The Temple Owls are opening up the 2014 football season tonight versus the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt fans are gearing up for the start of the Derek Mason era. The first year coach is taking over after two successful seasons under former head coach James Franklin. Franklin led the commodores to two seasons nationally ranked in the top 25, and is now head coach at Penn State.
A key factor in todays game for the Owls is to find a gel for the offensive weapons. Sophomore quarterback P.J. Walker had a breakout season last year despite the losing record. But after losing it’s receiving core, Temple will need to improve their running game, and depend on players like Jalen Fitzpatrick and Khalif Urban.
An issue Temple faced throughout the duration of the 2013 season was the lack of secondary defense. The Owls heavily rely on leader Tyler Matakevich, but the defense will need others to step up in order to have a successful season.
One thing that is not certain for the Owls is the position of starting kicker. As of Monday’s, press conference, coach Matt Rhule did not announce who will be starting at kicker. Rhule brought 4 kickers down to Nashville including sophomore Jim Cooper Jr.
To stay updated on starting decisions and other game updates, follow the sports desk on twitter at @TU_SportsDesk.
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