University of North Carolina Athletics
Military Bowl Matchup
December 9, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
For the first time ever, North Carolina and Temple will meet in football when they face off in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
Playing in its first bowl game since 2016, UNC (6-6) will be looking to finish with a winning record in head coach Mack Brown's first season back in Chapel Hill. The Owls, meanwhile, are making their fifth straight bowl appearance and their first under head coach Rod Carey.
Before the Tar Heels and Temple tussle, here are five things to know about both teams.
Attacking the quarterbackÂ
Temple's calling card has been its defense, which has registered a 91.6 overall grade, the 13th best in the country, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The Owls have especially excelled at getting to the quarterback, averaging 3.25 sacks, tied for the 10th-best mark nationally. They rank fourth in pass-rush grade (91.2), according to PFF.
The unit is led by redshirt junior defensive end Quincy Roche, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best edge rushers in college football. Among all defensive players, his 67 total pressures (13 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and 41 hurries) are second only to Baylor's James Lynch, who has posted 68 in one more game than Roche, according to PFF. Roche's 93.4 pass-rush grade ranks third nationally (min. 30 pass-rush snaps), behind Ohio State's Chase Young and Duke's Chris Rumph II.
Carolina's 74.6 pass-blocking grade ranks 37th among the 130 FBS teams, according to PFF. UNC has, however, allowed 3.08 sacks per game, tied for 117th-worst mark in the country.
Ground game
As good as Temple's defense has been, it's occasionally struggled against the run, allowing six 100-yard rushing performances. Overall, the Owls rank 62nd nationally in rushing defense, surrendering 152.33 yards per game. But in five games against winning FBS teams, they've given up 215.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks 102nd.Â
That could spell good news for Tar Heel tailbacks Michael Carter, Javonte Williams and Antonio Williams, who have rushed for 919, 848 and 306 yards, respectively. Giovani Bernard (2011 and 2012) and Elijah Hood (2015) are Carolina's only 1,000-yard rushers since Brown's first stint in Chapel Hill ended in 1997. Carter and Javonte Williams could potentially join them.
Temple has also found success on the ground, with freshman Re'Mahn Davis rushing for 936 yards. He split carries with redshirt senior Jager Gardner most of the season, but Gardner, who had 585 rushing yards, suffered a season-ending injury in the Owls' second-to-last game of the regular season.Â
Carolina ranks 59th in the country in rushing defense, allowing 149 yards per game.
Defending the dual-threat
Davis won't be the only running threat UNC will have to account for. Temple uses two quarterbacks, Anthony Russo and Todd Centeio, the latter of whom is a dual-threat who comes off the bench for a few snaps each game. Centeio has completed 28 of 39 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. He's also rushed for 185 yards on 42 carries.
The Tar Heels have struggled at times this season against running quarterbacks, namely Virginia Tech's Quincy Patterson II and Virginia's Bryce Perkins. They rushed for 122 and 112 yards, respectively, and Perkins completed 30 of 39 passes for 378 and three touchdowns.
According to PFF, Centeio hasn't played more than 18 snaps this season, so Carolina will surely spend most of its time preparing for Russo – who has completed 234 of 399 passes for 2,733 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But it'll also have to be ready for Centeio, who could easily make a game-changing play with his legs.
Seeing red
UNC's offense has scored on 87.5 percent (42 of 48) of its red-zone trips, which is tied for 44th in the FBS. But it's also settled for 16 field goals, tied for the eighth most in the country.
The Tar Heels made the most of their opportunities in the red zone in their last two regular-season games, scoring seven touchdowns and two field goals in nine red-zone trips against Mercer and NC State. They could be hard-pressed to sustain that success against Temple, though. The Owls rank fourth nationally in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on just 65.12 percent (28 of 43) of their trips.
Conversely, Temple's offense has scored on 75 percent (36 of 48) of its red-zone trips, which is tied for 114th in the FBS, while Carolina is tied for 63rd in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 83.33 percent (35 of 42) of their trips. So this game could very well be decided inside the 20s.
A common foe
UNC and Temple share one common opponent, Georgia Tech, which they played a week apart.Â
Highlighted by senior safety Benny Walls' 74-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, the Owls forced three turnovers in a 24-2 victory over the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 28 in Philadelphia. The win spoiled the return of former head coach Geoff Collins, who spent two years at Temple before becoming the head coach at Georgia Tech in December 2018.
Ahead of the Tar Heels' game at Georgia Tech on Oct. 5, Brown told his players not to look too much into the Temple game, given the extra motivation the Owls likely had. Carolina showed no signs of overlooking the Yellow Jackets, accumulating 587 total offensive yards in a 38-22 win. Howell completed 33 of 51 passes for 376 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
For the first time ever, North Carolina and Temple will meet in football when they face off in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
Playing in its first bowl game since 2016, UNC (6-6) will be looking to finish with a winning record in head coach Mack Brown's first season back in Chapel Hill. The Owls, meanwhile, are making their fifth straight bowl appearance and their first under head coach Rod Carey.
Before the Tar Heels and Temple tussle, here are five things to know about both teams.
Attacking the quarterbackÂ
Temple's calling card has been its defense, which has registered a 91.6 overall grade, the 13th best in the country, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The Owls have especially excelled at getting to the quarterback, averaging 3.25 sacks, tied for the 10th-best mark nationally. They rank fourth in pass-rush grade (91.2), according to PFF.
The unit is led by redshirt junior defensive end Quincy Roche, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best edge rushers in college football. Among all defensive players, his 67 total pressures (13 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and 41 hurries) are second only to Baylor's James Lynch, who has posted 68 in one more game than Roche, according to PFF. Roche's 93.4 pass-rush grade ranks third nationally (min. 30 pass-rush snaps), behind Ohio State's Chase Young and Duke's Chris Rumph II.
Carolina's 74.6 pass-blocking grade ranks 37th among the 130 FBS teams, according to PFF. UNC has, however, allowed 3.08 sacks per game, tied for 117th-worst mark in the country.
Ground game
As good as Temple's defense has been, it's occasionally struggled against the run, allowing six 100-yard rushing performances. Overall, the Owls rank 62nd nationally in rushing defense, surrendering 152.33 yards per game. But in five games against winning FBS teams, they've given up 215.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks 102nd.Â
That could spell good news for Tar Heel tailbacks Michael Carter, Javonte Williams and Antonio Williams, who have rushed for 919, 848 and 306 yards, respectively. Giovani Bernard (2011 and 2012) and Elijah Hood (2015) are Carolina's only 1,000-yard rushers since Brown's first stint in Chapel Hill ended in 1997. Carter and Javonte Williams could potentially join them.
Temple has also found success on the ground, with freshman Re'Mahn Davis rushing for 936 yards. He split carries with redshirt senior Jager Gardner most of the season, but Gardner, who had 585 rushing yards, suffered a season-ending injury in the Owls' second-to-last game of the regular season.Â
Carolina ranks 59th in the country in rushing defense, allowing 149 yards per game.
Defending the dual-threat
Davis won't be the only running threat UNC will have to account for. Temple uses two quarterbacks, Anthony Russo and Todd Centeio, the latter of whom is a dual-threat who comes off the bench for a few snaps each game. Centeio has completed 28 of 39 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. He's also rushed for 185 yards on 42 carries.
The Tar Heels have struggled at times this season against running quarterbacks, namely Virginia Tech's Quincy Patterson II and Virginia's Bryce Perkins. They rushed for 122 and 112 yards, respectively, and Perkins completed 30 of 39 passes for 378 and three touchdowns.
According to PFF, Centeio hasn't played more than 18 snaps this season, so Carolina will surely spend most of its time preparing for Russo – who has completed 234 of 399 passes for 2,733 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But it'll also have to be ready for Centeio, who could easily make a game-changing play with his legs.
Seeing red
UNC's offense has scored on 87.5 percent (42 of 48) of its red-zone trips, which is tied for 44th in the FBS. But it's also settled for 16 field goals, tied for the eighth most in the country.
The Tar Heels made the most of their opportunities in the red zone in their last two regular-season games, scoring seven touchdowns and two field goals in nine red-zone trips against Mercer and NC State. They could be hard-pressed to sustain that success against Temple, though. The Owls rank fourth nationally in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on just 65.12 percent (28 of 43) of their trips.
Conversely, Temple's offense has scored on 75 percent (36 of 48) of its red-zone trips, which is tied for 114th in the FBS, while Carolina is tied for 63rd in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 83.33 percent (35 of 42) of their trips. So this game could very well be decided inside the 20s.
A common foe
UNC and Temple share one common opponent, Georgia Tech, which they played a week apart.Â
Highlighted by senior safety Benny Walls' 74-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, the Owls forced three turnovers in a 24-2 victory over the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 28 in Philadelphia. The win spoiled the return of former head coach Geoff Collins, who spent two years at Temple before becoming the head coach at Georgia Tech in December 2018.
Ahead of the Tar Heels' game at Georgia Tech on Oct. 5, Brown told his players not to look too much into the Temple game, given the extra motivation the Owls likely had. Carolina showed no signs of overlooking the Yellow Jackets, accumulating 587 total offensive yards in a 38-22 win. Howell completed 33 of 51 passes for 376 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
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