Toledo @ Temple preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 1, 2011 ) Toledo 36, Temple 13

MARMOT BOCA RATON BOWL STORYLINES

1. Temple and Toledo had seasons that, more or less, mirrored each other, setting up an intriguing matchup at the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla. The Owls and Rockets each won their first seven games before stumbling a couple of times late in the year, capped by a defeat in their last game by each squad. Still, the strong campaigns created significant opportunities for the head coaches with Toledo's Matt Campbell bolting to take over Iowa State and Temple's Matt Rhule signing a six-year extension amid rumors that he could head elsewhere.

2. For much of the season, the Owls appeared destined for a New Year's Six bowl game, although there is still plenty on the line for Rhule's team. Temple was 2-10 two seasons ago and improved to 6-6 last year only to get left out of the postseason. "Hopefully our legacy will be that we can win 11 games," center Kyle Friend told reporters. "That has never been done before here."

3. The Rockets are seeking their first 10-win season since 2001, but must do it in former offensive coordinator Jason Candle's first game as head coach. "I have a chance to be the head football coach at a place that I love, and to be around the team that I love and the guys that I fought with and bled with for seven years here," said Candle, who likely would have been named offensive coordinator at Iowa State as part of Campbell's staff. "It's a no-brainer. It's an easy decision.” Candle already is familiar with Temple, which was in the Mid-American Conference (along with Toledo) from 2007-11.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Temple -1

ABOUT TOLEDO (9-2, 6-2 MAC): The Rockets are one of the nation's more balanced teams, ranking in the top 35 nationally in points (34.7) and points against (21.1) with a strong rushing attack that averages 213.2 yards per game - tops in the MAC. “Both teams pay attention to running the ball,” Candle told reporters of his squad and the Owls. “To win and play well in November and December, you’ve got to be able to run the ball and stop the run, and I think both teams do a good job of that.” Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson both have a chance to reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season with a big performance in Boca, while Phillip Ely (2,680 yards and 21 touchdown passes) hopes to maintain a solid run in which he has thrown five touchdowns and one interception over the last three outings.

ABOUT TEMPLE (10-3, 7-1 American Athletic Conference): The Owls, who ended the regular season ranked No. 24 in both the coaches' poll and the College Football Playoff rankings, went 3-3 over their final six games - a run that included a close defeat to Notre Dame, a 21-point loss at USF and a disappointing 24-13 setback at Houston in the AAC title game. Robby Anderson was hardly to blame for the loss to Houston as he racked up season highs of 12 catches for 150 yards and recorded the team's only touchdown. Overall, though, Temple's best player is linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who said after winning the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's top defensive player: "I'm not the biggest, I'm the not fastest, but I push myself to prepare off the field, so when I step on the field, I can do things faster than other people. I can narrow down what plays teams might run just by the formations. I think that is a tribute to the coaches' putting me in the right situations."



PREDICTION: Toledo 37, Temple 31