On a roll, Temple takes to high seas
ANNAPOLIS, MD. >> The last time Temple visited the state of Maryland, the Owls stopped a two-game skid. On Saturday, they will be looking to sustain some positive momentum.
Temple (3-3, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) faces Navy (2-3, 1-1) after winning three of its three of its last four games in convincing fashion — a streak that began with a
35-14 rout of Maryland in College Park on Sept. 15.
Navy, on the other hand, is seeking to reverse a negative trend. The Midshipmen have dropped two straight, including an embarrassing 35-7 blowout at Air Force last Saturday.
In a 49-6 rout of East Carolina last week, Owls quarterback Anthony Russo went 21 for 25 for
254 yards and four touchdowns.
Ryquell Armstead rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries before limping off the field in the third quarter. He returned briefly before calling it a day, snapping his streak of four consecutive contests of running for 100 yards or more. He has rushed for 626 yards for the season.
The 43-point margin of victory was the most in Temple history against a Football Bowl Subdivision foe.
“It was an impressive win against a really good opponent,” Owls coach Geoff Collins said. “We were hitting on all cylinders in every phase of the game.”
Asked what impresses him most about Temple’s offense, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo replied: “Unfortunately, there’s too much that impresses me. I don’t know where to start. Who do you try to stop? After a tough loss you don’t want to put on the tape and watch them play. That’s a scary offense, and they’re operating really well right now.”
Some things to know about the Temple-Navy matchup:
BOUNCING BACK
Navy needs to regroup after losing back-to-back road games with a bye week in between.
“We’ve got a lot to improve on as a team. We’re just not playing very well right now,” Niumatalolo said.
After losing to Air Force, Navy jumps back into AAC play against a tough Temple team that won last year’s meeting, 34-26.
‘A very talented team, a very physical team that has always given us trouble,” Niumatalolo said of the Owls.
DEFENDING THE OPTION
Navy managed only 129 yards rushing against Air Force and dropped out of the national lead in that category as a result, falling into second place behind Georgia Tech.