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The Temple Owls have been on the wrong side of a one-way rivalry with the UCF Knights and are hoping to record their first win since Oct. 15 of 2016. Temple and UCF will face off in an American Athletic battle at noon ET on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. The Knights will be strutting in after a victory while the Owls will be stumbling in from a defeat.
The matchup between Temple and the South Florida Bulls last week was not a total blowout, but with Temple falling 34-14 on the road, it was darn close to turning into one. Temple's loss came about despite a quality game from WR Randle Jones, who caught four passes for one TD and 100 yards. One of the most thrilling moments was Jones' 70-yard TD reception in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Tigers typically have all the answers at home, but last Friday UCF proved too difficult a challenge. The Knights strolled past the Tigers with points to spare, taking the game 24-7. The victory came about even with UCF handicapping themselves with 95 penalty yards. WR Ryan O'Keefe was the offensive standout of the contest for UCF, punching in one rushing touchdown in addition to snatching one receiving TD.
Temple is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Neither team has fared well against the spread -- they are 1-4, while UCF are 1-5.
Temple is now 3-4 while the Knights sit at a mirror-image 4-3. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Temple is 235th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 16 on the season. UCFs have had an even harder time: they are stumbling into the matchup with the 224th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 14 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
