The first AAC championship would clearly be decided by one aspect of the competition: Houston’s offense against Temple’s defense.
Yet, the other matchup ultimately told the tale of why Tom Herman’s first regular season as a collegiate head coach became a complete success.
Houston’s offense and Temple’s defense lived up to the billing on Saturday, as Temple kept the high-powered Cougars in check most of the game. On the other hand, Houston was likely the most explosive offensive unit that the Owls faced all year, and it still busted loose for enough points to create a three-score lead late in the third quarter. Houston being the most explosive unit Temple faced all year? That is saying a ton, as Notre Dame was one of those foes for the Owls.
Saturday, a New Year’s Six bowl bid was at stake in the first American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Temple’s defense acquitted itself well, but Houston came away with a 24-13 victory.
Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. is a major part of UH’s potent offense. He lived up to the hype on the big stage, but was injured on his second rushing touchdown of the game in the second half. This leaves questions for the bowl game, especially since he was also dinged up earlier in the 2015 season.
Just as he has all season, Ward stole the show in this game. He showed grit to stay in the game after his injury, and rushed for 148 yards on 17 carries. Ward did just enough through the air as well to keep Temple honest. He completed 11-of-21 passes for 88 yards, but the running has been his bread and butter for much of the season.
On the other end, the main issue for Temple was whether its offense could keep up with the Cougars. Two key first-half turnovers ruined scoring opportunities. Temple actually outgained Houston, 385 to 339 total yards, but mistakes shaped this contest and put the Owls in catch-up mode.
While the numbers for quarterback P.J. Walker weren’t poor, inaccurate passes ultimately told the tale of this loss for the AAC East champions. Walker finished 26-of-44 for 287 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The struggles of Walker and the Owls’ offensive style were not conducive to a large comeback. Sure enough, Temple couldn’t mount one after falling behind, 24-3, in the third quarter.
Jahad Thomas was also held in check on Saturday. He picked up under 70 yards and was a non-factor most of the contest. With Walker, Thomas has been a key all season for Temple by pounding out yards on the ground. Thomas was also a key to keeping the Houston offense on the sidelines, but he didn’t do that well enough in this game.
However, Temple showed nearly all season that it won’t quit when its back is against a wall. This was true as well on Saturday, as the Owls pulled within two scores (24-13) early in the fourth. The offense just didn’t have enough.
The Owls’ defense showed some holes the past couple of weeks against SMU and South Florida. However, the unit was back to its normal self on Saturday and kept the team in the game.
While one team lost on Saturday, ultimately both Houston and Temple attained a victory this past week, as it appears both will keep head coaches Tom Herman and Matt Rhule. Herman is now 50-4 in the past four seasons as either an offensive coordinator or head coach.
Though Justin Fuente departed from Memphis, keeping good coaches will be the key to sustained success for The American as a conference. Now, Houston being in a New Year’s Six Bowl will just add to that exposure for the AAC.
