Lazard has lived to his promise, with 170 career grabs for 2,419 yards.
Advertisement
Tuesday morning’s rainy practice on the turf at Chodoff Field reminded senior linebacker Jarred Alwan of his days in high school and little league football.
Temple built a 21-point lead inside the first 17 minutes of the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship Game and never looked back en route to a 34-10 upset of No. 20 Navy on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The Midshipmen spent 134 years as independents before joining The American for the 2015 season.
After pulling its starters, Alabama scored one last touchdown to finish the second-most point ever scored against the Gators, topped only by Nebraska’s 62-24 victory for the national title in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.
Temple’s biggest loss in the first half came when Williams, a Baltimore native, was disqualified for targeting after a high hit on Navy backup quarterback Zach Abey.
They can stop talking about it because Matt Rhule and his Owls can finally call themselves the AAC champions. Temple also forced three Navy turnovers.
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts. “As you start to get people involved in the run game, they have really good play-action stuff that compliments”.
Baylor held the momentum for almost three quarters in the final regular-season game for acting coach Jim Grobe, but that changed on two plays.
That spelled doom for an offense that produced more than 500 yards in each of its last three games. No one has been up to the task lately, as Navy has scored 42, 66 and 75 points over the past three weeks. Navy only punted on two drives in the entire month of November. However, for Navy to win this game in impressive fashion – as it needs to – the defense has to be better against the run.
Worth, who captains the Midshipmen’s triple-option attack and entered Saturday as the nation’s leader in rushing touchdowns with 25, left limping early in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Lazard also averaged seven catches for 114 yards in his final five games, coinciding with quarterback Jacob Park’s elevation to the starting job. “Their football program and their culture, they are very similar to us”, Midshipmen coach Ken Niumatalolo told reporters. “We don’t throw the ball a ton. So, I just gave him the opportunity get the ball in his hands and he made a great play”. He has 2,544 total yards of offense and 33 total touchdowns.
“I think the bouncing back from the rough [opening] this year”, Walker said. There will be at least a couple of 5-7 teams competing in bowl games this season. “That’s the type of team they are”.
The Owls’ defense seems to get better every week.
At Temple, Walker has gone from 2-10 to 6-6 to 10-4, with this year’s 9-3 mark on the line with yet another championship there for the taking in his last hurrah. To win in the manner they need to win, the Midshipmen need to turn in a fantastic defensive performance to go along with their incredibly efficient offense.
Temple’s win – its first conference title win since 1967 as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference – is music to the ears of 13-0 Western Michigan. He’s passed for 1,363 yards and rushed for 1,181 more. If the Owls establish a strong ground game and force more defenders to commit to run support, it could be a long day for the Midshipmen.
The injury to Worth occurred on Navy’s next possession.
Senior quarterback Phillip Walker is nursing a foot injury he sustained in the East Carolina game.
Rhule said sophomore running back Ryquell Armstead is doubtful.
Advertisement
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Navy clinched the West Division title and a berth in the AAC championship with a game to spare by beating East Carolina on November 19.
