Temple hopes to erase 2013 loss to UConn

TEMPLE EXPERIENCED way too many self-inflicted mishaps last season. The final one might have been the most enduring. And maybe the most valuable.

In their next-to-last game, the 1-9 Owls were leading 0-9 Connecticut 21-0 after one half in South Philly. They would lose the second half, 28-zip. So . . .

"We went out that Monday and scrimmaged for two hours," coach Matt Rhule explained. "My point to the team was, 'Don't take winning lightly. Don't take losing lightly. Play to the end.' They responded. We went out and won [by 20 at Memphis].

"That was a real turning point for us."

On Saturday the Owls (2-1) will play their American Conference opener at UConn (1-3, 0-1), which has a new coach in former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.

"This game last year was pivotal for us," said Rhule, whose team toyed with FCS Delaware State (0-4) last week, 59-0. "It's really pivotal for us again. We have to prove that we matured from that.

"It was cold and we really didn't want to play that second half. When I say we I mean [everyone]. Since then we haven't done that."

This series has a history. In 2007 Temple lost up there when a late, apparent tipped touchdown pass was ruled an incompletion. The following year, after Temple put up billboards vowing to seek justice, the Huskies won here in overtime in a rainstorm. Two years ago the Owls won in OT on the road after trailing by 14 in the first quarter. Then there was last November.

"You prepare yourself that it's going to come down to the very end of the game, because it has," Rhule insisted. "I don't focus on last year. I'm kind of a process driver. I worry about what's happening tonight, then tomorrow. I think [the players] know who UConn is, and feel it. They know what's happened, not just last year but all the years before that.

"There's not a lot of physical teams left in football. When you play a team like UConn that believes in physicality, I don't want to get outphysicaled. They're going to go right at our neck. We had better be prepared for that. They're going to test our will. Are they going to dominate the line of scrimmage and knock us back off the ball? If that happens then we'll have a bye week to focus on us getting physical again.

"I want to play Temple football. If we don't play that brand, then we're letting ourselves down."

UConn's lone win was by three, against FCS Stoney Brook. It's lost at home to unbeaten BYU by 25 and to 3-1 Boise State by 17. Last week they lost at South Florida, which is also coming off a 2-10, by a field goal.

"When we were playing [at] Vanderbilt, we were like strangers in a strange land,'' said Rhule, referring to the Owls' impressive opening win. "I had no idea what to expect. At least with UConn there's some familiarity. Conference play can be hard, because you have to amp it up in your minds.

"I think the biggest thing on our end is the kids understand now what it means to be in a conference. We've gone from no conference to the MAC to the Big East to the American. In a conference, you're trying to win the conference. Non-conference games are great, but a lot of our kids know their kids. We recruited a lot of their kids, and I'm sure they recruited some of ours. We don't have many from Connecticut right now, but it's been good to us over the years . . .

"I'll always focus on the one [loss] instead of the two [wins]. I'm still not happy about Navy. I won't be happy for a long time. I don't mind losing. I just want us to appreciate every opportunity you have to play football. That UConn game, we didn't."

At least not for the full 60. And when you're Temple, you usually don't have that kind of luxury.