Who: USF Bulls vs. Temple Owls
What: American Athletic Conference football game
When: Friday, October 21st, 7 PM
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Why: Conference title implications
The University of South Florida Bulls go on the road to Philadelphia to visit the Temple University Owls on Friday evening. The game will just the third game played between the two schools, who have each won one game in the series. Each of those wins went to the home team.
USF will bring their 6-1 (3-0) record into the game against the Owls. The only loss of the season for the Bulls came at the hands of the #13/15 FSU Seminoles, a game they lost badly, 55-35. In their last outing at home, they beat UConn, 42-27. The Bulls looked vulnerable in that game, with the much lower rated Huskies trailing by just eight with just over eight minutes left in the game.
Temple comes into the matchup with a 4-3 (2-1) record following a 26-25 win over the 3-3 UCF Knights. The Owls trailed in that game for all but the final second, beating UCF in stunning fashion on the last play of the game. That is the signature win for the Owls this season, with their three other wins coming against FCS Stoney Brook, 1-3 Charlotte, and 2-3 SMU.
USF Offense
USF boasts a top ten scoring defense, eighth nationally, with heavy emphasis on a strong running game. Of the 40 touchdowns scored this season, 25 came via the run. They happen to also have the eighth ranked rushing offense in the country, led by quarterback, Quinton Flowers. Flowers has amassed 655 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground, and 1,535 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air. He is ranked 23rd in total rushing yards, nationally. His completion rate as a passer is just under 59% and he has thrown a handful of interceptions this season. Last week against UConn, Flowers had five touchdowns and 370 yards of total offense. That performance earned him American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week Honors.
Trailing in total rushing yards, but accumulating five more per game is running back Marlon Mack. Mack is averaging over 98 yards per game and has nine rushing touchdowns and is currently ranked 29th in rushing yards per game. Fellow running back, D’Ernest Johnson also gets significant carries, averaging 43 yards per game and four touchdowns on the season as a rusher. He also has a big role in the passing game due to the nature of the Bulls’ offense. He ties receiver Rodney Adams to lead the team in receiving touchdowns with four and is fourth on the team in total receiving yards. Adams is averaging 65 yards per game and is Flowers’ favorite target with 32 catches, almost twice as many as Johnson, who is second on the team in the category.
The only offensive player injured for the Bulls is A.J. Legree, who is questionable for the game. He has not played a major role in the offense this season, so there should be no impact in this game.
Temple Defense
Temple’s defense will seek to contain the high powered USF offense with the 38th ranked scoring defense, allowing opponents just 23 points per game on average. The Owls will try to limit USF’s 268 rushing yards per game to just under 150 rushing yards per game, which they have allowed this season.
Against the pass, Temple allows 230 yards per game. Defensive lineman, Haason Reddick, and linebacker, Stephaun Marshall, lead the team in total tackles with 35 and 31 respectively. Reddick has also notched 6.5 sacks on the season, tied for seventh best in the nation. The play of Reddick elevates his team to 16th in the country with just under three sacks per game. Defensive back, Delvon Randall, has two of the teams’ seven interceptions.
Temple Offense
The Owls are ranked 54th in scoring offense per game this season, averaging 32 points. Their offense is pass heavy, with 230 of their 378 yards per game the result of a pass completion. Quarterback, Phillip Walker, leads the passing attack with 1,582 yards, ten touchdowns and ten interceptions. The top two receivers for the team are Keith Kirkwood and running back, Jahad Thomas, who have three touchdowns apiece, 334 and 251 yards respectively. The third ranked receiver on the team in yards per game is Ventell Bryant. However, Bryant is out indefinitely due to an injury sustained late in the UCF game. Thomas leads the team with 71 yards rushing per game, with seven touchdowns on the season.
USF Defense
Defensively, USF is a mixed bag. Allowing almost 26 points per game ranks their scoring defense at just 59th. They rank even lower against the run, 89th, giving up 190 yards per game and 13 touchdowns on the season. Those numbers are a bit misleading, though, considering how much of that came from one game. The Bulls gave up six rushing touchdowns and 478 rushing yards to FSU. Excluding that game, their numbers improve dramatically, to an average of about 142 yards per game. They aren’t not great defending the pass, either, allowing 246 yards per game in that category.
Their defense is led by linebacker, Auggie Sanchez, who has racked up a team leading 65 total tackles. That number earns him a two way tie for 15th in the nation and leads the conference in tackles. Sanchez also leads the team with six of the team’s 19 sacks, putting him in a tie for 11th in the nation. Defensive lineman, Bruce Hector, and linebacker, Nigel Harris, are the only other players on the team to have more than one sack. Harris is second on the team in total tackles with 42 and he leads the team with two interceptions.
Expectations
The Bulls’ passing defense is ripe for exploitation by an effective passing game. Temple leans on the pass, and this could give them an opening. The Owls 148 rushing yards per game seem like a given, considering how well that matches up with what USF normally allows in every game except against FSU. There will be points for Temple to score, if they do their homework. Switch to the other side of the ball, and USF has a pretty clear advantage. Averaging over 44 points per game with seemingly endless options for speed, the Temple defense may be overmatched.
The Bulls are just seven point favorites at Temple. Kickoff is at 7 PM and the game can be viewed nationwide on ESPN. This marks the 7th time this season USF football has been broadcast to a national cable audience. Only the home opener with Towson has missed the cut for television.