Breaking Down Temple Football’s 2023 Schedule
Written by: Adrian Maghacot and Zachary Silverstein
Photo by: Mike Nance
The American Athletic Conference announced the schedules for all 14 of its teams yesterday. Temple will kick off its season on Sept. 2 against Akron at Lincoln Financial Field.
On June 15, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA announced its intent to join the conference, while Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF packed their bags to go to the Big 12.
The Owls will have two primetime games throughout the season. One is a Thursday night showdown at Tulsa’s Skelley Stadium on September 28, and the other is a Friday night matchup against SMU at Lincoln Financial Field on October 20.
Here is a brief breakdown of each matchup the Owls have during the 2023-24 season.
Saturday, September 2, 2023 – Temple vs. Akron (2022 Record: 2-10)
Temple is 15-7 all-time against Akron and has won the last six matchups. The win streak started on Oct. 13, 2007, when the Owls beat the Zips 24-20.
Saturday, September 9, 2023 – Temple at Rutgers (2022 Record: 4-8)
The Owls are 15-22 all-time against the Scarlet Knights and have dropped the last six matchups. The first of those six losses was on Oct. 25, 2003, when Rutgers came away with a 30-14 victory. Last season, the Owls fell to the Scarlet Knights 16-14 during Temple’s homecoming game Sep. 17.
Saturday, September 16, 2023 – Temple vs. Norfolk State (2022 Record: 2-9)
This will be the first matchup between the Owls and Spartans. Norfolk State is an HBCU, competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference of the FCS.
Saturday, September 23, 2023 – Temple vs. Miami (Fla.) (2022 Record: 5-7)
This will be the 15th all-time matchup between Miami and Temple. The Owls won the first contest 34-0 on Nov. 8, 1930, but the Hurricanes have produced 13 straight victories. The smallest margin of victory in those 13 games is 23 points in a 44-21 final on Sep. 14, 2002.
Thursday, September 28, 2023 – Temple at Tulsa (2022 Record: 5-7)
The Owls were on a respectable three-game winning streak against Tulsa but have faltered as of late. The Golden Hurricane have won two straight games: 44-10 on Nov. 20, 2021, and 27-16 on Oct. 21, 2022. Tulsa leads the all-time series with a 4-3 record.
On Nov. 27, Tulsa fired head coach Philip Montgomery after eight seasons and a 43-53 overall record. Eight days later, Ohio State offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson was announced as the next head coach of the team.
Saturday, October 7, 2023 – Temple vs. UTSA (2022 Record: 11-3)
UTSA is entering its first season as a member of the American Athletic Conference; they had previously played in Conference USA from 2013-2022. This will be the first matchup between the Owls and Roadrunners.
UTSA rolled through CUSA conference play, finishing with an 8-0 record and being crowned CUSA champions with a 48-27 victory over North Texas. The Roadrunners finished the season with an 11-3 overall record, with all their losses coming against ranked opponents. They fell 37-35 vs. No. 24 Houston, 41-20 vs. No. 21 Texas, and 18-12 vs. No. 23 Troy in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl.
Saturday, October 14, 2023 – Temple at North Texas (2022 Record: 7-7)
The Mean Green are another new addition to the AAC. Like UTSA, North Texas was a member of CUSA from 2013-2022. This will be the first matchup between the two programs.
During this past postseason, North Texas lost to UTSA 48-27 in the CUSA championship. A little over two weeks later, the Mean Green fell to Boise State 35-32 in the Frisco Bowl.
Friday, October 20, 2023 – Temple vs. SMU (2022 Record: 7-6)
Temple has a 2-3-2 record all-time record against SMU. The previous time these two teams faced each other, the Mustangs dominated the Owls 47-23.
SMU is coming off a 24-23 New Mexico Bowl loss against BYU after failing to convert a two-point conversion with eight seconds left in the game.
Saturday, November 4, 2023 – Temple vs. Navy (2022 Record: 4-8)
Temple has an 8-9 all-time record against Navy. Recently, the Owls went into overtime against the Midshipmen for the first time since facing Cincinnati in 2018. Navy overwhelmed Temple with its triple-option offense, which led to their win.
On December 19, the Midshipmen promoted defensive coordinator Brian Newberry as the new head coach following the firing of the winningest coach in program history, Ken Niumtalolo.
Saturday, November 11, 2023 – Temple at South Florida (2022 Record: 1-11)
Temple has a 6-3 all-time record against South Florida. The last time these two teams met, the Owls rolled over the Bulls 54-28, including a 265 rushing yards and three-touchdown day from redshirt sophomore running back Edward Saydee.
The day after losing to Temple, South Florida fired head coach Jeff Scott after going 4-26 with the team. On December 4, the school announced that they hired Alex Golesh, former Tennessee offensive coordinator/tight ends coach and 2022 Broyles Award finalist, as the new head coach.
Saturday, November 18, 2023 – Temple at UAB (2022 Record: 7-6)
With the first matchup between these two teams, the Owls will travel to the Blazer’s Protective Stadium. UAB recently hired Trent Dilfer, who played 14 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback and won Super Bowl XXXV with the Baltimore Ravens, as the team’s head coach after former coach Bill Clark retired due to back issues.
During the 2022-2023 bowl season, the Blazers defeated Miami (OH) 24-20 to win the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.
Friday, November 24 or Saturday, November 25, 2023 – Temple vs. Memphis (2022 Record: 7-6)
Both teams are tied at all-time with four wins apiece. The last time Temple and Memphis faced off, Memphis came out on top with a commanding 24-3 win.
The Tigers ended their season on a high note after routing Utah State 38-10 in the Servpro First Responder Bowl.
What’s Next?
Temple will hold its annual Pro Day for draft-eligible players on Wednesday, March 22 at 1:00 PM.
