Temple Football Preview: Questions at QB Against Plucky Rhode Island

Temple Football will begin their 2026 season at Lincoln Financial Field against Rhode Island at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5. The Rams are expected to be one of the top teams in the FCS this season and dominated their season opener 34-7 during Week 0 despite an injury to No. 1 quarterback Devin Farrell.

DraftKings has the Owls as a -700 favorite on the money line, setting the point spread at 14.5 and the over/under at 51.5. Saturday has an expected high temperature of 81 with humidity forecast to hover around 50 percent during the afternoon. ESPN+ holds the broadcasting rights for this matchup.

Scouting the Rams

Backup Tyler Budge completed 14 of 32 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown; Rams head coach Jim Fleming said in his weekly press conference that a handful of drops hurt Budge’s final line. Rhode Island augmented that performance with a strong rushing attack, picking up 160 yards on 29 carries. Budge added five carries for 51 yards, and fifth year BJ Barrow led the category with 13 carries for 56 yards. 

Per a report from Mike Livingston of the Temple News and the Philadelphia Inquirer, Budge is likely to start at quarterback for the second game in a row. Defense proved pivotal to the Rams success against Merrimack. They picked up four turnovers, including a Moses Meus pick-six to seal the win; Andre DePina-Gray helped prevent another score with a red zone interception that he returned 75 yards. Linebackers Marquese Avery and Gage Hinkley forced fumbles, and the Rams managed six tackles for loss and three sacks overall. 

Scouting Temple

The Owls have their own quarterback controversy to worry about, as they haven’t yet announced whether Penn State transfer Jaxon Smolik or Washington State transfer Ajani Sheppard will start. Temple can rely on their offensive line, which returns four of five starters from last season, and an experienced wide receiver trio of Colin Chase, JoJo Bermudez and Jayce Freeman.

Tight end Peter Clark, similarly, has all-conference potential, and transfers like single-digit honoree Sam Brown V can hold down the fort at running back. Defensive players to watch include edge rusher Jaylon Joseph and safety Saboor Kariem; the Owls also have a deep defensive line room with as many as nine players expected to rotate through the three spots available.

Head coach K.C. Keeler said during his weekly press conference that he knows there’s upset potential out of this plucky Rams squad, but that he and his staff are using it as billboard material for their team as they try to prove they aren’t the “old Temple.”