UMass coach: Temple will give Notre Dame a tough game
University of Massachusetts football coach Mark Whipple has a unique perspective of Saturday's game between Notre Dame and Temple. Whipple's Minutemen are the only team to have played both nationally ranked squads. No. 21 Temple (7-0) hosts No. 9 Notre Dame (6-1) in Saturday's 8 p.m. sold-out game at Lincoln Financial Field.
University of Massachusetts football coach Mark Whipple has a unique perspective of Saturday's game between Notre Dame and Temple.
Whipple's Minutemen are the only team to have played both nationally ranked squads. No. 21 Temple (7-0) hosts No. 9 Notre Dame (6-1) in Saturday's 8 p.m. sold-out game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Nobody gave the Owls such a scare as UMass did in Temple's third game. The Owls trailed 23-22 before a last-minute drive resulted in a game-winning field goal by Austin Jones with seven seconds left in a 25-23 victory.
UMass also gave Notre Dame a game for most of a half. The Minutemen trailed just 21-20 at South Bend after scoring with 6 minutes and 44 seconds left in the second quarter.
Notre Dame would then finish matters from there, taking a 35-20 halftime lead and never looking back in a 62-27 win.
Whipple was most impressed with Temple's resolve and the play of linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who had a team-high nine tackles against the Minutemen.
"They just find a way to win at the end of games," Whipple said when talking to The Inquirer earlier this week on a conference call. "Matakevich seems to make plays on defense that really sparks them. And it looks like they have things going in the passing game."
Whipple feels that Temple will have to find a way to contain Will Fuller, Notre Dame's standout receiver from Roman Catholic, and running back C.J. Prosise.
Fuller has 32 receptions for 702 yards and eight touchdowns.
"You have to stop the explosive plays with Fuller," Whipple said. "He is tremendous and is faster in person than he is on tape. I think the corners will find ways to double him and [Temple defensive coordinator] Phil Snow has always done a good job."
The 6-foot-1/2, 220-pound Prosise has rushed for 922 yards (7.1 avg.) and 11 touchdowns.
"You have to tackle Prosise and he breaks tackles against everybody," Whipple said.
The coach also lauded Notre Dame's offensive line.
"They are really strong," Whipple said.
Still he feels that Temple will be more than competitive.
"It will be a closer game than people know because the game is at the Linc and Temple will be ready to go," Whipple said. "Both are really good teams that know how to win."
Whipple says the key for Temple is not turning the ball over. The Owls had three turnovers against UMass. Most of all, Whipple is impressed with Temple's resiliency.
"We had a couple of takeaways that helped us," Whipple said. "The longer they can hang in there in the fourth quarter, Temple just seems to finds a way to make things happen."
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