2010 Temple Football Predictions
Temple heads into the 2010 season off a disappointing finish to the 2009 season
, as the Owls were one win away from taking home their frst Mid-American Conference title, but were unable to beat Ohio in the regular season finale. The Owls were invited to play in their first bowl game since 1979, as they took on UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl. Temple was unable to come away with a win against the Bruins and finished up the 2009 season at 9-4. This year they have 16 returning starters and many are calling for them to be the best team in the MAC this season. Here is a quick look at what the Owls will send to the field on both offense and defense, plus my thoughts on where they finish the year in the MAC.
Offense:
Temple's offense started and finished with running back Bernard Pierce, who led the Owls with 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns, despite the fact that Pierce missed the final regular season game against Ohio and was limited in the bowl game against UCLA. I look for Pierce to put up even better numbers in 2010, and he should once again lead the conference in rushing.
The Owls were pretty much one dimensional last season, as the passing game really didn't do much of anything, as 2009 starter Vaughn Charlton completed just 50% of his passes for 1,390 yards with 10 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. With Charlton making the switch to tight end this season, junior Chester Stewart is expected to take over the starting quarterback job, and I think we can expect better numbers out of this position in 2010.
While the Owls really didn't do much in the passing game, they do return their top two threats in the passing game in senior Michael Campbell and junior Joe Jones. There does figure to be some competition at this position, as junior college transfer Rod Streater and junior Evan Rodriguez both figure to be more involved this season. Also keep an eye out for Charlton, as he steps right in to the starting tight end spot this season.
The Owls should have a pretty solid offensive line in 2010, as the only change that needs to be made up front is at left tackle, where former right guard Derek Dennis is expected to step in and take over. The right side of the line is pretty well stacked with senior right guard Colin Madison and senior right tackle Darius Morris, both of which are two of the top players at their position in the MAC.
Defense:
The Owls have continued to get better on the defensive side of the ball in each of the last five seasons. In 2009 the Owls allowed just 22 points a game, and with seven starters back from last year, I think we could see even more improvements on this side of the ball.
The Owls figure to feature one of the best defensive lines in the MAC this season, as they return two extremely talented football players in junior defensive end Adrian Robinson and junior defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson. In 2009 Robinson easily finished with a conference best 13 sacks, while Wilkerson finished tied for fifth with seven. These two will welcome two new starters to the line, as sophomore Kadeem Custis will step in at the other end spot, and senior Elisha Joseph will team up with Wilkerson at defensive tackle.
The Owls also bring back a pretty talented group at linebacker this season, as they return senior middle linebacker Elijah Joseph and senior outside linebacker Amara Kamara. Joseph figures to be one of the top backers in the MAC this season, after finishing fourth with 63 tackles as a junior. At the other outside linebacker spot, look for junior Tahir Whitehead to get the first crack at the starting job, as Whitehead played pretty well in limited action a year ago.
In the secondary the Owls have one of the top safeties in the country in senior free safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, who finished second on the team with 736 tackles and tied for first in interceptions with three. Also back in the defensive backfield for the Owls is junior strong safety Kevin Kroboth and senior corner Marquise Liverpool.
MAC East Prediction 1st: It is going to be hard to stop the Owls in 2010, as they have exacty what you need for a successful season. The defense looks like it will be the class of the MAC, and offensively if Pierce stays healthy they are going to run, run, and run some more. I think the Owls will reach double-digit wins this season, and we will find out just how good they are when they travel to take on Penn State on Sept. 25.
For another look at how the MAC will finish up this season, check out our
2010 MAC predictions.
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2010 Temple Football Predictions
By: Jimmy Boyd
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