1. Can the Owls’ backfield replicate their stellar 2011 production?

 

Former RB Bernard Pierce, a third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, is gone but diminutive senior RB Matt Brown returns. In 2011, Pierce and Brown combined for 2,397 yards while Brown added 703 kickoff return yards.

 

Montel Harris, a transfer from Boston College, left Chestnut Hill as the program’s leading career rusher. Harris must overcome character concerns and a knee injury. If Harris can regain full strength in his knee, he can be an adequate replacement for Pierce. Harris maintains ideal pad leverage, has good vision to spot creases in the defense and can produce yards after contact. Expect the flashy Brown to produce similar numbers as he did in his junior season.

 

2. Can quarterback Chris Coyer channel his inner Tim Tebow?

 

Temple won its final four games last year after quarterback Chris Coyer took over the starting quarterback role. As a high school senior in 2008, Coyer picked the brain of Tebow after comparing notes with the Heisman Trophy winner. Like Tebow, Coyer is a mobile, left-handed quarterback who likes to take off when the pocket collapses. Coyer has the moxie to lead the Owls to an extra win or two in 2012.

 

3. Will the defense be as stifling as it was in 2011?

 

The Owls ended last season ranked third in FBS in points allowed per game (13.9) – only Alabama and LSU allowed less. Temple, though, has vacancies to fill at linebacker and defensive end after its top four defenders in tackles from last year left the program. Temple must replace former MLB Stephen Johnson and OLB Tahir Whitehead. Alkwan Williams, a top 60 outside linebacker in the Class of 2012, may be able to step in right away.

 

In the secondary, six of Temple’s top eight players from 2011 return. Safety Justin Gildea has big play potential. Temple may allow more points than it did last year, but still could finish in the upper half of the Big East in several statistical categories. The Owls also return a pair of stout defensive tackles in Levi Brown and John Youboty.

 

4. Is this the year Temple finally defeats Penn State?

 

The Owls have dropped 29 straight to Penn State and haven’t defeated the Nittany Lions since Oct. 18, 1941. Temple has come close in the last two years in a pair of single-digit defeats. On Sept. 22, they’ll face a Penn State team hit with landmark sanctions from the NCAA. The transfers of former WR Justin Brown and RB Silas Redd have left the Nittany Lions thin on offense. This could be Temple’s best shot in years.

 

5. How many wins will Temple have in its inaugural season in the Big East?

 

It might be a stretch for the Owls to defeat Louisville on the road and South Florida at home, but Temple faces both Rutgers and Cincinnati in Philadelphia. Expect Temple to be competitive in games against Syracuse and Connecticut. A reasonable expectation for conference wins from coach Steve Addazio’s team should be somewhere in the range of one to three.

 

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