A win by Cincinnati tonight against Temple will clinch the AAC East Division, but the Bearcats are caught in a bit of a defensive battle with the Owls at halftime. Cincinnati leads Temple 6-0.
The only points of the half came on a Sam Crosa 36-yard field goal at the end of a 16-play drive in the second quarter and 37-yarder late in the half. Neither team’s offense has been able to get much going, which may have been expected given the defensive strengths both teams bring to the table. But Temple has just one rushing yard after two quarters of play, and has played to Cincinnati’s advantage.
Further complicating things for Temple was a massive error by punter Adam Barry. Barry went low to field the snap before getting off his punt but a video replay showed Barry had his right knee down on the ground at the six-yard line, giving Cincinnati a first-and-goal late in the half. But Temple’s defense answered the challenge by holding Cincinnati to a field goal.
If Temple can get the win, then the Owls will still have a shot at winning the division next week. But first, Temple just needs to find a way to get some points on the scoreboard first.
