Temple celebrated its return to the Big East with a 41-10 win over in-city rival Villanova on Friday night.
The Owls won the fourth annual Mayor's Cup before 32,709 at Lincoln Financial Field -- the largest for the series. Although former RB Bernard Pierce has moved on to the Baltimore Ravens, the Owls continued to run for large chunks of yardage.
Even without much of a contribution from senior RB Montel Harris, Temple rushed for 301 yards on 47 carries. Harris, the all-time leading rusher at Boston College, enrolled at Temple after his dismissal from the ACC school in the spring.
Limited by a hamstring injury, Harris had five carries for 12 yards vs. the Wildcats. Temple coach Steve Addazio expects Harris to play in the Sept. 8 game vs. Maryland. With Harris sidelined, Temple senior RB Matt Brown capitalized.
Brown used his vision to spot creases in the Villanova defense and was elusive on stretch plays to the outside. Brown's 56-yard burst up the right sideline with 21 seconds left in the first half gave Temple a 28-10 lead.
The Owls could be tough to stop on the ground if opponents can't find a way to rattle Temple QB Chris Coyer. The junior ran the read-option flawlessly against Villanova and rushed for 80 yards on 13 carries. Coyer added a 19-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.
An inexperienced defense could also be better than expected if it continues to create pressure on the QB. Hurried by pressure on an errant throw of his back foot early in the second quarter, Villanova QB Chris Polony was intercepted by Temple DB Vaughn Carraway. The Owls' senior returned the interception 58 yards for a touchdown.
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