Owls have been road warriors in the early going

TEMPLE'S FOOTBALL team has played once at home this season. The unbeaten Owls trailed in that one for a little over 38 1/2 minutes. In their three on the road, they've been behind for a total of just under 7.

Nobody ever proclaimed this stuff has to make perfect sense.

"I love being on the road, I don't know why," senior linebacker Tyler Matakevich said. "Don't get me wrong. Playing in the Linc is great, but going to another team's stadium and having an opportunity to show them how good of a team we are . . . Of course, to just hop on the bus and go right down to the hotel to relax and get ready for the next day works, too."

Whatever. They're 4-0 for the first time since 1974, having just put together a three-game road winning streak for the first time since 2011. On Saturday, they'll play at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since the Sept. 5 opener against Penn State. Tulane (2-2, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) is next on the schedule, followed by Central Florida (0-5, 0-1) here as well. The Owls have only three away games left, two against opponents (SMU and South Florida) with a win apiece.

Maybe the venue doesn't matter. But if they win enough, the first AAC title game could even be here on Dec. 6. Then it might mean more.

"I don't think that plays into anything," junior running back Jahad Thomas said. "Either way, just go out and play like we can.

"We love to see our family and friends, the support we have from the loyal fans who've been there through the ups and downs of the past two or three years. It's a great feeling, knowing they're waiting to root you on."

It's also Homecoming. Not to mention one week closer to hosting Notre Dame on Halloween.

"They like being around each other (on the road)," coach Matt Rhule said. "It's a credit to the seniors, to the camaradarie, to the way they conduct themselves. But they're real excited to have all the Temple people come back to celebrate Temple. Obviously, they're excited about winning four games."

Last season's Homecoming also came in the fifth game, against 1-4 Tulsa. The 3-1 Owls trailed by three early in the fourth quarter before scoring the final 14.

Rhule remembers. There's a good chance he'll make sure his guys do, too.

"We were real sloppy (that day)," he said. "You'd always rather be at home. But it presents different challenges. We're still kind of working on who we are and how we win as a team, understanding exactly what Temple football means. We're not quite there yet.

"You have to have a mature team (when playing at home). The emotion can sometimes be too much. That energy, you have to channel it into how you play. If you just play with energy, the next thing you know, you're doing crazy things.

"Now their parents are there; my parents are there. At the end of the day, that can help you in tight ballgames. It helps you in the fourth quarter. It helped us against Penn State, when we were down, 10-0, (after 8 1/2 minutes)."

The Owls closed out last season with a 10-3 win at Tulane that made them bowl eligible, though they were one of the few bowl-eligible teams that didn't go anywhere. The Green Wave lost by 30 to Duke in its season opener and by 55 at Georgia Tech. But it beat FCS Maine by 31 and is coming off a 45-31 win against UCF. It has dropped 10 of its last 11 on the road. But that win was last November over a Houston team that finished 8-5.

"We still have a team that's just kind of nervous, you know," Rhule said. "They haven't had the pressure taken off them by losing, which is a good thing. Pressure is a privilege. I think Billy Jean King or someone said it, right? Because you've earned it.

"The pressure is internal. I don't really live on the outside. We have a lot of guys who put the weight of the world on their shoulders. You can't play by saying, 'Boy, I really want to win.' Or 'Boy, I really want to make a play.' It's a game we've played our whole life. But it's kids. When I grew up, if you messed up you went home and nobody said anything. Now they turn their phones on and everyone's telling them, you didn't do this, you didn't do that. It's hard. There's so much pressure in general.

"The thing I'm trying to get across to them is play really hard and have fun. And play together. That's what's most important. That's how you take pressure off, when you know you're not in it alone and other guys are on your side. We have to deal with them putting expectations on themelves. If you don't worry about winning, and just go out and play well, I think you'll win a lot."

Here or there, it's working so far. They've had a better start on North Broad only fives times in the 116 seasons that came before this. Even the 1934 Sugar Bowl team was 3-0-1. So feel free to keep dreaming big.