Heisman campaign revs up for Temple's Bernard Pierce

Temple's Bernard Pierce may be giving the word gridlock a new meaning. If motorists are stuck behind a SEPTA bus, there's a good chance they'll see a sign showing Pierce running to daylight while they sit idling.

Then there are the three opportunities to see the Owls running back on I-95 as drivers head south near the stadiums. While construction slows them down, Pierce can be seen on billboards picking up blockers and a head of steam.

The Schuylkill Expressway and Pennsylvania Turnpike, too, will have a larger-than-life Pierce catching motorists' eyes.

There are five billboards scattered throughout the area with "Hunt for the Heisman" headlines, promoting the sophomore from Ardmore as he competes for the honor with the likes of Alabama's Mark Ingram, last year's winner.

Pierce, a 2010 preseason all-American and first-team all-Mid-American Conference honoree, now has his own website - www.Pierce4Heisman.com - on which fans will be able to follow his progress this season.

"It's a new experience," said says the mild-mannered, 6-foot, 218-pound Pierce, who gained 1,578 yards and scored 26 touchdowns as a senior at Glen Mills School. "Some say it's a lot of pressure, a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I really don't think so. I just have to keep doing everything I've been doing."

Last year he rushed for 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns in a season that included a half-dozen games with 100-plus yards. In doing so, Pierce rewrote all of the freshmen records of Temple's last Heisman candidate, Paul Palmer, who finished second in the national voting to Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde in 1986.

Palmer, a Temple running back for four years, ended his college career with 4,895 yards and 39 touchdowns on 935 carries.

"If it happens, it happens," Pierce said about breaking Palmer's records, then he started to chuckle. "He's funny. He said I broke some of his records and he called me 'the enemy.' "

Pierce added that Palmer, who lives in nearby Haddon Heights never talked with him about the Heisman hype of 1986.

Back then, the campaign took the form of a Paul Palmer comic book that was mailed to Heisman voters. Today, communication is much different.

Pierce said that defensive members of the team already are referring to him as "Superstar" and as "Hollywood" in text messages.

"Nobody told me about the billboards. [Temple coach Al Golden] told me that I'm going to be a Heisman candidate and he'll be advertising me; that's all he said," Pierce said.