Temple University Athletics
Tuesday, December 27
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
3:30 p.m.
Temple University
vs
Wake Forest
Temple Set to Take on Wake Forest in the Military Bowl
12.20.16 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - The No. 23 Temple Owls (10-3, 7-1) will meet the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-6, 3-5) in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman on Tuesday, December 27, 2016. The game will be held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. and will air on ESPN as well as 97.5 The Fanatic,Temple football's flagship radio station, with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
Temple will play in back-to-back bowl games for the first time in program history and has been bowl eligible in six out of the last eight years. The 2016 Owls won the American Athletic Conference Championship with a 34-10 victory over No. 19 Navy in the title game, marking the first conference title for the Owls since 1967 when they won the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Interim head coach Ed Foley will be leading the Owls in the 2016 Military Bowl. He will be replacing head coach Matt Rhule, who accepted an offer from Baylor to become their head coach on December 6, 2016. Â Foley is in his ninth year with the program and has been serving as assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and the tight ends coach. He previously served as Fordham's head coach during the 2004-05 season.
Over the past two seasons, Temple has maintained a 14-2 record in conference play, which is tied with Navy for the best record during that period. The Owls have also won the American East Division in back-to-back seasons and have represented the East Division in the championship game in every year of its existence.
Following the championship game, the Owls earned a spot in the Top 25 rankings for the first time all season, coming in at No. 23 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings and the Amway Coaches Poll. Temple is currently riding a seven-game winning streak, tied for the sixth-longest in the country, and its only losses came at the hands of three bowl eligible teams (Army - 6 wins, #5 Penn State - 11 wins, Memphis - 8 wins).
This season, the Owls had nine all-conference selections including two first team honorees (OL Dion Dawkins, DL Haason Reddick), five second team selections  (K Aaron Boumerhi, DB Sean Chandler, DL Praise Martin-Oguike, RB Jahad Thomas, LB Avery Williams) and two players earning honorable mention (LB Stephaun Marshall and TE Colin Thompson).
For the first time in program history, Temple is coming off two consecutive 10-win seasons and will be looking for the elusive 11th win, which would be the most wins in a single year for the Owls.Â
The Owls enter the highly anticipated matchup riding a seven-game win streak, boasting a defense that currently ranks third nationally in yards allowed (275.9 ypg) and eighth in scoring defense (17.2 ppg). On the offensive side of the ball, senior QB Phillip Walker continues to serve as the spark for the group, even earning the Most Outstanding Player honor following his two-touchdown performance against the Midshipmen. During the seven-game win streak, though, the ground game has provided the primary means of success, powered by senior RB Jahad Thomas and sophomore RB Ryquell Armstead. Combined with a veteran offensive line, the group has averaged the nation's seventh best time-of-possession (33:44 per game) all while allowing Thomas and Armstead to rack up 33 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, the rough-and-tumble defensive front has been supported by multiple standouts, including seniors DL Haason Reddick, LB Avery Williams, and DL Praise Martin-Oguike. On the back end, junior DB Sean Chandler leads a secondary ranked second nationally in passing yards allowed (145.2 ypg).Â
Wake Forest is led by head coach Dave Clawson. In his third year with the program, Â Clawson guided Wake Forest to a 6-6 record, which is the first time the team has reached the six-win plateau since 2011. The Demon Deacons started off the year 4-0, marking their best start to a season since 1987. Three out of Wake Forest's six losses came on the road against top 15 teams in the country (#14 Florida State, #5 Louisville, #5 Clemson).
Foley and Clawson have ties that go back as far as 27 years ago. The two both began their coaching careers as graduate assistants for SUNY Albany in 1989 when Foley was responsible for the offensive line and Clawson was in charge of both the quarterbacks and running backs. Clawson was chosen as the head coach at Fordham, and hired Foley to his staff as the offensive coordinator. The two maintained those positions for four years and compiled a 29-29 record. In 2004, Clawson accepted an offer to take the head coaching job at Memphis, and was replaced by Foley as the head coach. Also on the Albany staff with Foley and Clawson was Wake Forest defensive line coach Dave Cohen. Mike Elko, Wake Forest's defensive coordinator, played at Penn where he was recruited by Foley in 1996.
LAST TIME
Temple has only faced off against Wake Forest once in both programs' storied histories, defeating the Demon Deacons by a dominant 36-0 shutout mark on November 1, 1930.
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AMERICANÂ CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Matching up in the program's first-ever back-to-back conference title appearance, Temple redeemed itself for last season's loss with a smothering 34-10 victory over West Division champ Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 3. Senior QB Phillip Walker impressed throughout, tossing a pair of touchdown passes while going 16-of-25 for 199 yards, earning Most Outstanding Player honors following the win. Assisting Walker through the air was, primarily, junior WR Keith Kirkwood and sophomore WR Ventell Bryant, the former of who notched a career-high in receiving yards (98) while tying his career-best in catches (5). As for the ground game, the veteran offensive line powered senior RB Jahad Thomas and sophomore RB Ryquell Armstead for a combined 138 total yards and a score. They combined for 29 carries, helping balance out the potent air raid. Meanwhile, the Owls' defense manhandled the usually score-happy Midshipmen (averaged 61 points over last three games), forcing three turnovers and another three turnover-on-downs. Senior LB Jarred Alwan and junior S Sean Chandler led the way for the unit, combining for 21 total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.Â
LAST YEAR'S BOWL GAME
In just the program's fifth postseason appearance and still aiming to earn a school record 11 victories, Temple came up just short in a tight 32-17 loss to MAC opponent Toledo in the 2015 Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Thirty-six current Owls participated in the matchup, including starting QB Phillip Walker, who went 23-of-42 for 236 yards and one interception, WR Ventell Bryant (58 receiving yards on two catches) and the running back duo of Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead (combined 30 yards on 16 carries). Defensively, LB Jarred Alwan, DB Sean Chandler and LB Stephaun Marshall were all major players for the Owls, racking up 16 total tackles.Â
Bowl Guide | Player Interviews | Coach Foley Press Conference
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Temple will play in back-to-back bowl games for the first time in program history and has been bowl eligible in six out of the last eight years. The 2016 Owls won the American Athletic Conference Championship with a 34-10 victory over No. 19 Navy in the title game, marking the first conference title for the Owls since 1967 when they won the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Interim head coach Ed Foley will be leading the Owls in the 2016 Military Bowl. He will be replacing head coach Matt Rhule, who accepted an offer from Baylor to become their head coach on December 6, 2016. Â Foley is in his ninth year with the program and has been serving as assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and the tight ends coach. He previously served as Fordham's head coach during the 2004-05 season.
Over the past two seasons, Temple has maintained a 14-2 record in conference play, which is tied with Navy for the best record during that period. The Owls have also won the American East Division in back-to-back seasons and have represented the East Division in the championship game in every year of its existence.
Following the championship game, the Owls earned a spot in the Top 25 rankings for the first time all season, coming in at No. 23 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings and the Amway Coaches Poll. Temple is currently riding a seven-game winning streak, tied for the sixth-longest in the country, and its only losses came at the hands of three bowl eligible teams (Army - 6 wins, #5 Penn State - 11 wins, Memphis - 8 wins).
This season, the Owls had nine all-conference selections including two first team honorees (OL Dion Dawkins, DL Haason Reddick), five second team selections  (K Aaron Boumerhi, DB Sean Chandler, DL Praise Martin-Oguike, RB Jahad Thomas, LB Avery Williams) and two players earning honorable mention (LB Stephaun Marshall and TE Colin Thompson).
For the first time in program history, Temple is coming off two consecutive 10-win seasons and will be looking for the elusive 11th win, which would be the most wins in a single year for the Owls.Â
The Owls enter the highly anticipated matchup riding a seven-game win streak, boasting a defense that currently ranks third nationally in yards allowed (275.9 ypg) and eighth in scoring defense (17.2 ppg). On the offensive side of the ball, senior QB Phillip Walker continues to serve as the spark for the group, even earning the Most Outstanding Player honor following his two-touchdown performance against the Midshipmen. During the seven-game win streak, though, the ground game has provided the primary means of success, powered by senior RB Jahad Thomas and sophomore RB Ryquell Armstead. Combined with a veteran offensive line, the group has averaged the nation's seventh best time-of-possession (33:44 per game) all while allowing Thomas and Armstead to rack up 33 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, the rough-and-tumble defensive front has been supported by multiple standouts, including seniors DL Haason Reddick, LB Avery Williams, and DL Praise Martin-Oguike. On the back end, junior DB Sean Chandler leads a secondary ranked second nationally in passing yards allowed (145.2 ypg).Â
Wake Forest is led by head coach Dave Clawson. In his third year with the program, Â Clawson guided Wake Forest to a 6-6 record, which is the first time the team has reached the six-win plateau since 2011. The Demon Deacons started off the year 4-0, marking their best start to a season since 1987. Three out of Wake Forest's six losses came on the road against top 15 teams in the country (#14 Florida State, #5 Louisville, #5 Clemson).
Foley and Clawson have ties that go back as far as 27 years ago. The two both began their coaching careers as graduate assistants for SUNY Albany in 1989 when Foley was responsible for the offensive line and Clawson was in charge of both the quarterbacks and running backs. Clawson was chosen as the head coach at Fordham, and hired Foley to his staff as the offensive coordinator. The two maintained those positions for four years and compiled a 29-29 record. In 2004, Clawson accepted an offer to take the head coaching job at Memphis, and was replaced by Foley as the head coach. Also on the Albany staff with Foley and Clawson was Wake Forest defensive line coach Dave Cohen. Mike Elko, Wake Forest's defensive coordinator, played at Penn where he was recruited by Foley in 1996.
LAST TIME
Temple has only faced off against Wake Forest once in both programs' storied histories, defeating the Demon Deacons by a dominant 36-0 shutout mark on November 1, 1930.
Â
AMERICANÂ CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Matching up in the program's first-ever back-to-back conference title appearance, Temple redeemed itself for last season's loss with a smothering 34-10 victory over West Division champ Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 3. Senior QB Phillip Walker impressed throughout, tossing a pair of touchdown passes while going 16-of-25 for 199 yards, earning Most Outstanding Player honors following the win. Assisting Walker through the air was, primarily, junior WR Keith Kirkwood and sophomore WR Ventell Bryant, the former of who notched a career-high in receiving yards (98) while tying his career-best in catches (5). As for the ground game, the veteran offensive line powered senior RB Jahad Thomas and sophomore RB Ryquell Armstead for a combined 138 total yards and a score. They combined for 29 carries, helping balance out the potent air raid. Meanwhile, the Owls' defense manhandled the usually score-happy Midshipmen (averaged 61 points over last three games), forcing three turnovers and another three turnover-on-downs. Senior LB Jarred Alwan and junior S Sean Chandler led the way for the unit, combining for 21 total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.Â
LAST YEAR'S BOWL GAME
In just the program's fifth postseason appearance and still aiming to earn a school record 11 victories, Temple came up just short in a tight 32-17 loss to MAC opponent Toledo in the 2015 Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Thirty-six current Owls participated in the matchup, including starting QB Phillip Walker, who went 23-of-42 for 236 yards and one interception, WR Ventell Bryant (58 receiving yards on two catches) and the running back duo of Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead (combined 30 yards on 16 carries). Defensively, LB Jarred Alwan, DB Sean Chandler and LB Stephaun Marshall were all major players for the Owls, racking up 16 total tackles.Â
Bowl Guide | Player Interviews | Coach Foley Press Conference
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Players Mentioned
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K.C. Keeler, 10/13/25
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