‘I’m Shipping Up to Boston’ was blasting through the speakers at Edberg-Olson Hall as Temple was preparing for Boston College (3-1) this weekend.
The Owls improved to 2-2 with a win last Thursday night when they opened conference play against AAC opponent Tulsa. At the stadium it was Star Wars night, and the “Dark Side” (Temple’s defense) had the force with them all night long.
The defense held Tulsa’s quarterback, Luke Skipper, to only 22 completions out of 41 attempts, only 195 yards, three interceptions and zero touchdowns. His first interception resulted in Temple’s first touchdown.
With just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Ty Mason intercepted Skipper’s pass and took it 36 yards back for six points. With that touchdown, Temple has scored a non-offensive touchdown in each of their four games so far this season.
The defensive star of the game, Quincy Roche was also named AAC Defensive Player of the Week. He led Temple’s defense which caused five Tulsa turnovers, three coming off interceptions and two coming off of Roche forced fumbles. In addition to the forced fumbles, Roche finished with eight tackles and two sacks. One of which was a strip sack that came in the third quarter and was returned for a 50-yard touchdown by Karamo Dioubate for Temple’s second defensive score of the game.
“It’s a great feeling, you enjoy it this weekend. But we got a big game coming up, Boston College on Saturday. So, enjoy it on Saturday and Sunday and then prepare for Boston College just as you did the last four games,” said Roche.
Offensively for the Owls, QB Anthony Russo got his second crack at being the starting quarterback, this time in front of a home crowd.
Russo’s stats don’t jump off the page but he was effective when it mattered. He finished 7 for 20 with two interceptions, 112 yards and a rushing touchdown. Russo couldn’t do much with the ball because Tulsa owned majority of the time of possession. With Temple’s two defensive touchdowns and Tulsa’s third-down conversions, Temple relied mostly on the rushing game.
Ryquell Armstead rushed 24 times for 108 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season. It was his seventh 100-yard rushing game and his third straight. Armstead now ranks 10th all-time in AAC career rushing yards.
In his post-practice press conference, Coach Collins told the media that Frank Nutile isn’t 100% yet but he expects him to be, very soon. He wouldn’t give reporters a definitive answer on whether or not Nutile will be the starter if/when he is 100% healthy. He kept repeating that every day at practice, players are fighting for reps, players are fighting for their jobs every day. So, for now, Nutile’s status for Saturday remains in question.
Temple will square off against Boston College who are led by HC Steve Addazio, who was the head coach of Temple from 2011-2012. He had a record of 13-11 during his tenure at Temple. The last time Temple played a former head coach was in 1936 against Henry J. Miller.
The Owls are 2-0 all-time against former coaches, and they’re hoping that record remains undefeated after this weekend’s contest.
The last time these two teams met was in November of 2004. Boston College was ranked #19 in the country and bested the Owls 34-17. In the game, a freshman QB got limited playing time but would eventually go on to be the starter due to injuries, and later go on to be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in the 2016 season. He is Exton, PA., native, Matt Ryan.
The game is set to kick off from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, at 12:00 PM. It will be broadcasted on ESPNU and you can listen in on 97.5 The Fanatic. You can also listen in to student radio on WHIP on the iHeart Radio app and listen to the SportsDesk’s very own, Vince Coll as he analyzes the game.
Make sure to follow the SportsDesk on twitter @TU_SportsDesk to find our pregame report later this week leading up to game day.
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