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Miami’s recent play has caught Temple’s attention

RedHawks defense will have to be attentive to Owls running back Pierce.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 8:57 AM Thursday, November 5, 2009

OXFORD — Temple football coach Al Golden said of his true freshman running back Bernard Pierce, “I think he’s starting to hit his stride.”

That is not shocking news. Not to Miami University coach Michael Haywood. Not to anyone who has been paying attention.

Pierce just might be the hottest back in college football, having racked up 212 yards two weeks ago against Toledo and another 267 yards last week against Navy.

Now the 6-foot, 210-pound runner is setting his sights on the RedHawks, who face the difficult task of stopping Pierce and the Owls’ six-game winning streak tonight, Nov. 5, in Philadelphia.

“He’s really good,” Haywood said of Pierce. “But at the same time his offensive line is very good. They do a good job of coming off the football and just physically trying to maul you.

“The bottom line is,” he said, “we’re going to have to stop the run to win the football game.”

Golden, whose Owls lead the Mid-American Conference East Division with a 4-0 record, said they shouldn’t expect an easy time either.

“This is a completely different (Miami) team right now over the last two games than the previous six,” Golden said.

“We’re expecting a team that’s coming in with a red-hot quarterback (Zac Dysert),” he said. “They’re protecting him much better now, and they’re playing much better defense as of late, so we’re concerned about that.”

Dysert has produced 720 yards of total offense in his last two games.

“He is a huge part (of Miami’s offense)” Golden said. “He’s running the ball effectively, he’s creating on the run, he does a nice job with his touch passes and the screen game.

“The biggest thing is, this is a big departure from where we’ve been two of the last three weeks,” the Temple coach said.

Three weeks ago the Owls won 27-13 over an Army squad than ran the ball on 48 of its 56 offensive plays. Last week, Navy ran the ball 62 times in 69 plays in its 27-24 loss to Temple.

In both games, the Owls knew what to expect on almost every play.

Miami, on the other hand, will show a two-tight end formation on one play, a five-wide receiver set on the next.

“Obviously, Army and Navy aren’t even close to that,” Golden said. “Jumping in and out of defenses, specialized defenses, is really hard, especially on a short week (of preparation).”

Golden said the RedHawks “have caught our team’s attention, I don’t think there’s any question ... They beat Toledo, they really jumped on them, so I don’t think I have to caution the guys about anything.”