Opponent Preview: Temple
October 04, 2013 | Football
Oct. 4, 2013
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Temple is 0-4 on the year, losing its past three games by a total of 12 points. Its most recent loss came in the form of a 26-24 decision to Idaho on Sept. 28.
Temple is led by first year head coach Matt Rhule. He spent last season as an assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants. Before that, Rhule was a coach at Temple from 2006-2010, when he was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator.
Series Recap
The first meeting between the two schools was in 1980, with Temple posting a 17-12 victory. Currently, the series is tied at three apiece with Louisville winning the last three contests.
In 2006, Louisville won 62-0 with Brian Brohm throwing for over 300 yards. Last year, the Cardinals won 45-17. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns, and Jeremy Wright added 100 yards on the ground and a score.
Offense
Temple runs a zone-read offense. Junior quarterback Connor Reilly has over 746 yards on the year with two touchdowns and two interceptions. On the ground, Reilly is also a threat, with 33 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. He is coming off his best performance yet, throwing for a career-high 249 yards and one touchdown.
Temple features two running backs Kenneth Harper and Zaire Williams. Harper has 47 carries on the year for 222 yards and six touchdowns, while Williams has 38 carries for 219 yards and has yet to find the end zone.
Temple has utilized four different wide receivers, with each one having at least 10 catches on the year: Ryan Alderman, Jalen Fitzpatrick, Chris Coyer, and John Christopher. Its leading receiver is Alderman, who has 15 catches for 221 yards and one touchdown. Chris Coyer, the former starting quarterback, will line up at multiple positions.
As an offense, Temple ranges from 70-110 nationally in multiple offensive categories.
| Average | National Rank | |
| Points Per Game: | 18.0 | 108 |
| Total Offense: | 364.2 | 94 |
| Passing Offense: | 204.2 | 91 |
| Rushing Offense: | 160.0 | 71 |
Defense
Up front, captain Levi Brown leads Temple with nine tackles and a tackle for loss. Also on the defensive line, Matt Ioannidis is tied for the team lead in sacks with two and has eight tackles on the year.
Linebacker Tyler Matakevich is one of the conference leaders in tackles with 60. He also has seven tackles for loss. The sophomore was named a team captain this spring.
Abdul Smith, one of the safeties, is second on the team in tackles with 34. Tavon Young is among the NCAA leaders with three pass breakups. Anthony Robey will see action at the opposite corner of Young, while Stephaun Marshall will line up as the other safety.
As a defense, the Owls range from 70-123 nationally in multiple defensive categories.
| Average | Rank | |
| Points Allowed Per Game: | 26.5 | 71 |
| Total Defense: | 516.2 | 120 |
| Passing Defense: | 322.5 | 121 |
| Rushing Defense: | 193.8 | 95 |
Special Teams
Nick Visco will handle most of the team's kicking duties. He has made all five extra points he has attempted this season and the only field goal he has attempted. Jim Cooper and Paul Layton both have also had their chance to kick field goals for the Owls, with Cooper being the team's long field goal kicker.
Layton, the punter, is averaging 43.6 yards per punt with a long of 59 and eight over 50 yards.
Ryan Alderman will handle most of the punt return duties, averaging 5.0 yards per return. Jalen Fitzpatrick may also return some punts and is the main kick returner. Temple has used three players on kick returns this year.
