Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/159744
Game Preview: temple Linebacker Tyler Matakevich made a team-high 101 tackles (67 solo) and earned Big East Freshman of the Year accolades in 2012. photo courtesy temple NFL's New York Giants as an assistant coach in 2012. In Rhule's absence, the Owls had a 4-7 record and the 107thranked offense in the country. He returned in the spring to pick up the scattered pieces — many of which he recruited — and to try to turn the program back around in the new American Athletic Conference. "One trait trumps all," Harrisburg Patriot-News columnist David Jones said when describing why Rhule was the right man for the job. "An asset that not many who've tackled Temple football can claim: Rhule seems like he actually wants to be here." Rhule proved that by spending his first month on the job sleeping on a couch in his office while he and his family worked on finding a house in south Philadelphia. But no matter how much time he has spent in the office between then and the open- ing kickoff in Notre Dame Stadium Aug. 31, there is still work to be done. Gone are the workhorse running backs that Rhule's offenses relied on to carry the load. Bernard Pierce ran for 3,570 in three seasons for the Owls before heading to the NFL. Last year, Boston College's all-time leading rusher, Montel Harris, took Pierce's place as a fifth-year transfer student. Now, Rhule's top returning rusher is senior Chris Coyer, who ran for 444 yards last season as the team's quarterback. Coyer moved from quarterback to the H-back position this year to make room for the new, pass-heavy offense Rhule is trying to implement this season. "They were going after mobile quarterbacks and athletic guys," said Keith Pompey, who covered the Temple beat for the Philadelphia Inquirer until