Gameday preview: Memphis
Despite a rocky start to the season, Temple is 2-2 and will look to build momentum off its 42-7 win win over Wagner when the Owls host the 3-1 Memphis Tigers in their American Athletic Conference opener.
The Owls got a huge boost on offense against the Seahawks with the return of starting quarterback D’Wan Mathis. Mathis, who was injured in the opening loss to Rutgers, completed 22-of-32 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns and committed zero turnovers.
At his Monday press conference, Temple head coach Rod Carey said Mathis still isn’t fully percent healthy but he came out of Saturday’s game “relatively good.” Assuming Mathis is good to go, Temple will need another strong performance from him to beat Memphis.
Unlike last week, the Owls will get a real test from the Tigers this week. Memphis dropped a close game to UTSA last week, but its offense has clicked on all cylinders so far. The Tigers are averaging 39 points per game and have scored fewer than 30 points just once this season.
Here is how Temple matches up with Memphis in all three phases of the game.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON OFFENSE
The Owls’ offense has been largely inconsistent this season. As a unit, they rank No. 7 in the AAC in points per game, No. 9 in yards per game and No. 10 in first downs per game.
Some of the struggles stem from starting true freshman quarterback Justin Lynch, who played well against Akron but struggled against Boston College, for two games. Mathis returned last week and gave Temple a more potent passing attack even with his top receiving targets, Randle Jones and Jadan Blue, out with injuries.
Carey said Blue was expected to practice on Tuesday but Jones was still “day to day.” If neither can play this week, Temple will lean on the likes of Jose Barbon, Amad Anderson and Kadas Reams.
Barbon recorded a career-high 130 yards last week against the Seahawks, while Reams caught two touchdown passes, including a 44-yarder off a great rainbow pass from Mathis.
Temple’s explosivity in the passing game could carry over to Saturday's game, as the Tigers rank last in the AAC with 348.5 passing yards allowed per game.
To its credit, Memphis’ passing defense is quite good playing the ball in the air and making the most of its opportunities. The Tigers have recorded 30 pass breakups this season, including 10 from freshman defensive back Greg Rubin, four from safety Quindell Johnson, and three from safety Sanchez Blake Jr.
While the Memphis defense tends to get its hands on the football a lot, the Tigers struggle to actually create turnovers. They’ve recorded just one interception this season and have forced just one fumble.
In the running game, Temple got a breakout performance from Kyle Dobbins last week. Dobbins recorded 61 yards on 13 carries and also rushed for three scores. As a team, though, the Owls are still struggling to move the ball on the ground.
Temple ranks dead last in the AAC in rushing yards per game and ranks No. 9 yards per rush.
The Owls are dealing with some injuries in the running back room. Ra’Von Bonner and Trey Blair did not play against Wagner and were considered “day to day” as of Monday, but were expected to practice this week.
This week might not be the breakout week Temple is looking for on the ground regardless of who plays. Memphis ranks second in the AAC in rush yards allowed per game and yards per rush with 113 and 3.3, respectively.
The Tigers run defense is headed by three upperclassmen in linebackers JJ Russell and Xavier Cullens and defensive lineman John Tate IV. Russell leads the team in tackles with 47, Cullens leads the team in tackles for loss with 3.5, while Tate IV is tied for second with 2.5.
Memphis runs a 3-4-4 defense with a JACK linebacker serving as the extra second-level defender. Despite this, they Tigers have struggled to stop the pass season meaning Temple would be wise to try and attack them down the field early and often today.
When Temple is on defense:
Memphis’ offense is the most explosive unit the Owls’ defense has had to face this season, making this a good test for the Owls’ best performing unit.
The Owls’ secondary has been stellar this season to the tune allowing just 107. 8 passing yards per game which ranks No. 1in the AAC and No. 2 in the entire nation. Temple’s secondary is lead by transfer corners Keyshawn Paul and Cameron Ruiz along with safeties Amir Tyler and MJ Griffin.
Unlike Memphis’ secondary, Temple’s hasn’t produced as many plays on the ball but the Owls have been much better at preventing explosive plays and keeping receivers in front of them.
They’ll have their work cut out for them trying to defend Memphis freshman quarterback Seth Henigan and wide receiver Calvin Austin III.
Henigan ranks No. 3 in the AAC in passing yards per game and No. 2 in efficiency. What really separates Henigan is how well he takes care of the ball. He’s thrown just one intercept ion this season compared to nine touchdown passes.
As for Austin III, he’s one of the most dynamic receivers the AAC has to offer. He leads the conference in yards with 533 and in touchdowns with seven. Memphis will do anything to get the ball in Austin III’s hands, including running him in jet motion and throwing bubble screens, so Temple will need to treat him like they did Boston College’s Zay Flowers two weeks ago.
Memphis has a potent rushing attack too. The Tigers rank No. 3 in the AAC in rushing yards per game and their top two rushers, Brandon Thomas and Rodrigues Clark, average an explosive 7.1 and 8.2 yards per carry, respectively.
The Owls linebackers will have to be an important part of stopping Thomas and Clark, but they could really use some help from the defensive line. The only two Owls’ defensive linemen with more than two tackles for loss this season are Layton Jordan, Darian Varner and Will Rodgers.
Jordan and Varner aren’t starters and Temple could use some more production against the run from the likes of Manny Walker, Kevin Robertson, Nick Bags and Jerquavion Mahone in this game.
The Owls’ defense has played well this season but hasn’t really been tested over the last few weeks, especially in the secondary. This will be a good week to learn just how legit this Temple defense is.
When Temple is on special teams:
On special teams, Temple has gotten relatively solid play from their kicker and punter this season. Adam Barry is averaging 46.3 yards per punt with eight of them going for more than 50 yards. Kicker Rory Bell, meanwhile, is 4-of-5 on field goals with a season long of 47-yards.
The Owls will likely go back to Blue returning punts, assuming he’s healthy enough to play. He’s averaging four yards per return this season. De’Von Fox will likely continue to handle kickoffs. He is averaging 27.17 yards per return.
Memphis relies on Joe Doyle to do both its kicking and punting. Doyle has averaged 43.4 yards per punt and is 6-of-8 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 51 yards.
In the return game, Memphis uses Austin III on punts and Gabriel Rodgers on kickoffs. Austin III is one of the most dynamic returners in the country and has averaged 43.33 yards per punt return, highlighted by a 94-yard touchdown against Mississippi State.
If Temple wants to pull an upset, the Owls can’t have any gaps in their kick coverage lanes because Austin III will undoubtedly make them pay.