Hard Eight: Temple Rolls Over Akron for Eighth Consecutive Win

With a resounding 56-17 victory over Akron, the pride of Philly, aka the Temple Owls, recorded their eighth win of the season and their eighth straight win as well.

Temple moved to 8-2, their best record since 1979’s Garden State Bowl season.

After striking first, Temple committed two consecutive turnovers and faced a 17-7 deficit to the lowly Zips. The Owls resembled the Owls of yesteryears.

A bad bout of nostalgia manifested itself in the form of a lump in the pit of my stomach. Fortunately I was able to battle it off with the help of my newfound friend Bud Light Wheat (surprisingly decent—think Blue Moon on a budget).

However, this Owls team is not your daddy’s.

Coach Al Golden, whose Midas touch has resulted me in dubbing him the Golden Boy, appeared confident and quickly calmed down the Owls. The result—four unanswered touchdowns to cap off an impressive first half. Stellar freshman running back Bernard Pierce’s two-yard touchdown run was his 15th of the season, leaving him just one shy of owning the school’s single-season rushing touchdown record.

Despite a conservative, milk-the-clock second half, the Owls still scored three touchdowns. The offense moved the ball consistently, especially on the ground, where backup running back Matt Brown carried the load. Golden sat Pierce most of the second half, allowing him to rest in a lopsided win.

Offensively, the Owls played their best game of the season, if not the decade. They scored at will, often, and every which way. Nostalgia struck me again. Spring break ’06. But that’s another story for another time, and for another website (Penthouse Forum, I’m available!). Sorry, I digress. The Owls scored 49 unanswered points and enjoyed touchdowns by six different players.

While the offense torched the scoreboard, the Owls defense played phenomenal. Akron failed to score after the first quarter, and 10 of those first quarter points came off Temple turnovers. The defense throttled the Zips offense, limiting them to less than 250 total yards.

Though Akron is a bad team, Temple’s ability to come storming back after an early deficit and play a complete game is a confidence booster as they enter the home stretch of the season. The last two games against Kent State and Ohio will determine the MAC East winners.

With the Owls’ hot streak in full steam, Golden has the team poised for its first MAC title.