Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A Strong Slate Notre Dame is set to face another top-heavy schedule of contenders in the 2013 season A By Dan Murphy n undefeated run through the regular season in 2012 should leave the Irish feeling confident against all 12 teams on the schedule this fall, but running the table for a second straight year seldom occurs. Here's our countdown of the next batch of Irish opponents from weakest to strongest. 12. Temple — Aug. 31 2012 Record: 4-7 (2-5 Big East) Last Meeting: Never Impact Player: Sophomore LB Tyler Matakevich — Last year's Big East Freshman of the Year made 101 tackles in the middle of the Owls defense. Matakevich was a rare four-star recruit to land at Temple and took over the starting job by the end of September. He'll be expected to continue to develop next fall. Outlook: Matt Rhule, 38, didn't bother to buy a home during his first few months in Philadelphia. The energetic new head coach — Temple's third in four seasons — slept in his office for most of the spring to try to set the tone for his new program. Rhule was an assistant under Al Golden, when the latter was raising the Owls from the ashes, before leaving for one season with the New York Giants in 2012. His job is steering Temple back toward an upward trajectory Sophomore linebacker Tyler after a 4-7 hiccup in the team's first year back in the Big East (which Matakevich earned Big East Freshman of The Year honors after is now the America Athletic Conference). Rhule plans to get more aggressive in the fall with an offense that compiling 101 tackles in 2012. photo courtesy temple lost 1,000-yard rusher Montel Harris. He even referenced Notre Dame's Brian Kelly after a pass-heavy spring game. Get used to it, he said, while giving credit to Kelly for sharing the same sentiment after an aggressive interception cost the Irish a home game against Tulsa in 2010. Spring Storyline: Temple returns two quarterbacks with starting experience, but sophomore Connor Reilly jumped both of them during the spring because he proved to be a better fit for Rhule's "pro-spread" passing offense. Senior Chris Coyer played nine games at quarterback last season, but was on the receiving end of two touchdown passes as a wide receiver during Temple's spring game. Incoming freshman P.J. Walker might mix things up again when he arrives for training camp.