The Temple Owls (8-4) meet the Wyoming Cowboys (8-4) in the 2011 New Mexico Bowl on Saturday at 2 p.m. (TV: ESPN) in the first game of the college football bowl season. The last time Temple went bowling during the 2009 season, they fell, 30-21, in the EagleBank Bowl to UCLA. That game was the first bowl game in 30 years for Temple and a relatively short trip from home to Washington, D.C.
If the Owls are going to win their first bowl game in 32 years, they will have to get by a surprisingly good Wyoming team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Temple team has some players who played in the EagleBank Bowl on the roster this season. They believe that their experience will help them on Saturday.
Offensive lineman John Palumbo said
"I think two years ago we may have been too anxious," senior offensive lineman John Palumbo said. "We might have let everything become bigger than the game. (via CSN Philly)
Running back Matt Brown also thought their previous bowl experience would help
"I think it helps because we've been in a bowl situation before," junior running back Matt Brown said. "Experience is experience, and we'll use what we learned there and take it with us so we'll have a positive outcome." (via CSN Philly)
The Owls will be led by junior running back Bernard Pierce. He played in the 2009 bowl game for Temple as a freshman. Pierce had 53 yards rushing and a touchdown before being injured in the third quarter of that game. On Saturday, he'll undoubtedly be looking to finish what he started in 2009.
For more on the New Mexico Bowl, stay tuned to our storystream, or visit the Bowl Game's official website. For more on Temple football, visit our team page.