Temple at Miami Ohio: What Bettors Need to Know
By Marc Lawrence
Temple travels to Oxford to Miami in the regular season finale for both teams Tuesday night.
Wait And See
The RedHawks are calling it the biggest game at Yager Stadium since the Big Ben era and a national television audience will be on hand to see it when they host the Owls on ESPN2.
Miami is tied atop the MAC East Division with Ohio, with Temple one game back. The RedHawks do not control their own destiny because of their loss to the Bobcats earlier this season.
Besides having to beat Temple, Miami needs Kent State to top OU this Friday.
Most Improved Team
Regardless of tonight’s outcome, MU is bowl eligible and is also the nation’s most improved team this season.
Miami has six more victories than it recorded in 2009.
Coach Michael Haywood attributes this year’s turnaround to the seniors on the team.
“We’ve made great strides, but we still have a long way to go,” said Haywood, who has transformed a program that went 1-11 in 2008 and 2-10 in 2009 into a bona fide bowl contender.
“The seniors on this team are the bridge builders,” he said. “They’re doing a tremendous job of building this bridge for the young guys who are going to follow behind them, taking Miami football back to the traditional Miami football of winning championships and playing in bowl games.”
Haywood noted that the nucleus of the team consists of freshmen and sophomores, who made up 47 of the 65 spots on Miami’s most recent travel roster.
Miami’s ability to win close games has been huge. In games decided by seven or fewer points this season, Miami is a perfect 5-0.
A win tonight would leave Miami with its best MAC record since 2004 when MU won the East Division title with a 7-1 record.
Hoot toots
Residing in third place in the MAC East Division, Temple is bowl eligible for the second consecutive year and just the fifth time in school history.
Sophomore RB Matt Brown leads all rushers with 774 yards and seven touchdowns on 148 carries. Senior WR Michael Campbell is the top receiver with 700 yards and six touchdowns on 42 receptions.
In four starts, red-shirt sophomore QB Mike Gerardi is 82-of-129 for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns.
On the defensive front, Senior LB Elijah “Peanut” Joseph leads the defense with 71 tackles, while junior DT Muhammad Wilkerson leads the team with 8.5 sacks.
Battered And Bruised
For the second year in a row, Ohio delivered a bitter blow to the Owls.
Temple’s 31-23 loss to the Bobcats last Tuesday means the Owls once again will not go to the MAC title game.
"I'm not going to lie to you, it's a heartbroken team right now," head coach Al Golden said. "The coaches, too. We didn't take advantage of this opportunity, so that's disappointing.
“We have to finish. We have a long way to go. As a program we have a long way to go. We’re competing two years in a row for a chance to play in a championship game,” said Golden about his Owls this season.
“When I came here that’s what I said I want us to do, to be in the upper third of the conference every year. We’re going to keep moving the program forward.”
Adding to Temple woes was the loss of RB Bernard Pierce in last week’s game. On the first snap, Pierce took the ball off left tackle, found a bunch of open field and picked up 67 yards to the Ohio 15.
Pierce limped off the field, favoring his left hamstring and never returned.
Losing Pierce hurt.
"It's difficult," Golden said. "Obviously, you can tell it changed things. But they did a better job than we did, especially in that kind of weather. That's not why we lost. What we didn't do, we have to get that fixed."
The sophomore has carried the ball more than any other Owl this year but ranks second in rushing yards at this point. If he is unable to go, expect Brown to add to his team-leading rushing total.
Making matters worse, leading tackler Joseph was carted off the field with a leg injury.
Both Pierce and Joseph are listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
Pick Me
With the total amount of bowl games set at a record 35 this season, there is fear that not enough teams will reach the six-win plateau needed to make ‘bowl-eligibility’.
In all likelihood it may mean waiving the six-win criteria (seven wins for teams that own two wins against non-FBS schools) in order to fill enough slots.
Doing their share to help ease the conundrum, the Mid American Conference could find as many as six teams hitting the bowling alleys this campaign.
Included are Miami Ohio, Northern Illinois, Ohio U, Temple and Toledo - all bowl-eligible heading into Thanksgiving week. A victory by Western Michigan at Bowling Green Friday would give the loop a six-pack of qualifiers.
The Database Says
• The Owls are 2-13 straight up and 3-11-1 against the spread in games after a straight up loss as a favorite.
• Under Golden, Temple is: 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread versus Miami, and 10-3 against the number versus an opponent they defeated in their most recent meeting. Golden is 0-4 straight up and 0-3-1 against the spread in final road games.
• Miami is 1-4 straight up and 0-4-1 against the spread in its last five home games.
• Under Haywood, the RedHawks are 5-1 straight up and against the spread in games against opponents off a loss of more than seven points.
Tale of the tape: Temple at Miami (Ohio)
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks may be the most improved club in the nation from last year, but they’ll be in for a tough battle with Temple on Tuesday. Miami is set as a 6.5-point home underdog.
Offense:
Miami (Ohio) owns the third-best passing offense in the conference on the year, checking in at 251.1 yards per game, while completing better than 65 percent of its passes which tops the MAC. Redshirt freshman Austin Boucher threw for 213 yard in the club’s 19-14 win over Akron. The RedHawks average only about 82 yards per game on the ground despite about 30 carries a contest.
Temple’s running attack checks in at 157 yards per game on about 36 attempts while putting up 187 yards through the air. The Owls average 7.7 yards per attempt completing about 58 percent of their passes. Mike Gerardi threw for 311 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in Temple’s 31-23 loss to Ohio.
Temple puts up 27 points per game compared to Miami’s 19.8.
Edge: Temple
Defense:
Temple owns the No. 13 total defense in the nation and gives up only 18.7 points per game. The Owls yield 180 yards through the air and just under 130 yards on the ground a contest. Temple sits fourth in the MAC with 23 sacks and tied for first with 15 forced fumbles.
Miami’s defense isn’t bad either. The RedHawks sit 37th nationally in total defense allowing 214 passing yards and 128.7 rushing yards an outing, while giving up 25 points. They rank second only to Kent State in the MAC in tackles for a loss (80) and give up an average of 5.5 yards per play. Miami has picked off 15 passes, good for fifth in the conference.
Edge: Temple
Special teams:
Miami hits just over 77 percent of its field goals, while the RedHawks’ punt return averages just over five yards per attempt and kicks at about 20 yards.
Temple converts only 64.7 percent of its field goal tries and owns the second-worst punting game in the MAC that averages only 37.8 yards per boot. The Owls return punts at 7.6 yards and are solid on kick returns averaging almost 23 yards.
Edge: Miami (Ohio)
Word on the street:
“I feel the chemistry is definitely coming together. We’ve always had some. It’s not like there wasn’t any before. We’re definitely growing on each other. I throw it a little bit different than Zac. But they catch the ball, I throw it and we’re making plays.” – RedHawks QB Austin Boucher on getting used to working with his receivers after starter Zac Dysert was injured.
“You have to sit back and celebrate, our seniors are going to be the first back-to-back bowl team at Temple. They just tied the record for the most wins in a two or three year period. And we still have a few games in front of us.” – Temple coach Al Golden following the Owls’ win over Kent State.
Final score prediction:
Temple 24, Miami (Ohio) 14
Tips and Trends
Temple Owls at Miami Of Ohio Redhawks
OWLS: (-6, O/U 44) Temple has been considered the class of the MAC, but they are coming off a shocking home loss to Ohio. How will the Owls respond after being eliminated from MAC supremacy? Temple is 8-3 SU and 7-4 ATS this season. The Owls are 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS on the road this season. Temple is also 3-1 ATS as a single digit favorite this year. The Owls had been outstanding on defense recently, until they allowed 31 PTS to Ohio. Despite that poor showing, the Owls are only allowing 18.7 PPG, 14th best in the nation. Temple continues to be a running based offense, as they have 2 RB's that have rushed for 700 YDS each. RB's Bernard Pierce and Matt Brown have combined for 1,500 rushing YDS and 17 TD's this year. The Owls are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS loss. Temple is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game. The Owls are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games against a team with a winning home record.
Owls are 9-2 ATS last 11 road games overall.
Over is 4-0 last 4 games following a SU loss.
Key Injuries - RB Bernard Pierce (hamstring) is questionable.
Projected Score: 21
REDHAWKS: Miami of Ohio has had a tremendous season, as they are bowl eligible at 7-4 SU. Making matters even better is the fact that they are still in contention for a conference championship. The Redhawks were expected to be one of the worst teams in the nation, just like last season. Instead, they've been the biggest surprise in the entire nation. The Redhawks are 3-1 SU at home this year, and are playing their final game of the year at home tonight. Despite injuries and no established star, this Redhawks offense keeps moving along. Defensively, the Redhawks have held their each of their past 3 opponents to 21 PTS or fewer. Revenge is certainly on the minds of Miami of Ohio, as they've lost the past 3 meetings against Temple. The Redhawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following an ATS loss. Miami of Ohio is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games played in November. The Redhawks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win.
Redhawks are 4-1 ATS last 5 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
Under is 5-0 last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record.
Key Injuries - WR Luke Swift (ankle) is questionable.
Projected Score: 20 (SIDE of the Day)
NCAAF Preview
Temple beat Miami-Ohio last three years by 2-18-17 points, with dogs covering all three games (Owls were favored for first time in series last year). Three of four series games were played in Philly. Temple won its only visit here 28-10 as 7-point dog. Miami is playing in Oxford for first time in month; they're 3-1 at home this year, losing 34-13 to Ohio in last home game. Temple is 3-2 on road, losing at Penn State/No Illinois; they won four of last five games overall, losing 31-23 to Ohio last week.
CFB Preview: Temple at Miami OH
By Jeff Mattingly
Temple has a lot to play for despite dropping a 31-23 game last week to the Ohio Bobcats, considering a victory would give the school nine regular season victories for a second straight season and lock up a second straight bowl berth. At 8-3, many experts already consider the Owls a lock to receive a postseason invitation, but they would like to put their minds at rest and grab a win on Tuesday night. The program has won 15 of its last 20 games overall and has played just six true freshmen during the 2010 season after having the most freshmen in the nation see action in 2006 and 2007. Temple is 6-1 ATS as a road favorite over the last three years.
The Owls will be meeting the RedHawks for the fifth time and hold a 3-1 advantage in the series. Last year, freshman running back Bernard Pierce rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries to give the team a 34-32 win at Lincoln Financial Field. This year it’s likely that redshirt sophomore quarterback Mike Gerardi is going to play a huge role in the outcome of this game, as he made his third consecutive start against the Bobcats last week, finishing 24-of-42 for 311 yards and two touchdowns.
Miami OH is tied with Ohio at the top of the Mid-American Conference East standings at 6-1 and now must beat the preseason pick to win the division on Tuesday night. “We have one more game to play and the most important thing is playing that game,” said head coach Michael Haywood. “That’s the only thing we’re talking to the guys about. Temple. That’s the most important thing we have to do.” One impressive thing about his team this year is its 5-0 record in games decided by seven points or less. The team is 10-13 ATS against conference opponents.
The RedHawks are currently the nation’s most improved team and has already won six more games than they did in all of 2009 (1-11). Miami may be hard-pressed to improve upon that mark, as backup redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Boucher will get the start, after Zac Dysert got knocked out with a lacerated spleen last week. The team is likely to draw inspiration from its senior class in trying to overcome the big loss. “The seniors on this team are the bridge builders,” said Haywood. “They’re doing a tremendous job of building this bridge for the young guys.”
Bettors may elect to back the Owls due toe their 9-2 ATS mark on the road, while the RedHawks are 1-2 ATS as a home underdog of 3.5 to 7 points.