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Game Notes | Conference Notes | Press Conference

On the heels of a 35-24 Homecoming victory on October 11, Temple head coach Matt Rhule held his weekly press conference and discussed the team's short week before traveling to take on the Houston Cougars. The game will be on Friday, October 17 and will be broadcast on ESPNU with a kickoff time at 9pm (ET). Those in the Philadelphia area can listen to the game on 97.5 FM The Fanatic with Harry Donahue (play-by-play), Paul Palmer (analyst) and Harry Mayes (sidelines).

Below is Coach Rhule's opening statement:
"Thank you for coming, I appreciate everybody coming to talk about the team. Before I get started on this week's game, I'd be remised if I didn't make sure I said that it was a great win for us on Saturday and I want to thank the band, all the alumni, all the former players, all the fans, everyone that came to game on Saturday. For us to walk in that fly in when we first get to the stadium and for it be pouring rain and for people to still be out there, the band to still be out there, it really speaks to what we're trying to do. We really appreciated all those people and their support. It was a great crowd, it was a good win for us. I was proud of our team because it was the first time they've come back to win a game since we've been there, really since Steve [Addazio]'s last year when they went to UConn. So for our kids to not have the lead and come back to find a way to win, I was proud of them and that was a good step for them, and now we turn to an outstanding Houston team.

"It's an exciting week for us; it's a short week, but it's an exciting week. I told the kids, it's "Friday Night Lights." We're going to Texas to play on Friday night, something you dream of. Something I thought I'd never have the chance to do, to play on national TV and represent Temple on ESPNU. I think it's a great opportunity for us and hopefully we'll play well.

Before I talk about them, I do want to say this. I think it's fair and what should be said. Houston has a linebacker named Derrick Matthews who is an outstanding football player, he's a great kid, he's a captain for them, and he's everything that the conference should be about. He tore his ACL last week and I know they'll have other players that will step in, but it's not very often that I watch a player and feel like I want to say something. But he's exactly college football is supposed to be played; he's been doing it for a long time for Houston and he's a senior and I know his season, probably his career is over, other than going onto the next level. But I have a lot of respect for him and I just wanted to make sure I said that and hopefully I'll get to see to him before the game.

"Houston is an outstanding team. This stat is unbelievable: 30 straight games that they have gotten a turnover, and you know we didn't get a turnover on Saturday. 30 straight games that Coach Gibbs' defense has gotten a turnover; they have 19 this year, so that's about three a game. We played them last year here, a game where with 1:25 left in the game was 15-13 Houston and we turned the ball over three times in that game; we turned the ball over on the first play of the game and the first play of the second half. As good as they are in everything else they do, they are experts in taking away the football. We have to do a great job of protecting the football if we want to have a chance in this game and we have to build off what we did last week in running the football.
We have to find a way to run the football; when we got under center last week and we gave the ball to Jahad [Thomas], thought the offensive line did a really nice job. We have to find a way to do that against a really stout rushing defense. They have good players all over; they're anchored in the middle by Joe Mbu, he's 310, he's a dominant inside guy. They have a safety, Trevon Stewart, who I voted last year for all-conference, I thought he was the best safety in the league. They have players all over the place on defense and that's why they're ranked so highly.

"Offensively for them, or for our defense, they made a philosophical change, going with QB Greg Ward, Jr., but we're also preparing for O'Korn. But Ward is an outstanding, dynamic, due-threat quarterback; he can throw the football, he threw for 4,200 yards at Tyler High School in Texas. We know he can throw the football, he did at times last week, but he tucked the ball out against Memphis and he beat them with his feet. WE have to be prepared for deign runs, his ability to throw, and his breaking it down, as well as being prepare for O'Korn if he comes in to play quarterback in their traditional offense.

"And finally, I think we have to play well on special teams. Last week against Tulsa, we felt like that was the first time we were outplayed on special teams. In the last two games, the other team has kicked the ball to us five times, that we've dropped. That's times we've dropped either a kickoff return or a punt return, so our guys have to take a deep breath and catch the football. You can't do that against a team that creates turnovers; their head coach Tony Levine is an outstanding coach, he was a special teams guy in the NFL, he knows special teams. Demarcus Ayers is their kickoff return guy, he's a dynamic returner. There are a lot of things we have to do to have a chance in this game: we have to find a way to control Greg Ward and their outstanding wide outs and we can't turn the ball over. We have to protect the football against this outstanding defense."

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