Editor's Note: Dick Weiss, a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, has covered college sports in Philadelphia and New York for more than 40 years. He will be providing regular commentary for the American Athletic Conference during the 2014-15 season.
PHILADELPHIA-- The American Athletic Conference has rapidly developed into a land of opportunity for teams looking to establish their brands on a national stage.
East Carolina jumped into the Associated Press top 25 this week after piling up 70 points on instate neighbor North Carolina from the ACC last weekend in Greenville. Cincinnati's sophomore quarterback Gunner Kiel, who threw for six touchdowns in his collegiate debut against Toledo will get a chance to raise more eyebrows when the Bearcats (2-0) play perennial Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State tomorrow in Columbus.
But there are teams just below the top tier in this fluid league, like Temple and Memphis, that are also taking steps in the right direction. Memphis (2-1), which is averaging 44.7 points per game, has received votes in the USA Today Coaches' poll for four consecutive weeks. The Tigers, who lost to 11th-ranked UCLA, 42-35, in Pasadena, will get another shot at street credibility when they play 10th-ranked SEC West power Ole Miss tomorrow in Oxford.
Temple, which developed a frustrating habit of disappearing defensively during the fourth quarter of close games during a 2-10 season last year, is 2-1 headed into its conference opener at UConn. The Owls appear to be headed for a winning record after a dominant 37-7 road victory over SEC opponent Vanderbilt and a 59-0 blowout of Delaware State to go with a close 31-24 loss to Navy and its triple option.
Exciting sophomore P.J. Walker, a high profile quarterback recruit from Elizabeth, New Jersey, who started seven games as a true freshman, has developed into a game-changer in a league filled again with spread offense quarterbacks . Walker has shown he can make plays for the Owls, who are averaging 40 points per game.
But the biggest difference in Temple football this season has been its markedly improved defense. Through Week 4 of the season, Temple leads The American in eight defensive categories -- total defense, (296 ypg) passing defense (107 ypg) pass efficiency defense (72.25) , scoring defense (12.7 ppg), turnover margin (+2.67 per game) , fourth-down defense (0.0 pct.) and red zone defense (50.0 pct.).
Before the season, Temple’s second-year coach, Matt Rhule, talked about certain things the Owls had to do better. At the top of the list was forcing turnovers. Last year, the Owls had 13. This year, they have 14 in three games, tied for first in the country with Notre Dame and Florida. Last year, the Owls had three interceptions all season. This year, they have already had two games in which they intercepted two passes.
“The biggest thing is creating turnovers, giving the offense more chances to score,'' said linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who led the country last year with 98 solo tackles. The 6-1, 235-pound junior All American candidate was on the field 85 percent of the time last season, out of necessity. This year, with improved depth, his numbers may be down a little, but he should be fresher as Rhule uses 22 players on that side of the ball.
“This year, in the fourth quarter, we haven’t given up a point yet,'' Matakevich said. "That's our brand now. Just being tough, getting stronger as the game goes on.''
Temple's defense is significantly bigger and stronger than it was in Rhule's first year, when he and defensive coordinator Phil Snow constantly found themselves plugging holes and rearranging positions until that unit grew up.
There is an edge to this particular Temple team that is reflected.in the tradition of awarding single-digit jerseys to the toughest players on the team. This season, the coaches awarded four of the prized numbers and the players chose the recipients of the others. By NCAA rule, offensive linemen are not permitted to wear single-digits -- which prevented Kyle Friend and Dion Dawkins-- from changing their numbers. Three players – Matakevich and wide receivers Jalen Fitzpartick, and John Christopher - retained their numbers from a year ago.
The biggest surprise was that a freshman – cornerback Sean Chandler – earned the respect of his peers in such a short time to receive a single-digit jersey.
Rhule had decided that the No. 1 jersey would be given the toughest player of the week, meaning it will be worn by a different player each week. So far, cornerback Tavon Young has worn it twice and defensive tackle Hershey Watson has worn it once.
Matakevich attended St. Joseph's of Trumball, Conn., where the helped his team win back-to-back state titles. But he was banged up most of his senior year and needed a year of prep school at high-powered Milford Academy to attract Division I offers.
“There's at least five guys here who were in school with me,'' he said. "It's funny. We have a combine at Milford every year and Coach Rhule, who was an assistant here at the time, came up and offered me a scholarship. That's how I ended up here.''
Matakevich will get a chance to go back home again Saturday when the Owls play UConn (1-3), which may have the biggest offensive line the owls will face all season..
"This team is going to try to test our will,'' Rhule said. "They just pound you and pound you.''
"I'm excited. I can't wait,'' Matakevich said. "It's not just going home. It's the first conference game. It's something we're really excited about. I know a lot of kids on their team.''
In a league with so many new teams, the Owls and UConn are familiar faces who have established their own tightly contested East Coast rivalry.
Two years ago, the Owls traveled to East Hartford and won a thrilling 17-14 overtime game at Rentschler Field when wide receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick tied the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass and Brandon McManus kicked a field goal to lock up the victory. When the teams met last year in Philadelphia, the Owls held a 21-0 lead in the second half, but couldn't finish, losing 28-21, in the cold.
"That was awful,'' Matakevich said. “We played our brand the first half. We didn’t play it the second half.”
The game, in many ways, was a microcosm of Temple’s season. The Owls won only two games, but battled just about everyone in The American down to the wire.
“It seems like we always have something to prove,” said Matakevich. “After last year, it just wasn't the year we wanted. Instead of being 2-10 we could have easily changed a bunch of games around. After the season, we just went back to the drawing board and figured out what we wanted to do. In the offseason. We just kept pushing each other.''
The loss to UConn last year was actually a turning point for the Owls. Rhule had them out scrimmaging for two hours the following Monday.
"I told them, 'You don' take winning lightly. You play to the end,’” he recalled. That weekend, the Owls went out and defeated Memphis on the road, 41-21, setting the wheels in motion for this rejuvenation. .
Forget about the fact most of the preseason polls have UConn picked eighth and the Owls 11th. Temple had no intention of finishing last this season.
"I think our kids understand now what it means to be in a conference,'' Rhule said. "We went from no conference to the MAC to the Big East to The American. Now, they're starting to understand the league. In a conference, you're trying to win a league. Don't get me wrong, the nonconference games are great. Our kids know UConn and they know what happened last year and all the years before that.''