Temple to face faster Cincinnati defense

After a very good performance against a Penn State defense that was built for the physical nature of the Big Ten, Temple's offensive line must make a quick transition to a speedier Cincinnati defense that will make getting to quarterback P.J. Walker a bigger priority.

"I was very happy with the way [the offensive line] played," Temple coach Matt Rhule said. "But now they're transitioning to play against a team that plays it a little different. They had a month to get ready for Penn State. Now you've got a real quick turnaround where you have to transition into what Cincinnati likes to do, which is get after the quarterback a little bit more aggressively."

Temple (1-0) opens play in the American Athletic Conference on Saturday night at 1-0 Cincinnati.

If it was the defense and its AAC record-tying 10-sack performance that highlighted the historic win over Penn State, it was the 12-play, 93-yard scoring drive in the second quarter that pleased the Owls' coaching staff the most and highlighted the potential strength and physicality that Rhule wants to see consistently from the line.

Down by 10-0 and looking as though they didn't belong on the same field with the Nittany Lions, the Owls, who would run off 27 unanswered points, began the scoring drive at their own 7-yard line. It culminated 6 minutes, 42 seconds later with Jahad Thomas scoring from 1 yard out.

The drive highlighted the offensive line's ability to grind it out in the trenches, and it did so against a defensive line that is believed to be the strength of the Nittany Lions' defense. Before crossing the goal line with 2:25 showing on the clock, the line helped free Thomas, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, for runs of 10, 12 and 31 yards. Walker also rushed for 11 yards on one carry.

The line is full of experienced players. It's anchored by center Kyle Friend, who leads the team in both consecutive starts (33) and games played (35). The Owls will be without injured starting right tackle Leon Johnson, a redshirt sophomore who earned the job in camp.

However, the Owls shouldn't lose much in that department as he is likely to be replaced in the lineup by Eric Lofton. Lofton, who started every game last season at right tackle, was slowed by injury in training camp but is ready to play, according to Rhule.

The biggest problem along the line for the Owls is likely to be athletic 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end Silverberry Mouhon. He has garnered 141/2 sacks in his career with Cincinnati.

"He's a heck of a player," Rhule said of the senior, who had a career-high six tackles against the Owls in a 2013 victory. "We're going to have to get him blocked if we're going to have success there."