Eagle Bank Bowl Preview: UCLA vs. Temple

The UCLA Bruins take on the Temple Owls in the Eagle Bank Bowl Tuesday night. Although these teams have ended up in the same game, they have totally different mind-sets in regards to being here.

Temple is having one of the best seasons in school history as they finished the year 9-3 overall, and a 7-1 conference record. The Owls rebounded nicely following an opening game loss to Division 2 Villanova. They went on a 9-0 run that included key wins over Navy, Akron and Ball St. Unfortunately, they fell short of winning the MAC conference title with a 35-17 loss to the well coached Ohio Bobcats. I’m certain that that loss is a distant memory as they suit up for this match-up against the UCLA Bruins. Temple may not be great in any one facet of the game, but they do things the right way. In order for the Owls to keep this one close, they will have to win in the trenches. They may be undersized, but their players use good technique and will fight hard on every down.

The Bruins have had a very mediocre season under HC Nueheisel. However, the Pac-10 has proven to be an elite conference, and it will take a couple more solid recruiting classes before the Bruins can make a legitimate run at a conference title. UCLA QB Kevin Prince has been cleared to play Tuesday. This should give the Bruin offense the boost that they need to move the ball with regularity against a very good Temple defense.

Expect a highly competitive game as these teams have already started talking smack to one another. Despite the disparity in conference strength, the Eagle Bank Bowl may be one of the most exciting games of the bowl season.

Related posts:

1. MAC Conference Showdown: Miami of Ohio vs. Temple
2. Temple and Ohio in MAC Conference Grudge Match
3. MAC East Leaders Collide: Temple vs. Ohio
4. Duke hosts 24th ranked Temple Wednesday Night
5. Oregon vs. UCLA: Can Oregon Duck a Bruin Upset Bid?

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