Maryland @ Temple preview
Lincoln Financial Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2011 ) Temple 38, Maryland 7
After closing out last season with four consecutive victories and winning its 2012 opener, Temple looks to extend its run of good fortune to six on Saturday when it hosts Maryland at Lincoln Financial Field. Second-year coach Steve Addazio saw his club cruise to a 41-10 triumph over city rival Villanova last week, and he'll need to keep his young charges from looking past the Terps to next week's tilt with Penn State. Matt Brown should follow former Owl and current Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce's path as Temple rolled up 301 yards on the ground in last season's emphatic 38-7 victory over the Terrapins in College Park. The 5-foot-5 Brown took the first step in that direction last week by rushing 19 times for a game-high 145 of his team's 301 yards on the ground. Maryland's offense is in flux as true freshman quarterback Perry Hills gets his feet wet. Hills was intercepted three times in last week's ugly 7-6 victory over FCS member William & Mary.
TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Temple -10
ABOUT MARYLAND (1-0, 0-0 ACC): Coach Randy Edsall knows that Hills' development will take time. Such is the hand he's been dealt after Danny O’Brien transferred to Wisconsin and C.J. Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Hills, who completed 16 of 24 passes for 145 yards, authored a fourth-quarter drive capped by Justus Pickett's 6-yard touchdown, as the Terrapins held on against the visiting Tribe. Pickett, a sophomore, led Maryland with 11 carries for 45 yards and supplanted freshman Albert Reid as the team's starter.
ABOUT TEMPLE (1-0, 0-0 Big East): Quarterback Chris Coyer wasn't too impressive with his arm, but the 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior used his sizable frame to rush 13 times for 80 yards against Villanova. Vaughn Carraway made his presence felt on defense with a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown and forced another turnover two plays later. The senior defensive back could wreak havoc on a Maryland club which is inconsistent at best on offense. Kicker/punter Brandon McManus earned Big East special teams player of the week honors for after connecting on a pair of field-goal attempts to set Temple's career record of 48.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Temple RB Montel Harris strained his hamstring versus the Wildcats, but is considered day-to-day after participating in practice this week.
2. Maryland was unable to get untracked on the ground in last year's meeting, rushing 23 times for 45 yards.
3. The Owls have won 16 of their last 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
PREDICTION: Temple 35, Maryland 7