Pierce leads nation in scoring
Temple college sports - basketball, football and more - covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.
Pierce leads nation in scoring
Keith Pompey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Bernard Pierce is on top of the college football world – literally.
The Temple tailback is ranked first in the nation in scoring with an average of 18 points per game.
Pierce moved up six spots in the national rankings after rushing for a school record five touchdowns in Saturday’s 38-7 victory over Maryland at Byrd Stadium. His effort also tied a Mid-American Conference record.
The 6-foot, 218-pounder, who has 12 rushing touchdowns this season, is also ranked 10th nationally in rushing yards. He averages 124 yards per game.
In addition to his five scores, Pierce had 149 yards and 32 carries against Maryland.
What they're saying about the Owls at Rivals.com: Temple could win the Big East. A week after almost topping Penn State (14-10 loss), the Owls proved their merit in a dominating 38-7 rout at Maryland. Last week, West Virginia barely held off the Terps; Temple's victory never was in doubt. It was Temple's first victory over an ACC team and its first road triumph over a foe from a major conference since a 20-17 victory at Rutgers in 2002. The Owls can thank junior RB Bernard Pierce, who established a school single-game mark with five rushing touchdowns while running 32 times for 149 yards. West Virginia, Pittsburgh, USF, Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, Connecticut, Syracuse ... none are better than the Owls. Maybe the Big East should re-invite Temple, which was booted by the league after the 2004 season.— runjonrun- Pierce is awesome, but he was limping for awhile in the 2nd half. Is he ok? Gotta say, he had trouble going up the middle all day. Was that just poor blocking by the Oline? Conversely, Brown was streaking juking and bulling his way for really good runs. He's a really tough guy. He's small but actually usually gains yards after being hit. Rarely does he get knocked backward. I was impressed. What a nice tandem at running back. I know we have a lot of games to go, but the game coaching sure seems improved. Golden did a great job for the program but game day just wasn't what it is now. Go Owls.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh graduate. Follow him on Twitter @pompeysgridlock. Reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
