Temple (3-2, 1-0 AAC) at Memphis (3-1, 0-0 AAC)
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN
Rest is overrated, right?
That’s Temple’s mindset this week as the Owls, fresh off opening AAC play with a 45-20 win over SMU on Saturday, face a short week and travel to play Memphis in a primetime Thursday night matchup.
Thursday night will mark the first AAC game of the season for the Tigers, who are coming off a 48-28 defeat at SEC powerhouse Ole Miss last week.
Blend together the short week, the travel and the tough, skilled opponent, and the Owls know they have a firm challenge on their hands against first-year head coach Mike Norvell’s Memphis team.
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup.
Scouting Temple
As far as Temple’s offense is concerned, it’s all started with the running game. Senior Jahad Thomas and sophomore Ryquell Armstead have combined to form a lethal one-two punch out of the backfield. Last week against SMU, they combined for 239 of Temple’s 244 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Thomas had 80 yards and two scores while Armstead had a career day with 159 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, they each have six touchdowns. Thomas has scored two touchdowns in each of the three games he’s played since returning from a dislocated left thumb. Armstead leads the Owls this season with 313 yards on the ground.
Whereas the running game excelled last week against SMU, the passing attack fell flat as senior quarterback Phillip Walker had one of the worst games of his collegiate career. He went 7 for 19 for just 124 yards, a touchdown and two ugly interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. On the year, Walker is completing just 55 percent of his passes for 970 yards, six touchdowns and seven picks. He threw eight picks all of last season. The good news for Walker is that sophomore receiver Ventell Bryant, the Owls’ top returning receiver from last year, made an impact last week in his return from a shoulder injury as he caught a 43-yard touchdown pass.
The Owls are dealing with their fair share of injuries on the defensive side of the football. Defensive linemen Sharif Finch and Jullian Taylor are out for the season with knee injuries. But the big blow comes in the secondary, where junior safety Sean Chandler will miss anywhere from three weeks to the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered in the homecoming victory over Charlotte two weeks ago. Chandler, who moved to safety this season after playing his first two years at corner, is the unquestioned leader of an Owls secondary that will now need some retooling. Last season, Chandler, a Camden High School product, had 65 tackles and four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. This year, he has 23 tackles and a pick. Even with all the injuries, the Owls’ defense still held a high-powered SMU offense that entered last week averaging 448 total yards to just 288 total yards. Senior Nate L. Smith will start in Chandler’s place. Smith started last week against SMU and had an interception.
Scouting Memphis
The Tigers can put plenty of points on the board. They average 45.8 points per game, tied for tops in the conference with UCF. The 77 points the Tigers hung on Bowling Green helped, but, yes, the Tigers still average more points than No. 6 Houston.
No more Paxton Lynch, no problem for the Tigers as their attack starts with junior quarterback Riley Ferguson. In his first year as the Tigers’ starter, the Tennessee transfer has already thrown 11 touchdowns compared to five interceptions, three of which came last week against a stout Ole Miss defense. He also has three rushing touchdowns on the year. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder is averaging just a smidge under 300 passing yards per game. His most dangerous target is redshirt junior Anthony Miller, who averages 101.3 receiving yards per game. He’s got two touchdowns through the air and another one on the ground. The Tigers have two backs who can do damage and they use them often. Redshirt junior Doroland Dorceus leads the Tigers with 250 yards, 62.50 yards per game and four touchdowns. True freshman Patrick Taylor isn’t far behind with 239 yards, 59.75 yards per game and a touchdown of his own on the ground.
Memphis’ defense isn’t too bad, either. The Tigers rank second in the conference in scoring defense with 18.8 points allowed per game. Defensive back Jonathan Cook leads the team with 27 total tackles. The Tigers have a penchant for taking the ball away, too, with eight picks and four fumble recoveries on the season.
History
Thursday evening marks the fourth-ever meeting between Temple and Memphis. The previous three meetings have all happened in the previous three seasons. The Owls hold a 2-1 series advantage over the Tigers with wins last season (31-12) in Philadelphia and in 2013 in Memphis (41-21). The Tigers took the 2014 meeting in Philadelphia, 16-13, with a field goal as time expired.
Storyline to watch: How Temple’s secondary reacts without Chandler
It’s no secret the loss of Chandler will hurt the Owls. They were fine without him last week, but that was against a poor SMU team with a freshman backup quarterback. This week, Ferguson and a Memphis offense that can sling it will be a huge test for the Chandler-less Temple secondary. How will that secondary respond? We shall see.
What’s at stake: Getting a season-defining stretch off on the right foot
Simply put, the four-game stretch for Temple that starts Thursday will define the Owls’ season. They go to Memphis and then go to UCF before hosting USF and Cincinnati, the latter two of which are the Owls' biggest threats to the AAC East title. This stretch will determine if this year’s Owls are contenders or pretenders. While Memphis is in the AAC West, a victory over the Tigers (on a short week, no less) would set the tone for the next few weeks for the Owls and have them brimming with confidence and swagger.
Prediction
I see Memphis hopping out to a quick lead and the Owls fighting back, but just not enough. The short-week trip to take on a very good opponent is just too tall a task.
Memphis 27, Temple 17