Temple Can Clinch AAC Title Game Berth On Saturday

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Temple football team can clinch its second-straight berth in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game on Saturday as they welcome East Carolina to the Linc.

The Owls control their own destiny, all they need is a win or a South Florida loss (the Bulls play UCF earlier in the day) to head to the title game.

Temple is 8-3 (6-1 in the AAC) after shutting out Tulane on the road this past Saturday, 31-0. This was the second-straight shutout win for the Owls as they outgained the Green Wave 533 to 142.

"I was really proud of our whole team," Temple head coach Matt Rhule tells KYW Newsradio. "I thought our defense went out there with a tremendous game plan, they had a lot of energy. Offensively, in the first-half we had about 260 yards, we were smoking, we just couldn't get the ball in the end zone quite the way we wanted. Came into halftime at 10-0, but there was no panic. I think our kids knew it was going to be a sixty-minute battle, when you go on the road, when you go to somebody else's Senior Day and they were able to put it away, 31-0."

Listen to the entire interview with Temple's Matt Rhule:

The Owls have now won five straight games, the last three by a combined score of 86-13. Last year's Temple team had a great ride, finishing 10-4, but they lost four of seven after a 7-0 start. So it's pretty safe to say that the Owls are playing even better at this point than they were a year ago.

"I've thought that for awhile now," Rhule says."I thought we had a lot of great things happen last year. Obviously, we had a little bit of adversity early in this year, but I think they've played tremendous football since then. The way we're running the football, the amount of points that we're able to score and then the way we're playing defense, I just am pleased with all those guys, pleased with the whole team in general and we have to keep it going moving forward."

The East Carolina team that stands between the Owls and the conference title game is 3-8 this year (1-6 AAC). The Pirates can score as they average 28.5 ppg.

"They are a dynamic, dynamic offense," Rhule says. "They have a kid, (senior wide receiver) Zay Jones, has (151) catches this year."

The problem for East Carolina has been on defense where they are allowing 36 points a game. In their last three games, they've allowed an alarming 55.3 points a game (all losses). Last time out, they fell to Navy, 66-31. But Rhule expects the Pirates to be ready for this one.

"They are going to come out, they are going to throw the ball all around," Rhule says. "They have lots of great athletes, they score a bunch of points, they just haven't been able to always put it together in a game. But we know that they'll come out and play their best football against us as they play their last game of the year."

Saturday's game at the Linc kicks off at 7:30pm.