Head to head: Navy vs. Temple

Next up for Navy is Temple. GoMids.com compares different critical team areas of Navy and Temple and indicates which team has the edge.

NAVY EDGE	AREA	Temple EDGE	COMMENTS
EVEN	Navy rushing offense vs. Temple rushing defense	EVEN	For the second straight week, sophomore Kriss Proctor will start at quarterback. In his first career start, Proctor had 23 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. Vince Murray has established himself as the starting fullback. Murray ran for a career high 175 yards. Navy has risen to 3rd in the nation averaging 286.4 yards per game. The Owls are having an outstanding season stopping the run. They only give up an average of 97.3 yards per game. Only Army (181) and Penn State (186) have rushed for over 100 yards against the Owls.
EVEN	Navy passing offense vs. Temple passing defense	EVEN	This is the great unknown as Kriss Proctor has yet to attempt a collegiate pass. The Owls have struggled against the pass, giving up an average of 220 yards per game.
EVEN	Temple rushing offense vs. Navy rushing defense	EVEN	True freshman Bernard Pierce (6-0, 210, Fr.) is having an outstanding season for the Owls. He leads the team with 766 yards and 9 touchdowns. Last week against Toledo, Pierce had 40 carries for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense rebounded after allowing 176 yards on the ground against SMU two weeks ago. The Mids held Wake Forest to 135 yards. The return of Chase Burge and Jordan Stephens bulked up the middle and has allowed the linebackers to make more plays.
	Temple passing offense vs. Navy passing defense		The Owls rank 106th in the country in passing, averaging 167.6 yards per game. Vaughn Charlton (6-4, 235, R-Jr.) has struggled with his accuracy, completing only 53.1% of his passes. The Navy secondary has played well recently, holding SMU to 200 yards and Wake Forest to 173.
EVEN	Special Teams	EVEN	Both teams have struggled with punt returns, with Navy averaging 6.8 and Temple 7.7 yards per return. Kyle Delahooke is having an outstanding season. The Midshipmen are averaging a net of 37.9 yards per punt. That is 20th in the nation. The Owls have not faired as well, averaging 34.1 net yards per punt. Temple has excelled in kickoff returns, with 4 players averaging at least 25 yard per return and 26.7 yards per return as a team. The Mids are near the bottom in kickoff returns averaging 17.1 yards, ranking 117 out of 120.
	Coaching		Al Golden is in his 4th season as the headman at Temple. He is 15-28. At 5-2, Golden is off to his best start with the Owls. Ken Niumatalolo is 14-8 in his second full season.
	Intangibles		Both teams are riding 5 game winning streaks. A win will make either team bowl eligible, but Temple may have more to play for. Navy has played in six straight bowls while Temple has not been to a bowl game since 1979. Temple will also be looking to avenge the heartbreaking loss to the Mids last season.

PREDICTION: Navy 24, Temple 21