BOWL BREAKDOWN
Temple vs. UCLA, EagleBank Bowl, Dec.29, Washington, D.C. Temple will face an extremely young, but talented UCLA team in this game. The biggest keys in the game will be whether Temple's offensive line can assert itself against the most athletically gifted that they've faced since Penn State back in September and whether Temple's talented d-line can put consistent pressure on UCLA's young quarterback Kevin Prince.

--The Owls scored a single-season record 27 rushing TDs and averaged 4.5 yards per carry and 192.3 yards per game. Temple's primary ballcarriers are true freshman stud Bernard Pierce (1,308 yards, 15 TDs) and Matt Brown (446 yards, 4 TDs).

--QB Chester Stewart could be rattled, if he takes a big shot or two. He will be making just his fifth collegiate start and was clearly rattled in Temple's regular season finale vs. Ohio on Nov. 27 -- completing just seven of his 22 passes for just 92 yards.

--Temple enters the bowl game with a stout rushing defense, allowing just 108.8 yards per game. The ground game is a huge part question of UCLA's pro-style offense, so Temple will try to stuff the run and make the Bruins one-dimensional.

--UCLA's offense features redshirt freshman QB Kevin Prince, who has talent, but is a young, mistake-prone passer playing behind a young o-line (only one senior). Prince threw for 1,829 yards, six TDs and seven INTs this year as UCLA's No.1 QB.

--Punt returner Delano Green (two punt returns for TDs in 2009) and kickoff returner James Nixon (No. 10 nationally with 29.24 yards per return) are both threats to go the distance every time they touch the ball. Temple's punter Jeff Wathne (37.3 yards per punt) is nothing special, but the Owls' freshman kicker Brandon McManus is 17 for 24 on field goal tries this season (70.8 percent) and has been money in the bank from inside 40 yards -- making 14 of 15 attempts.

--Al Golden is one of the brightest young coaching stars in the business. A Penn State grad, Golden believes in wearing a crisply ironed white shirt and tie on the sidelines like his mentor, Joe Paterno. Also, like Paterno, Golden believes that games are won in the trenches and has recruited tirelessly to get the bigger bodies necessary to consistently win on fall Saturdays.

--After not going to a bowl for three decades, Temple should have no problem getting fired up for this game. Temple's last bowl appearance came in the 1979 Garden State Bowl where the Owls beat California, 28-17, at Giants Stadium.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

RB Bernard Pierce -- The 2009 MAC Freshman of the Year, Pierce set the freshman records for yards (1,308), touchdowns (15), and 100-yard rushing games (six). He needs just one touchdown to set the single-season records for TDs and points scored. He injured his left shoulder in the second-to-last regular season game vs. Kent State, but is expected to be A-OK for the bowl game.

WR/KR James Nixon -- The fastest player on the team (4.3 speed in the 40), Nixon is Temple's top kick returner with 497 yards and two touchdowns on 17 returns. He became the first player in school history to score a kickoff return touchdown in consecutive games. He ranks No. 10 nationally with 29.24 yards per return.

DE Adrian Robinson -- The sophomore defensive end earned 2009 MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after setting a school single-season record for sacks with 12. He ranks No. 10 nationally in sacks (0.92 per game). Robinson also has a team-best 12 tackles for loss and a team-best five forced fumbles.

LB Alex Joseph -- A team captain, Joseph leads all Temple defenders with 73 tackles, including a team-best 46 solo takedowns and 5.0 tackles for loss. He also has two breakups, a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery.

ROSTER REPORT

--Temple's freshman All-American tailback Bernard Pierce (1,308 yards, 15 rushing TDs in 2009) missed the Ohio University game on Nov. 27 with a left shoulder injury. He's expected to be healthy enough to play in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec 29.

--The Owls cleaned up in the Mid-American Conference awards voting. Running back Bernard Pierce was named the 2009 Freshman of the Year, sophomore DE Adrian Robinson was named the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, and head coach Al Golden was named the 2009 Coach of the Year by the MAC News Media Association.

--A school-record eight Temple football players were named to the All-MAC first team. Earning first team honors were junior DB Jaiquawn Jarrett, junior LB Elijah "Peanut" Joseph, junior OL Colin Madison, redshirt junior OL Darius Morris, senior NT Andre Neblett, freshman RB Bernard Pierce, sophomore DE Adrian Robinson, and sophomore DT Muhammad Wilkerson. Temple's second-team honorees were redshirt senior OL Devin Tyler and sophomore KR James Nixon. Third-team honorees included redshirt senior DB Dominique Harris, senior LB Alex Joseph, junior LB Amara Kamara, senior TE Steve Maneri, and redshirt sophomore OL John Palumbo.

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