A couple of schools that like to keep it on the ground, Coach Rod Carey and the Temple Owls (-2) will be taking the field against their conference counterpart South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. ESPN will broadcast the action and kickoff will take place at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Temple Owls vs. South Florida Bulls Betting Preview
South Florida is entering this AAC game as the underdog and is currently getting 2 points at William Hill Sportsbook. The Owls are also receiving -130 moneyline odds while the Bulls are +110. This AAC matchup should provide several decent in-game betting possibilities, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 53 points.
The total has yet to change after it was initially set at 53. Having said that, the line opened at 1 so has recently moved up to 2.
The Owls are 4-4 against the spread (ATS) and are down 3.9 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U mark of 5-3. The Bulls have lost 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 5-3 ATS and five of their games have gone over the total.
The Owls are 5-3 straight up (SU), including 2-2 SU against conference opponents. The Bulls are 4-4 SU overall and 2-2 SU in conference play.
The Owls hope to get back on track after a 63-21 defeat to UCF on October 26. The Owls defense allowed the Knights to eat up the clock by running for 385 yards on 48 rush attempts, including five rush TDs. Offensively, the Owls completed 16-of-31 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Anthony Russo went 12-for-24 for 199 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while Todd Centeio completed three-of-six for 22 yards. Re’Mahn Davis (just 26 rushing yards on 12 attempts) and Jager Gardner (13 yards on 11 carries, one TD) mounted the ground attack while Branden Mack (five receptions, 104 yards, one TD) and Isaiah Wright (two catches, 31 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
South Florida is coming off of a 45-20 win over East Carolina. As a group, the team collectively completed 16-of-25 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan McCloud went nine-for-12 for 102 yards and two touchdowns while Kirk Rygol was six-of-12 for 74 yards and one touchdown. Jordan Cronkrite (129 rushing yards on 12 attempts, two TDs) spearheaded the running game as Randall St. Felix (five receptions, 79 yards, one TD) and Jacob Mathis (four catches, 40 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Temple has run the ball on 51.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while South Florida has a rush percentage of 56.6 percent. The Owls have produced 139 rush yards per game (including 136 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 11 scores on the ground this year. The Bulls are averaging 181 rush yards per game (216 in conference) and have 12 total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season are any indication, then it seems like the Owls should hold an advantage when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has given up just 18 sacks while the D-line registered 35 sacks. The Bulls offensive line has allowed 38 sacks and their defense has forced only 29 sacks.
The Owls offensive scheme has tallied 264 yards/contest through the air overall (235 per game against conference opposition) and has 17 passing scores so far. The Bulls have produced 173 pass yards per outing (192.5 in the AAC) and have 16 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Temple has allowed 168 rush yards and 235 pass yards per game. The South Florida defense has allowed 185.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 199.1 yards per game on the ground. The Bulls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.97 to opposing QBs, while the Owls have given up a 5.91 ANY/A.
Offensively, Russo has put up 1,702 passing yards this year, and has connected on 58 percent of his 242 attempts with 15 scores through the air and eight interceptions. Russo has a 6.21 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.17 over the last two outings.
Branden Mack, Re’Mahn Davis and Jadan Blue have collectively accounted for 350 total yards and three touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
In the home locker room, Jordan McCloud has completed 58-of-101 passes for 726 yards, 10 TDs and five INTs. McCloud’s ANY/A sits at 5.55 for the season and 3.38 across his past two outings.
We also expect the South Florida offense to mix things up this Thursday. Jordan Cronkrite (512 rushing yards, four rush TDs this season), Randall St. Felix (151 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Jahquez Evans (122 rush yards, one rush TD, zero receiving yards) have combined for 428 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns the last two games.
When these two schools faced each other a year ago, Temple emerged victorious by a final score of 27-17.
NCAA Prediction: Temple Owls vs. South Florida Bulls
Temple: 20 South Florida 17 – Take the under as your best bet!
Team Betting Trends
Each team defense has recorded 20 sacks this year.
The South Florida offense has lost five fumbles this season while Temple has lost seven.
The Owls offense has recorded five pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Bulls have put up four such plays.
The Temple defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 yards or more, while South Florida has given up zero such plays.
The Temple offense has created four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while South Florida has created 19 such runs.
The Owls defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bulls have given up 12 such runs.
The Over/Under for South Florida’s last matchup was set at 51. The over cashed in the 45-20 victory over East Carolina.
Over its last three games, South Florida is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Over its last three games, Temple is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
South Florida has won four of its last five games SU, with a -32-point loss to Navy on October 19th representing the lone defeat over that stretch.
The O/U for Temple’s last game was set at 61.5. The over cashed in the team’s 63-21 defeat to UCF.
As a team, Temple has produced 2.5 yards per carry over its past three games and 1.6 over its last two.
South Florida has averaged 6.1 yards per carry over its last three contests and 6.5 over its past two.
