Broncos K, Temple Grad Brandon McManus Talks Temple-ND
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Brandon McManus is having one heck of a football season.
His team, the Denver Broncos, is 6-0 and hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football this weekend.
But before the NFL's most intriguing game of the week, his college team---the 7-0 Temple Owls---will be at the center of the college football universe as they host Notre Dame on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
"It's funny, we're probably almost doing at the same type of way," McManus told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Thursday. "Temple's defense is killing it and that's how well our defense is playing out here in Denver. It's kind of letting our offense learn week-by-week, trying to get a little bit more comfortable and that's just how we're doing it so far."
Listen: Brandon McManus on the 94WIP Morning Show
McManus, a Philadelphia native and North Penn graduate, racked up a school-record 338 while kicking at Temple. Temple's current head coach, Matt Rhule, recruited McManus while he was an assistant coach. Now, Rhule has his team ranked in the top-25 for the first team since 1979.
"He [Rhule] told me this team was going to be pretty good this year, especially returning all 11 starters on the defensive side of the ball. And [Junior quarterback] P.J. Walker, I think this is his third year starting now. So they were just trying to wait for him to kinda come around and be a leader for this team. He [Rhule] said this team would be pretty good, but who knew they would be this good."
After winning the starting kicker role for the Denver Broncos this summer, McManus , 24, became just the third kicker in NFL history to make multiple field goals of 56 or more yards in the same game in Week 1. On the year, McManus has made 16 of his 17 attempts and all of his 13 extra point attempts.
The Eagles, with Cody Parkey and now Caleb Sturgis, have struggled at that position this season. And seeing a local product like McManus thrive in Denver, is bitter-sweet for many Eagles fans.
"When I was with the [New York] Giants [in 2014] and I was about to be released, I thought there was a chance I would end up in Philadelphia, but allegedly they might have blocked me or not since they're in the division and didn't want to trade me away to the Eagles," McManus admitted. "But I got the phone call that I was traded out here to Denver. Obviously I was excited to get my kind of first opportunity. Would I have loved to played in Philadelphia? 100 percent.
"Who knows, eventually down the road. Obviously kickers player forever."
As for Saturday night's huge college football showdown in Philly, McManus says he'll be watching and "may or may not have a friendly wager" on the game with two of his teammates---presumably David Burton and Ryan Harris---who went to Notre Dame.
