May 10, 2010
Written by Donald Hunt
It’s been quite a while since the Temple football program had a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Actually, it was 24 years ago when former Owls running back Paul Palmer was the 1986 runner up to Vinnie Testaverde. Well, Temple has already starting promoting running back Bernard Pierce as a Heisman Trophy candidate — for good reason, because Pierce has played some tremendous football.
The former Glen Mills standout is coming off a huge freshman year. He was the first freshman in Owls history to run for over 100 yards in two games in the same season. Pierce had six 100-yard games, including two 200-yard games in 2009.
He led all Temple and MAC players in rushing. He set a school record for touchdowns with 16. Pierce rushed for 1,361 yards. He received a number of honors such as MAC Freshman of the Year, first-team All-MAC and freshman All-American. Pierce has made himself a major contender for this award.
“It’s an honor,” Pierce said. “To be honest, I never thought that I would be a candidate for the Heisman, but now that it’s here, I will work hard to push forward. It’s not really my priority. My team comes first, but if it does happen, it would be an honor.”
It makes the college football season that much more exciting. When Palmer was in the running for this prestigious award, he had fans and media from around the country watching him every week. You couldn’t pick up a newspaper or a national magazine without seeing his photo and story.
Temple did a great job of promoting and marketing him. He didn’t win the Heisman, but he brought a lot of national publicity to the Temple football program. Palmer also became a first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1987.
Pierce appears to have a few more things going for him than Palmer did when he was playing football on North Broad Street.
The Owls football team is a lot stronger now. Pierce and head coach Al Golden have Temple on the winning track.
Last season, the Owls finished with a 9-4 record and made their first bowl appearance in 30 years. Temple should be good again this season.
Pierce should have a lot of competition for this award. He’s surrounded by great players right in his own state like Evan Royster (Penn State) and Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh).
Then, he has to contend with Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), Mark Ingram (Alabama) and Noel Devine (West Virginia) on a national scale. These players are on national television just about every week. So, that’s a big advantage. There’s no question about it.
But what could help Pierce is a breakout game against a major opponent.
In 1985, Palmer had 30 carries for 206 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-25 loss to Penn State. That game put him on the national map. Believe it or not, that was Palmer’s junior season.
Temple will face FCS national champion and local rival Villanova in the Mayor’s Cup at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 3. However, the really big game could be when Temple visits Penn State on Sept. 25. If Pierce has a great performance against the Nittany Lions, that would give his Heisman campaign a real boost.