During the fall semester, no one at Temple has a more densely packed schedule than Temple head football coach Matt Rhule—and it’s hard to imagine anyone else approaching a workday with as much energy. But Rhule took advantage of a few spare minutes over a rare bye week to reflect on a time of momentum for the program, his role as a leader and his vision for the future.

“People are starting to really understand and discover what’s happening here,” Rhule said. “We have one mission: We play hard, we play together, and we play for our school. And because we’re doing it the right way, we’ve had some progress. I think as you look at us year in and year out, we’ll just continue to get better and better and better until we’re a program that everyone has to reckon with.”

The Owls travel to New Orleans to play Tulane on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2). With a win, the Owls would become bowl-eligible and guarantee a record of .500—a remarkable achievement after winning only two games in 2013.