 TEMPLE 42, ARMY 14 “We knew that we had to come out early on offense,” Head Coach Steve Addazio said. “We wanted to establish the run and keep our defense off the field—that was our game plan.”
Returning from injury, junior RB Bernard Pierce rushed for a game-high 157 yards and three touchdowns. Pierce tied and broke the team record for rushing touchdowns in a season, formerly held by the 2009 squad, when he scored the team's 29th and 30th rushing touchdowns of the 2011 campaign. With just over five minutes to go in the game, the Ardmore, Pa., native broke five tackles on a 49-yard run en route to the end zone for his third six-point score of the game.
The senior class recorded its 29th victory since donning the Cherry and White in 2008. The win puts the seniors past the 1931 class, who previously held the record for the most wins by a four-year class.
Junior RB Matt Brown scored two touchdowns and racked up 133 yards on the ground on eight rushing attempts, including the game's longest play from scrimmage, when he sprung for 52 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Army held the Owls off the scoreboard for the entire third quarter, while cutting into Temple's 28-0 lead. The Black Knights put together a 17-play, 80-yard drive that finished with quarterback Max Jenkins' one-yard sneak into the end zone that made it 28-7.
After Brown put the Owls back up by 28 points when he sprinted for his second touchdown, Army responded with another 80-yard scoring drive. Running back Larry Dixon trimmed Temple's lead back to 21 points on his 15-yard touchdown run with 7:30 remaining.
The Black Knights continued to move down the field in the second half, as they made it all the way down to Temple's 16-yard line before turning the ball back over to the Owls when senior DB Kee-ayre Griffin picked off Jenkins' pass to put a cap on the game.
Making his second career start, sophomore QB Chris Coyer went four-of-five, throwing for 79 yards on the day. His longest pass was a 36-yard touchdown strike to fifth-year WR Joe Jones, which put Temple up 28-0.
Temple ran on 20 of its 21 first quarter plays, leading to 151 yards on the ground. Brown and Pierce each reached the end zone, helping the Owls get out to a 14-0 lead.
Defensively, senior LB Stephen Johnson had a career-high 16 tackles, while senior S Kevin Kroboth had a career-high 12 tackles, including a career-best 11 solo stops.
The Owls close out the 2011 regular season on Friday at Noon when they host Kent State at Lincoln Financial Field. The senior class will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
“It's terrific we got our seventh win today and that we have a chance to go compete Friday for our eighth win of the season,” Addazio said.
Courtesy of Temple Athletics
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