Two steady offensive stars lead the way as the Owls chase an East Division title.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference was expected to be "The Temple of Doom" this season, with the Temple Owls dominating the conference.
They haven't quite been dominant, but the Owls (6-2, 3-1) are still one of three teams atop the East Division with one loss, and powder keg back Bernard Pierce is not only getting back in stride, he also has a prolific sidekick in tailback Matt Brown.
Against Buffalo, Pierce rushed for 106 yards and two TDs. It was the second straight week with 106 yards rushing for the sophomore tailback after working through injuries earlier in the season. That allowed teammate Brown to show his wares. He gained 109 yards in the 42-0 win over UB, giving him 613 yards on the season to 561 for Pierce.
Next up for the Owls is a home game vs. winless Akron.
D-News: When Kent State's defense is allowed to play a normal game, not stretching itself trying to prop up the offense, coach Pete Rekstis' crew can put together some eyebrow-raising numbers.
Inside the 135 yards of offense (182 yards under Bowling Green's average) and six points the Golden Flashes (3-4, 2-2) allowed BG in a 30-6 victory, we offer the following stats:
• Allowed 63 plays to a team averaging 70.2.
• 19 incomplete passes and 19 zero or negative yardage plays, which equal 60.3 percent of all plays the Falcons ran.
• Two interceptions.
• Six sacks.
• Minus 10 yards rushing.
• Five of six Kent scoring drives began inside the BG 40, the other began at the Kent 43.
After the game, BG head coach Dave Clawson said "there were times where we were overwhelmed."
Nix of time: Freshman KSU defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix might be working not only on Freshman of the Year honors, but Defensive Player of the Year as well. Against the Falcons, he had five tackles, 31/2 for lost yardage, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and one blocked kick.
On the season he has 27 tackles, 13.5 tackles for lost yardage (minus 96 yards), 81/2 sacks (minus 76 yards), seven QB hurries, four forced fumbles and one blocked kick.
By the numbers: The 2010 Akron Zips (0-8, 0-4) aren't just in danger of an 0-fer season, but of affecting Akron teams for a few years to come.
The Zips began the season already under the NCAA peak scholarship roster limit of 85, and have had at least three scholarship defections since the season began. According to Zips officials, the overall roster now rests at 88, with 73 on scholarship and 64 scholarship players available for practice.
Any postseason defections, along with the 16 departing seniors, will cut roster limits even more, as a team is allowed to hand out a maximum 25 scholarships per season.
Mid-season grayshirts such as Cuyahoga Heights QB Zack D'Orazio will also cut into that 25 scholarship total. The Akron coaching staff will have to limit the number of postseason defections as best they can, or the Zips could be playing with a short-handed scholarship roster for a few more seasons.