Since then, Temple was kicked out of the conference and Virginia Tech joined the ACC.
Due to the current BCS landscape, it could be argued that this victory was bigger for the Owls than beating the Hokies.
With Pittsburgh and Syracuse leaving the Big East for the ACC last week, Temple's former conference is in search of some replacements. Until Saturday, the Owls were no better than a "Plan B" option to get back into the league.
"This win says the program has come a long way," said Temple middle linebacker Stephen Johnson, who finished with a team-high 11 tackles. "We have great coaches, great schemes, and we play tough."
They also play with arguably one of the nation's premier running backs in Pierce, who finished with 149 yards on 32 carries. Pierce scored on runs of 1, 9, 4 and 44 yards on the Owls' first four possessions of the game. His fifth score was a 13-yarder that made the score 38-0 with 10 minutes remaining.
"It's nice to know that I am back on top of my game where I should be at," said the 6-foot, 218-pounder, who was held to 54 yards against Penn State. "But there's always room for development. But you keep pushing forward."
More so than his individual performance, Pierce was elated that Temple posted its first victory over an ACC opponent. But if you didn't know it, you might have assumed Temple was in the ACC, and Maryland in the MAC.
"There is no need to sugarcoat things, we got our butts kicked today," Maryland coach Randy Edsall said.
The Terrapins learned why the Owls came in with the nation's fourth-ranked scoring defense (eight points per game).
Maryland (1-2), which averaged 31 points while beating Miami (Fla.) earlier this season and nearly upsetting No. 16 West Virginia a week ago, didn't score until 4:31 remaining. And that touchdown came against Temple's reserves.
Hitting him often, the Owls made things miserable for Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien. The sophomore entered the game averaging 318 passing yards.
He completed 17-of-33 passes for 153 yards and an interception against Temple. He was also sacked three times after not being sacked at all in the first two games.
When Temple wasn't disrupting his flow, it kept him off the field.
With long sustained drives, the Owls had possession of the ball for 41:01. And in the process, O'Brien took a backseat to Temple's Chester Stewart.
The fifth-year senior quarterback completed all nine of his pass attempts for 140 yards in his first start of the season. The product of nearby DeMatha Catholic High School also had nine carries for 43 yards.
Stewart's primary target was tight end Evan Rodriguez, who finished with five receptions for a team-high 96 yards. The two hooked up for the 54-yard pass to the Maryland 3 on Temple's first offensive play of the game.
"This was a great win and it says that Philly [Division I football] is on the map," Rodriguez said. "We are on the map. So don't take us lightly. Respect us like every other opponent."
