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The Temple Owls haven't won a matchup against the UCF Knights since Oct. 15 of 2016, but they'll be looking to end the drought on Thursday. Temple and UCF will face off in an American Athletic battle at 7 p.m. ET at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Both teams have allowed few points on average (the Owls 16.8, UCF 14.6), so any points scored will be well earned.
Temple's and the Memphis Tigers' contest last week was up for grabs at halftime, but Temple was thoroughly outmatched 24 to nothing in the second half. Temple's bruising 24-3 loss to the Tigers might stick with them for a while. QB E.J. Warner had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw three interceptions with a passing completion percentage of only 48.65%.
Meanwhile, the Knights took their game against the SMU Mustangs on Wednesday by a conclusive 41-19 score. The score was close at the half, but UCF pulled away in the second half with 31 points. Their success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but RB Isaiah Bowser led the charge as he punched in three rushing touchdowns.
Temple have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 23.5-point spread they are up against. Those burned by picking them against the spread last week might want to keep in mind that the team has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
The Owls are now 2-3 while UCF sits at 4-1. A pair of defensive stats to keep an eye on: Temple ranks third in the nation when it comes to passing yards allowed per game, with only 149 on average. As for the Knights, they enter the contest with only three passing touchdowns allowed, good for third best in the nation.
