In what some may consider a successful first year for Temple Head Coach Rod Carey, the Owls finished with a regular-season record of 8-4 (5 – 3 AAC) to qualify for their fifth consecutive Bowl appearance.
Now seemingly in the same position as they were last year, this team doesn’t have to worry about who will be coaching going into the match-up on Friday.
Coach Rod Carey and the crew understand the importance of moving on from last years loss to Duke. “Nothing equates because it’s a brand new year,” Coach Carey told reporters, “but there’s certainly a bad taste in these guys mouths from last year’s bowl game.”
The Owls have plenty on their plate going into this years Military Bowl match-up against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
North Carolina finished the season with a 6-6 record in the first year back at Chapel Hill for Hall of Fame Head Coach Mack Brown.
Brown returned after a six-year break, with his last coaching stint coming at Texas. His experience speaks for itself, a former coach of the year winner, even leading the Longhorns to multiple Bowl games including an appearance in the BCS National Championship in 2009.
In the Tar Heels last regular season game, they took care of business against in-state rival NC State 41 – 10. They’ve shown glimpses of how dangerous they can be to the opposition and multiple players have stood out with stellar production on the field this year.
WR Dazz Newsome tallied 64 catches for 947 yds and 8 TDS
Freshman QB Sam Howell has made a lot of noise with his ability to complete big plays throughout the season. He threw for 3347 yards on 60 percent in the air and his 35 Touchdowns ranks him among the best quarterbacks in the nation.
They also have gotten plenty of support in the backfield from their junior RB Michael Carter who tallied 159 rushes for 919 yards and 3 TDS.
When asked how they expect to game plan against this young dynamic team, the Owls are sticking to the same approach that got them here. “We just try to prepare for every game the same,” said senior linebacker Quincy Roche. “We try to prepare, come in and watch extra film and really study our opponent to a T.”
With North Carolina suffering only a one point loss against a top four team like Clemson, Temple will need to limit the empty possessions if they look to be victorious. If the Owls come out on top, it will mark their first Bowl victory since their 2016 Gasparilla Bowl win against FIU.
The game will be taking place at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium with kickoff set to begin at 12 noon. The broadcast partners for the Military Bowl will be ESPN as well as WHIP radio and 97.5 the Fanatic
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