Temple is facing their first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday and so far, the Owls are taking it to Rutgers and lead 10-0 after the first half. The defense is pitching a shutout, with Gary Nova and the No. 15 Scarlet Knights unable to get anything going. Rutgers has just 110 yards of offense. Temple is coming off a nice comeback win over UConn, and Steve Addazio's club is trying to keep it rolling with a big upset at Lincoln Financial Field.
While the defense has bottled up Rutgers, the Temple offense continues to pound it on the ground as you would expect. Montel Harris and Chris Coyer have done most of the work, with the BC transfer rushing for 50 yards on 14 carries. Harris has yet to break a big one, but he's steadily picked up ground against a Rutgers defense that is obviously keying on the run. The opening score, however, would come through the air as Coyer dropped a four-yard touchdown pass to Cody Booth for the 7-0 lead.
Temple added three more points as the first half wound down. It was the defense that set up the scoring opportunity, forcing a Rutgers punt from their own end zone. Temple took advantage of the solid field position as Brandon McManus came through with a huge 49-yard field goal for the 10-point lead. The extra three points at the end of the half could be crucial in the defensive battle.