Temple's Studs And Duds Vs. Charlotte
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Following a last second win over the UMass Minutemen, the Owls had a week off in preparation for the Charlotte 49ers.
Even with 13 days to practice for this game, nothing could prepare them for what Hurricane Joaquin would throw at them. Torrential rains and winds with the temperature hovering right around 50 degrees added a whole different element to the game.
Studs
3. Jahad Thomas
One of the premier rushers in the nation was back at it on Friday night. With the sloppy conditions, Matt Rhule leaned on his bell cow and Thomas would not disappoint. After an appearance on the "Dud list" vs UMass last week, the Junior running back got back to playing quality football against Charlotte. Despite his long run of the night only being 14 yards, Thomas was consistent on 20 carries racking up 109 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The multi-TD game puts Thomas in the nation's top-20 for touchdowns and his 503 yards is also good for national recognition. He ranks 12th in rushing yards ahead of big name back Ezekiel Elliot.
2. Nate L. Smith
With Temple up 24-3 late in the third quarter they were looking for a spark to put the game out of reach. Following a five play, 8 yard drive the 49ers lined up on their own 33 yard line to kick the ball deep. The Owls burst through and got a hand on the punt. Then Nate L. Smith came up with a perfect scoop and score returning the blocked punt 19 yards for the Owls second returned block kick in two games. But Smith wasn't done. In a game played in a Hurricane, it was light on turnovers. Nate L. Smith changed that in the fourth quarter picking off Lee McNeill and returning it 74 yards into 49ers territory. That would set up the final points of the game as Temple won 37-3.
1. Tyler Matakevich
The Senior captain has been a stud all season long. 3 sacks vs Penn State, 2 interceptions at Cincinnati, and 8 tackles at UMass. The senior is looking to record 100 tackles in his fourth straight season. Against Charlotte he certainly helped his cause. Matakevich recorded 8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss against the 49ers. He consistently comes up with big plays on third down to get his unit off the field. He is the vocal leader of the team and sets the tone with his attitude and play on the field. Matakevich is certainly on the short list of players in line for the Butkus Award given to the nations top linebacker.
Duds
3. Special Teams Personnel
Temple has struggled getting the right special teams units on the field a couple times this season. On Friday night it happened twice. The first occasion occurred late in the first quarter. The Owls were up 3-0 and had just forced the 49ers into a 3 and out. Charlotte lined up to punt the ball but the Owls only had 10 men on the field forcing Matt Rhule to call a timeout. Following the timeout the 49ers ran a fake field goal picking up the 1st down and extending the drive. Who knows if the 49ers had that play called before the timeout or not. Regardless, not being able to get the correct 11 guys on the field is unacceptable.
Later in the game following Nate L. Smith's return TD, there was more confusion. As the Owls lined up for a field goal they only had nine guys on the field. They frantically waved for the rest of the grouping to get on the field. When the confusion was sorted out there was only a couple seconds remaining on the play clock. This forced Austin Jones to rush his PAT and he pulled it wide left. Against teams like Charlotte these mistakes wont hurt you, but when you look further down the road with difficult conference games to come and that big one on Halloween it is paramount to get the right guys on the field at the right time.
2. Robby Anderson
If you look at his stat line this would come as a surprise, 3 receptions 35 yards and 2 touchdowns. But in the first half when the Owls were struggling to get going on offense Anderson dropped 2 deep balls. The first one was slightly underthrown by QB PJ Walker, but still very catchable. This play would've resulted in at least a 50 yard throw and catch that would've set up guaranteed points for the Owls.
Later in the 2nd quarter Walker threw another bomb to Anderson, this time he was wide open and would've walked into the end zone for a 65 yard+ TD. Instead Anderson took his eyes off the ball resulting in another big drop. So in the first half Anderson dropped at least 110 yards of passes for a TD.
1. Rushing D
Coming into the game the Owls knew the strength of the 49ers was in the rushing game with Junior Kalif Phillips. Charlotte's desire to run the ball would only be intensified by the weather. Charlotte pounded the rock 44 times in the game resulting in 223 yards on the ground for over 5 yards per carry. After only giving up 45 yards rushing to UMass it was shocking to see the 49ers gash the Owls consistently on the ground. However, the Owls never gave up the big play and kept the 49ers out of the end zone, a good recipe for winning football.
Next up for the Owls in their homecoming matchup will be the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane beat UCF over the weekend 45-31, bringing them to 2-2 on the season. The Green Wave will look to air it out at the Linc with Sophomore gun slinger Tanner Lee. The Owls remain perfect at a 4-0 mark.
Andrew McDevitt works with the 94WIP Morning Show and is a graduate of Temple University.
