For one night only, Philadelphia was the epicenter of the college football world, as Temple and Notre Dame slugged it out deep into the Saturday night. In the end the Irish escaped with a 24-20 win that left both programs at turning points in their seasons as the calendar flips to November.
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The Irish are clinging to playoff hopes. Sitting on a loss does them no favors, and the fact that Alabama has one loss puts Notre Dame even further behind the pack. The win over the Owls was a small feather in the cap for a team in desperate need of a signature win. The wins over Texas and Georgia Tech in September were gems at the time, but are now nothing more than rock dust. The win over USC was good but certainly not great. This team has talent, but even the prestige of being Notre Dame can only go so far with comparatively little substance to back it up, measured against teams from power conferences.
The Irish looked good at times against the Owls, but it was more of a toe-to-toe battle than Notre Dame would have wanted. DeShone Kizer looked great at times in a hostile environment, but two red-zone interceptions prevented the Irish from gaining complete control, setting up a stressful conclusion. The defense looked mortal despite having a size advantage. It took a late fourth-quarter comeback to seal the win — that’s not what a playoff push needs.
The rest of the season isn’t kind to Notre Dame across multiple fronts. The Irish have Pitt, Wake Forest, and Boston College up next, and only the Wake game is in South Bend. Pitt is good, but not a world beater. B.C. is a rival, but Matt Ryan isn’t walking through that door. That means the Irish will need to navigate the minefield to get to their season finale at Stanford. A loss anywhere along the line ends Notre Dame’s playoffs hopes in totality.
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This was the biggest game in Temple history. The Owls left everything on the field, and it wasn’t enough. The question now: How will the Owls respond? Indiana was in this same position a month ago — playing the game of a lifetime against a brand-name opponent and falling just short — after its crushing loss to Ohio State in Bloomington. The Hoosiers haven’t won a game since.
P.J. Walker and Jahad Thomas played quality games, and the Owl defense made key plays when it had to, including turning the Irish over two times. Mentally, though, this loss will last. It will test how well Matt Rhule can coach his team.
Adversities unmask the true color of a team. Therefore, the country will learn what type of team Temple is this week. The Owls have to rebound, get ready for SMU, and then travel west on a short week for a Friday night game in Dallas. This week will show the mettle of Temple football from coaches down to the training staff and the players.
Temple almost certainly overcommitted emotionally to this game. This program, not 15 years ago, was kicked out of the Big East because of its inability to be competitive. On Saturday it occupied the biggest stage in college football. Temple is here to stay, but letting this loss fester will only work to crumble a phenomenal season so far.
