Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: TEMPLE BY JORDAN WELLS I t was expected this preseason that Temple could have a strong year in the American Athletic Confer‑ ence. After all, the Owls would bring back all 11 starters and most of the backups to a defense that allowed just 4.75 yards per play in 2014, which tied with Louisville for 11th nationally. But no one — outside the Owls' locker room anyway — saw this start coming. Temple defeated Penn State by an impressive 27‑10 margin in their sea‑ son opener Sept. 5 and followed that up with a 34‑26 win at Cincinnati — the preseason AAC favorite according to the league media. The Owls went on to win their next three games to begin the season 5‑0 for the first time since 1974. "The mood is very optimistic," said Marc Narducci, who covers Temple for The Philadelphia Inquirer. "And really, it's been that way since they opened up with that victory over Penn State. Fans are feeling pretty good about themselves. "Temple hasn't always been a good draw, and for Saturday's afternoon game against Tulane, they got 35,000‑ plus. There's more interest and more excitement there. Once they beat Penn State — they were asked the whole summer about it because they hadn't beat them in over 70 years — and then the next week they beat the ON THE DEFENSIVE The Owls look to slow down Notre Dame with a veteran unit F ifth-year senior wideout Robby Anderson is Temple's go-to receiver, posting 19 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the season's first five contests. PHOTO BY JOSEPH V. LABILITO/TEMPLE UNIVERSITY