One is a chiseled athletic specimen, an NFL-ready, record-setting touchdown machine who sees you standing in his way and then run rights through you.
The other is a diminutive blur of slipperiness and speed, the kind of guy youd have trouble tackling in a phone booth.
But what makes six-foot, 220-pound power back Bernard Pierce and 5-foot-5, 170-pound scat back Matt Brown different also makes them greattogether.
And when the Temple football team opens the bowl season Saturday against Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl (ESPN, 2 p.m.), the Owls will rely on them boththe two juniors that may very well make up the best running back tandem in the nation.
Its unbelievable, said Temple senior left tackle Pat Boyle. Theres never a letdown in the backfield. We know theyll be coming hard all game. Its never going to stop.
The numbers speak for themselves.
Piercewho first made headlines with a monster freshman campaign but fell back to earth last yearrushed for 1,381 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns in 11 games this season, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
Brown played in all 12 of Temples games, rushing for 867 yards on 142 carries (6.1 yards per carry) and scoring five touchdowns. Brown also averaged 10.1 yards on punt returns and 26.7 yards on kickoff returns, including one return for a TD.
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Thanks to the dynamic duo, Temple ranks seventh in Division I with 256.67 rushing yards per gamean even more impressive feat when you consider head coach Steve Addazio has made no reservations in declaring the Owls a run-first team. But even if opposing defenses know whats coming, they still havent been able to stop it.
Me and Matt, we came in at the same time, and ever since we got here we clicked, Pierce said. On the field, we rotate and the defense really has to adjust to our running styles. Im physical and Im gonna come right at you and hes more shifty, so we complement each other. There are some things he cant do that I can do a little better and some things that he does that I cant do as well. Its like were suited for each other.
To make each other better, Pierce and Brown enjoy friendly competitions during practices and games, pushing each other to try to do more. In other words, there is a rivalry between the two running backsbut its a beneficial one for the team.
We feed off each other, Brown said. We use it as motivation because we really try to outdo each other. Its definitely a competition. Whos gonna take it to end zone? I tell him Im gonna do it every time and he tells me hes gonna do it more than I am. Its back and forth like that.
Friendly competition aside, the two backs also help each other in more tangible ways, studying what the other does best and then trying to incorporate that into their own games.
For instance, Brownwho could step into the spotlight next season if Pierce decides to declare for the NFL Drafthas become more of a downhill runner to the point where now, says Boyle, it takes a pile of defenders to tackle him.
When I watch tape, I watch him, Brown said. I mean, why not? Hes one of the best backs in the country. If I can do what he does, then I can be at that level, too.
Even Pierce, who is about as fine-tuned as college running backs come, has learned a thing or two from the smaller, less-heralded Brown.
Hes always looking to make guys miss, Pierce said. I really incorporated that into my power running, instead of just trying to run through everybody. Theres always going to be someone whos a lot bigger than you, so I use my vision a lot more.
The differences between the two running backs extend beyond the field where Pierce is a little quieter and Brown is the kind of guy that says hello to everyone on campus. Or, as Pierce puts it, Hes a little more wild than I am.
They do have at least one similarity though: pulling pranks. One time, Brown says he dumped a bucket of water on Pierce while he slept. Pierces response: doing the same thing to Brown a little bit later.
Theyre both jokesters, Boyle said. They like to have a good time. But when theyre on the field, its all business.
For Pierce, Brown and the rest of the Owls (8-4), theres only one business trip left this seasonthe most important one yet. And in trying to beat a very good Wyoming teamand capture the programs first bowl win in 32 yearsTemple wont try to hide what it will try to do.
Were just going to run the ball at them, Pierce said. Outside, insidewell see if they can stop us.
Judging by the futile attempts of other defenses, it would appear doubtful.
E-mail Dave Zeitlin at djzeitlin@gmail.com