Week 11 Game Preview: Temple vs. #21 Memphis

WRITTEN BY TOM HANSLIN @tomhanslin

On Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, the Temple Football Owls will remain in control of their own title game destiny.

That is with a victory over  No. 21 ranked Memphis and a loss from South Florida, Temple could clinch the American Athletic Conference’s East division, and secure a spot in the AAC championship game, which will take place on Dec. 5.

Temple (8-2), is coming off its worst game of the season, as the Owls’ defense surrendered a season-high 326 rushing yards last Saturday in a stunning 44-23 loss to South Florida in Tampa.

“Since Notre Dame, we haven’t played to the level that we’re capable of,” said Temple head coach Matt Rhule. “At the end of the day, that’s on me, that’s my job.”

Prior to the Owls’ loss to Notre Dame on Halloween night, Temple’s nationally ranked defense demonstrated its prowess, averaging only 14.6 points per game to opponents. Since that defeat, the Owls have conceded 68 points in two games, including 893 all-purpose yards, 511 rushing yards and 40 first down conversions.

“This game doesn’t make us desperate but it definitely lights a fire under us, and it puts us back into the mindset of, ‘okay, it’s time to go’,” said Senior defensive end Matt Ioannidis. “We took the foot off the gas the last few weeks.”

Temple’s time as a nationally ranked team is also in the rear view mirror, as the Owls’ crushing defeat bumped them out of the Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll, where Temple once belonged for four consecutive weeks.

No. 21 Memphis (8-2), has also experienced its fair share of adversity, as the Tigers have been losers in their last two games. But in contrast to Temple’s recent skid, Memphis has fallen to two Top 25 teams, No. 19 Navy and No. 13 Houston.

The Tigers were en route to their ninth victory of the year last Saturday in Houston, but Memphis’ defense surrendered 21 unanswered points to the Cougar’s offense in the second half, and the crushing defeat ultimately came down to a missed game-winning field goal by Tigers’ kicker Jake Elliot, as Houston remained undefeated by a score of 35-34.

The loss officially eliminated Memphis from AAC West contention, as now both Houston and Navy hold undefeated records in conference play. Despite the discouraging loss, Memphis can still be granted a recognizable bowl game, and has an opportunity to reach their program watermark of 10 wins in a season for the second straight year.

The Tigers’ attack will be led by Junior quarterback Paxton Lynch, who has been considered by professional scouts as a potential first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft. Lynch has posted impressive numbers so far this year, collecting 3,292 passing yards for 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

“He has a great head on his shoulders and has improved physically, mentally, emotionally just kind of through the years at quarterback,” said Memphis head coach Justin Fuente.

Temple’s defense caught a glimpse of Lynch last season in Philadelphia, as Lynch completed 21 of 28 passes for 230 yards and a score in Memphis’ 16-13 victory.

“[Lynch] has deceptive speed,” said Temple cornerback Sean Chandler. “He has a strong arm and will try to sneak in passes even when the receivers are covered.”

Along with Lynch’s success in the pocket, his partner in the backfield has also earned commendable numbers, as running back Doroland Dorceus has collected 565 yards on 129 carries for eight rushing touchdowns. Memphis’ top receiver, Anthony Miller, has tallied four touchdowns on 38 receptions for 607 yards. The Tigers’ equal distribution on offense creates a challenging task to defenders, as Memphis has averaged 43.7 points per game, ranked first in the AAC.

The Tigers’ weakness, however, comes on the defensive side, as Memphis is currently ranked eighth in the conference in total defense, allowing 29.3 points per game.

Temple’s offense has turned on the switch of late with 76 points in the last two contests, and have been led by Junior quarterback P.J. Walker, who has thrown five touchdowns for a combined 529 yards. Running back Jahad Thomas has been limited to under 85 rushing yards in the last four games, and it is evident that the Owls’ offensive line has missed the contributions of Senior Kyle Friend, who has been sidelined for the last three weeks with a knee injury.

In order to stay afloat in the East division, Senior linebacker Tyler Matakevich insists that the Owls’ defense must return to old ways.

“You got to control the controllable, and it’s all on us,” said Matakevich. “We control our own destiny. The only thing we can do is focus on the task at hand, and it’s not going to be easy.”

With a win on Saturday and a South Florida loss to Cincinnati, Temple will clinch the East division, and will face either Navy or Houston in the conference championship game. If South Florida defeats Cincinnati and Temple falls to Memphis, the Owls and Bulls would be tied atop the East, with South Florida owning the tiebreaker.

If the second scenario were to take place, South Florida will have the opportunity to clinch on Thanksgiving night against the winless Central Florida Knights. With a Bulls’ win, Temple would be officially eliminated from contention, but if the Bulls were to be upset, the Owls would be forced to beat the Connecticut Huskies next Saturday in Philadelphia in order to play in the title game.

“If you want to be a championship caliber team, whether another team wins or loses affects you, you’re not really a championship team,” said Rhule. “If we really want to call ourselves champions here someday, we have to become competitive championship caliber guys.”

 

THE RUNDOWN
WEEK 11: #21 MEMPHIS (8-2) at TEMPLE (8-2), NOVEMBER 21, 2015
LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD, PHILADELPHIA, PA
TV: NOON ON ESPNU, RADIO: WHIP TEMPLE RADIO (PREGAME AT 11:30AM)
ODDS: MEM -1, O/U: 58