Don't get me wrong, coming out with the victory at the end is a perfect ending, but it appeared that Villanova was the better team for almost the whole game. Temple's defense didn't match up well early on against 'Nova's option-style offense, but at the same time, the Owls didn't allow them to break off a big play. As mentioned before, junior Matt Szczur was held in check for the most part, only compiling 15 yards on five attempts, and 16 receiving yards on five catches.
The one big play for 'Nova came in the fourth quarter when Chris Witney found Norman White in the corner of the endzone on a fade route 21 yards out. The touchdown gave the Wildcats a 21-13 lead, and took the breath out of every Temple fan at Lincoln Financial Field.
But as we all know from the college football atmosphere, the swing of emotions, going from an eruption of cheers from the Villanova student sections to the bickering of every single Temple fan in attendance, the momentum for each side seemed to bounce back-and-forth throughout the fourth quarter.
Going into the game, all eyes were on sophomore running back Bernard Pierce. Unfortunately, he didn't live up to his expectations, running for 75 yards on 20 attempts. But Temple did score on the ground despite Pierce's inability to find the endzone. Matt Brown scored on a 17 yard run in the first quarter to give Temple it's first points of the new season.
But let's not kid ourselves, the biggest star of the game wasn't a member of the offense, or even the defense, it was kicker Brandon McManus. Sure, he nailed a 53 yard field to close out the first half with ease, and he did convert on a 44 yard field goal in the third quarter and a 40 yard field goal to close the gap to five points int the fourth quarter, but that's not what earned him player of the game. With :08 seconds on the clock, McManus did the improbable, and capped off a late Temple drive on a 43 yard field goal to give Temple the W.
To make things even better, Temple followed that field goal up with a 26 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown following Villanova's last ditch effort to score on the final play of the game. The 31-24 victory, though not a perfect win, is a great way to start the season off for the Cherry & White.
While I was in attendance at the game, I did happen to notice a few things regarding Temple:
- Quarterback Chester Stewart, who went 16-for-27 with 200 yards, including a 62 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, seemed to favor his right side when throwing the ball. Villanova appeared to have noticed this, and began to press on Temple's receivers to the right. The odd tendency, however, was overcome when Stewart connected with Michael Campbell on his left side for the late touchdown. I will continue to watch Stewart's vision, and see if he continues to favor his right side.
- Heisman hopeful Bernard Pierce definitely didn't seem up to speed in the opener. He wasn't hitting the holes (though, he didn't have much run blocking), and seemed to lack any break away speed. He did have a couple nice runs, including a late fourth quarter run in which he barreled over a 'Nova defender. Luckily, Matt Brown was able to help out Pierce in the run game, and continued to prove himself as a legitimate runner in the college game. Consider Pierce option 1A and Brown 1B.
- Reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Adrian Robinson, had a great game. He made some key stops late in the game, and forced Chris Witney outside of the pocket on a handful of occasions. Temple's defensive line did a great job of not allowing Whitney to sit in the pocket and find the open man, and the one time they allowed him to do so, he connected with his wideout for a 21 yard touchdown.
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