On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Temple football team beat Tulane, with a final score of 49-10. An audience of 35,179 people eagerly watched the game at Lincoln Financial Field. The team remains undefeated, with a winning streak of 5-0 so far this season.
After what started off as a slow start for the Owl’s (trailing 10-7 to the Green Wave), team running back Jahad Thomas ran in a 10 yard touchdown to retake the lead 14-10 in the second quarter. From there, there was no looking back.
Temple’s offense, defense and special teams clicked on all fronts and delivered a complete performance. Offensively, quarterback PJ Walker went 11/15 for 183 yards, and threw two touchdowns. Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead dominated on the ground, with two touchdowns apiece. The defensive line gave Tulane’s quarterback Tanner Lee a tough time, sacking him four times.
Most notably, Matt Ioannidis and Tyler Matakevich earned 6 and 7 tackles respectively. The defense also intercepted the Green Wave twice, running one in for a touchdown. Special teams also came up big with recovering a fumble off a botched snap by Tulane to get Temple inside the red zone.
The Owl’s secured enough of a lead by the fourth quarter that coach Matt Rhule was able to remove some starters and get their second string in for a few plays. At the post-game press conference Matt Rhule said he was “proud of the effort, proud to get the win.”
Across the board, Temple executed at a high level and took care of the Tulane Green Wave handedly. Keep an eye on Matakevich who has recorded 399 career tackles, who should earn his 400th in their next matchup against UCF.
After the big win, Temple moved up in the Associated Press College Football Poll to number 26, just missing the top 25. They have also moved up to number 27 in the Amway Coaches Poll.
At 5-0, Temple takes on the University of Central Florida Knights who currently stand at 0-6 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Temple will be heavily favored to win this game, which would take them to 6-0, and possibly slide into the top 25 teams of the nation by next week. Temple will also play against East Carolina University the following week, a solid team that sits 3-3.
These two games are all leading up to Temple’s toughest game of the year. On Halloween, Temple hosts the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, currently 14th in the AP poll. Predicted to go 7-0 until this matchup, the Owl’s will be sure to attract a big crowd to Lincoln Financial Field on Halloween.
Last season ended in disappointment for Temple, being bowl eligible and missing a bowl game. After finishing 6-6, it was not enough to continue their season, but the Owls are pushing through this year. “Leave No Doubt,” became the motto for the Owl’s this season, and so far they have been going strong.
This has been the best start for a Temple football team since 1974. The Temple Owls are continuing to make the city of Philadelphia proud.