Temple-Houston Once Again in the American Spotlight

Since the American Athletic Conference's formation five years ago, the matchup of Temple versus Houston has consistently produced memorable contests with conference-altering results. From competing in the conference's first game in 2013, to it's first championship game two years later, the two programs have been in the conference spotlight since its inception.

As the conference celebrates its 5th anniversary this year, history shows that teams have enjoyed some of their best seasons in program history since joining The American. Temple completed back-to-back 10-win seasons from 2015-16 for the first time in program history, both Houston and Navy have set program records for wins in a season, and UCF has finished in the national top-10 twice in five seasons.

Back when Temple met Houston in 2015 for the AAC's first conference championship game, both teams - each sporting rosters stocked with NFL potential - asserted themselves as forces in the conference. The game featured a number of AAC greats, as well as members of The American's 5th Anniversary team, which included Temple's linebacker Tyler Matakevich, defensive linemen Haason Reddick and Matt Ioannidis, and offensive linemen Dion Dawkins and Kyle Friend. Matakevich remains one of the most decorated players in the conference winning both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in 2015, given to the nation's best defensive player.

Former Temple tight end, Colin Thompson, played a major role in the Owls' early success in the conference, and was a part of the 2015 team that played Houston in the championship.

"When you look back now, just about every other player in that game has been active in the NFL. It was a really star-studded group on both sides. There was so much talent," said Thompson, who has had stints with the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. "I have a lot of memories that stick with me from playing Houston."

Among the current Owls who played in the game are seniors Delvon Randall and Ventell Bryant. Both freshmen at the time, the game served as one of their first introductions to big-time college football.

And by all accounts, the environment that the championship provided was truly one-of-a-kind.

"Playing in that championship game my redshirt freshman year, that was probably the loudest environment I've been in," explained Bryant. "I couldn't really hear anything out there."

Thompson agreed.

"There wasn't an empty seat," he recalled. "What an environment it was… it was one of the loudest I've played in to this day."

Houston defeated Temple, 24-13, piloted by a record-breaking outing by Houston quarterback Greg Ward, and a commanding performance by the Cougars' defense. The loss posed as a disappointing end to the Owls' season, but paved the way for the success the program would achieve moving forward.

"I feel like Tyler [Matakevich] and those guys held us to a standard where each game was a big game simply because we were in it," said Randall. "I learned a lot from those guys."

"It was great playing with the older guys and seeing how they attacked each game. I just sat and watched, and tried to learn as much as possible," said Bryant. "I remember standing next to Robby [Anderson], and watching his approach on a daily basis. I knew that's what it would take to play at this high level and knew I had to mimic that."

The next season, Temple picked up right where they left off by piecing together a second consecutive 10-win season, capping it off with an AAC Championship victory over Navy.

Fast forward to now - as both teams added their first blemish to their conference records last week with Temple falling to #9 UCF, 52-40, and Houston losing, 45-31, to SMU - this late-season battle could serve as a major turning point in either direction for each team's season. With a mere three games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Owls sit at 5-4 on the year (4-1 in the conference) with their sights set on bowl eligibility and a bounce-back victory.

"Our offense was rolling last week with a record breaking performance, so it's time to challenge the defense and the special teams to get back to playing their kind of ball." said Randall. "We're just trying to go 1-0 this week."

On the other hand, Bryant - who extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception to 44 (NCAA's second longest active streak) - says taking advantage of red-zone opportunities and finishing drives with touchdowns will be a key this Saturday.

"We just have to continue doing what we were doing. We have to score in the red-zone, which has been one of the troublesome things for us this season," he said. "When you get all the way down there, you just need to finish with seven, not three."

With the Owls hitting the road this week to take on the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT) at TDECU Stadium, the stage is set for another Saturday to remember in The American.

"We have a lot to prove and there is a lot at stake," said Bryant. "I'm ready for this game."

Temple University Athletics

Temple-Houston Once Again in the American Spotlight

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Players Mentioned

Ventell Bryant

Dion Dawkins

Kyle Friend

Matt Ioannidis

Tyler Matakevich

Delvon Randall

Haason Reddick

Colin Thompson

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