Navy, Temple reach AAC championship game on the run

Temple at No. 19 Navy (-3, 62.5)Temple is riding a dominant defensive stretch and 20th-ranked Navy is running roughshod over opposing defenses, which makes for an intriguing matchup in Saturday’s American Athletic Conference title game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen had been an independent program before joining the AAC.

Temple’s appearance in the Military Bowl means that they will be heading to the same stadium where they beat Navy to capture the AAC title. It was the first time Temple has ever done this as a football program.

They can stop talking about it because Matt Rhule and his Owls can finally call themselves the AAC champions. Penn State’s defense will have its own hands full against USC’s offense, which is dotted with NFL-caliber talent at almost every position – including top receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, 1,000-yard tailback Ronald Jones II and a powerful offensive line. “We are 13-0. We are the best Group of 5 team in the country”.

That spelled doom for an offense that produced more than 500 yards in each of its last three games. Navy already had been without linebacker and senior co-captain Daniel Gonzales, who suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury on October 1 in a 28-14 loss to Air Force.

“They just played better”.

With quarterback Will Worth leading the way, the Midshipmen amassed a season-high 496 yards rushing in last Saturday’s 75-31 win at SMU. Situated just outside the red zone and fighting a relentless wind, Walker tossed a dime to WR Ventell Bryant on a 22-yard corner route, allowing the sophomore space to shake his shadow and walk in for the touchdown and a two-score lead. “They’re going to get downhill”, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. He will throw the ball more and can be streaky at times with his arm. “So, I just gave him the opportunity get the ball in his hands and he made a great play”.

“We don’t pay attention to who else is recruiting somebody”, Rhule said adding he’s looking for some that wants to come to Temple and “trust the process”. They only cared that Navy’s momentum – in both in the game and on the season – was halted. “They really performed well, the whole team”. I shared with the team the experience we had at the (2010) Military Bowl and what a good experience it was. 20 Navy in the American Athletic Conference championship game, earning its first conference title since 1967.

Mason Rudolph completed just 11 of 25 passes for 186 yards for Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2, No. 10 CFP). Of course, the Owls benefited from the fact the Midshipmen are not built to play from that far behind with their run-oriented offense, which is why building that early lead was so important.

Worth did what he could after his injury, spending time on the sideline discussing strategy with Abey.

Romine was on the sideline for final portion of the game with trainers working on his leg. Bonner had left late in the first quarter with a head injury. The Owls have a sound defense and a balanced attack on offense behind Walker and running backs Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead.

The 2016 college football season nears its inexorable conclusion, as conference championship crowns will be handed out today in advance of tomorrow’s bowl selections.