At the beginning of the season, Matt Brown was nothing but an after thought to fellow running back Bernard Pierce, who was coming of a stellar freshman year.
Pierce was getting a lot of local hype as a possible Heisman candidate, while Brown was not even talked about leading up to the season. He was assumed to get very few touches and only come in when Pierce needed a break, or if there was ever an injury to his counterpart.
Fast forward, now we are 2 weeks into the season and Matt Brown is Temple's starting running back. Pierce has struggled with nagging injuries that have forced him to lose touches so far in the season. Brown jumped on this opportunity, and has performed far and above his expectations.
In the young season, Brown has 102 yards rushing on 26 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per attempt. Brown has even added 22 yards on five receptions. Brown is also tied with Pierce at a touchdown-a-piece on the year. He has proven he can produce when given the opportunity.
Pierce has seemed much less effective this year because he hasn't been able to run people over like he did last year. Brown, on the other hand, has continued to work on finding the holes the offensive line leaves for him and sprint through for a big gain. Brown is the complete opposite of Pierce, a very small elusive back that doesn't need to run through defenders to get to open space. He is able to fit into small holes and get extra yardage. Pierce has to rely on yards after contact. However, Pierce has had injury problems this year that have made him much less effective.
Brown will get better over time with finding holes and getting faster. I feel Pierce may deteriorate over time and he will end up not running for huge gains because he can't run people over. If Pierce can't stay healthy this season, then Brown should be able to take over the starting spot for good.
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