Temple Football Preview: Tough Task at South Florida

Temple Football has their work cut out for them as they try to get back in the win column, as they’ll face undefeated South Florida on the road at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Owls (1-3, 0-1 American) have a 30.3 percent chance of winning according to ESPN Analytics. They’re +190 to win on the money line at DraftKings, and South Florida is a six point favorite; the over/under sits at 48.5.

There’s a 50 percent chance of showers between 7 and 9 p.m., so expect a focus on the ground game if conditions get ugly in Tampa: for better or worse, that’s what these two teams do best. ESPNU will carry the broadcast as the Owls try to get right.

Scouting South Florida

Temple head coach K.C. Keeler praised Bulls starting quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. during his weekly press conference, describing him as “tremendously athletic.” The six foot tall junior has completed 60 of 91 passes for 691 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions this season while also picking up 125 yards and two touchdowns on 19 rushing attempts.

Van Buren’s top target is 6-foot-2 Bryson Rodgers (18 catches for 197 yards and a score), but Joshua Porter (14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns) is right on his heels and leads the Bulls in receiving touchdowns. The engine of South Florida’s offense is their ground game, with 12 rushing touchdowns between five different players, including backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek in short yardage situations and blowouts. 5-foot-11 senior D.J. Crowther leads the team with 51 carries, 325 yards and three touchdowns, and Jason Collins Jr. (33 carries for 142 yards and a score) gets the bulk of the rest of the carries.

Defensively, the Bulls are averaging more than eight tackles for loss per game and have two interceptions and three forced fumbles. Temple will need to limit negative plays if they hope to pull off the road upset.

Scouting Temple

Temple’s quarterback battle continues, but Jaxon Smolik has missed most of the last two games to injury despite being available in an emergency capacity. If he’s good to go, expect Keeler to work him into the game for some snaps; otherwise, it’ll be Ajani Sheppard (31-of-58 for 539 yards, five passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns), who turned a corner with three touchdowns through the air against Toledo.

The Owls have a dangerous receiving corps led by Colin Chase (eight catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns), but other talented options like 6-foot-6 tight end Peter Clarke, JoJo Bermudez and Jayce Freeman don’t yet have much production as Temple’s passing game tries to gel. Running backs Sam Brown V (25 carries for 205 yards and two touchdowns; four catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns) and Keveun Mason (60 carries for 340 yards and two touchdowns) anchor Temple’s rushing attack,

Defensive playmakers include linebacker Curly Ordonez and safety Saboor Kariem; Keeler said during his press conference that he expects more out of his defensive line rotation, which has just three sacks through four games.