Owls Look To Move Closer To Conference Championship Birth
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Temple Owls have two games remaining in their regular season. The second game left on their schedule is well off their radar.
Temple will clinch a birth in the American Athletic Conference Championship game with victories in their final two contests. First up will be 3-7 Tulane on Saturday as the Owls go for their seventh win in eight games. Many fans are already looking ahead, but Temple Running Back Jahad Thomas insists he and his teammates are only focused on Saturday's contest.
"You can't look over any opponent," said Thomas. "In conference play, teams are going to get up and play their best no matter what's at stake for them or what's at stake for us. It's definitely a game where they feel they can come in and change the outlook of our season."
Tulane has yet to win a conference game this season and is in the midst of a five-game losing streak. However, Temple Coach Matt Rhule believes the Green Wave will present plenty of problems for his team on Saturday in New Orleans.
"They've done a nice job this year," Rhule said. "They've had a bunch of close ball games. Even some games where the score doesn't show it, it was very close down the stretch. They're a team that's 18th in the country in rushing and 27th in the country in defense."
Temple has had an impressive turnaround this season. The Owls dropped their first conference contest but rattled off five straight wins against American Athletic opponents. Thomas says limiting mistakes has been a big reason for Temple's success and the Owls must play the same way on Saturday to come away victorious.
"It starts with this week," Thomas said. "We've got to win this week by continuing to not turn the ball over and not to get penalties, then I think we'll be good."
For Rhule, the last two games of the regular season, a potential championship battle and a bowl game will be an opportunity to salute his seniors. Rhule intends to make the most of the final few weeks of the season for a group which arrived at Temple at the same time he settled in at North Broad Street.
"I wake up scared to death of failure because I don't to let them down," Rhule said. "This is my first recruiting class. The last thing I want to do is feel like I let them down as we go down the stretch."
