South Florida at Temple; preview & prediction
TAMPA, Fla. (Nov. 4, 2022) – In a battle of American Athletic Conference cellar dwellers, South Florida (1-7, 0-4 AAC) faces Temple (2-6, 0-4 AAC) Saturday in Philadelphia, PA at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is set for 2:00pm on ESPN+.
Temple leads the all-time series with USF 5-3.
The Bulls, who haven’t defeated an FBS opponent since stomping the Owls 34-14 last season, will be playing its second consecutive road game, and the sixth of its last seven games away from Tampa.
USF has never won in consecutive years against the Owls. The Bulls are also seeking their first-ever win in Philadelphia and to snap a 16-game road losing streak that dates to a 45-20 victory at ECU on Oct. 28, 2019.
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TEMPLE OFFENSE
The Temple offense does not pose much of a threat. They have one of the lowest-ranked offenses in college football. Their run attack is ranked last in The American in attempts, yards, yards per game, average yards per carry and touchdowns; so they rely on freshman quarterback E.J. Warner to move the ball.
The Owls have only 582 total rushing yards this season, putting them next to last in the NCAA. The number one back is sophomore Edward Saydee, with 290 yards on 85 attempts averaging 3.4.
The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, E.J. has completed 53.4 of his passes and has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight).
Warner’s favorite target is Jose Barbon. The senior wide receiver Barbon leads the Owls in receptions (38) and yards (496) yards this season and has caught one touchdown pass. If Barbon isn’t open, Georgia Tech transfer Adonicas Sanders is Warner’s second favorite option.
TEMPLE DEFENSE
The reason Temple has two wins this season is because of their defense. Bulls head coach Jeff Scott praised their defense in his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“Really, what stands out about Temple is their defense,” Scott said. "Temple is very good with their front seven. Very similar to the other defenses that we’ve played in the past few weeks.”
The Temple defensive is tied for second in the nation in tackles for loss. Junior linebacker Layton Jordan leads the team with 14 and sophomore defensive lineman Darian Varner is close behind with 11.5. Both players rank in the top-10 in the nation in tackles for loss.
The Owls excel in sacks as well. They’re tied fifth in the nation with 29. Varner and Jordan also lead the team in this stat with 6.5 each.
Temple allows more yards per game on the ground than they do through the air. They’re fifth in the nation, allowing 166 passing yards a game, but they give up 185 yards a game on the ground.
SHEWEY’S SUMMARY
I expect a back-and-forth game.
To win this game, the Bulls must play fast. The Owl defensive line is nothing like they’ve seen in skill, and if the Bulls sit in the backfield too long, Varner and company will wreak havoc.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Bulls are projected to win this matchup, and I agree. I predict the Bulls will gain their first conference win of the season by a score of 28-14.