Gameday preview: No. 5 Cincinnati
Coming off its most impressive win of the season against Memphis, Temple turns its attention to No.5 ranked Cincinnati in a 7 p.m. Friday night game at Nippert Stadium that will be televised nationally on ESPN.
The Owls trailed Memphis 17-0 in the second quarter of last week’s game before roaring back to tie the game before halftime and then outscoring the Tigers 17-14 in the second half, winning the game 34-31 and bringing their record to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in American Athletic Conference play.
Temple finally got to see what its offense looked like with a mostly healthy D’Wan Mathis at quarterback, and it looks dynamic. Mathis finished with 322 yards and three touchdowns while adding 53 yards on the ground.
As for the Bearcats, they, too, are coming off an impressive win. They went into South Bend, Indiana and knocked off then-No. 9 Notre Dame, 24-13.
Cincinnati ranks near the top of multiple statistical categories on both offense and defense in the American Athletic Conference and has players on NFL draft radars throughout its depth chart.
Here is how Temple matches up with Cincinnati in all three phases of the game.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON OFFENSE
Temple’s offense got off to its typical slow start against the Tigers but quickly rallied in the second quarter behind an efficient performance from Mathis.
Besides throwing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns, Mathis completed 35-of-49 passes. His accuracy to all three levels of the field was quite impressive, as he made throws both from the pocket and on the run.
Mathis also did a good job spreading the ball around to multiple receivers with 11 different players catching a pass against Memphis.
Temple’s second-leading receiver, Randle Jones, has missed the past two games with an injury, and his status for this week is uncertain. In his stead, the Owls have received strong play from the likes of Jose Barbon and Amad Anderson.
Barbon leads the team in receiving with 280 yards, while Anderson is third with 173 yards, with 108 of those yards coming against the Tigers.
Cincinnati’s passing defense ranks third in The American and is allowing 184.4 yards per game. The Bearcats’ secondary is led by outstanding cornerbacks Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant, both of whom are on NFL draft radars, with Gardner getting mocked in the first round.
Gardner is tied for the team lead with two interceptions this season, and Bryant leads the team in pass breakups with six. The Bearcats are also getting strong play from their slot cornerback Arquon Bush. Bush has recorded five pass breakups and two interceptions this season.
As for the Owls’ running game, it still ranks last in the AAC, averaging just 129.2 yards per game. However, there were some bright spots against Memphis, as Edward Saydee ran for 62 yards while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Temple’s running game also got a boost from Mathis, who proved he was still explosive enough to make big plays on the ground despite not being 100 percent healthy. Temple would be wise to utilize Mathis on some zone reads or read options this week.
Running the ball against the Bearcats is going to be a tall task no matter what Temple does. Cincinnati’s rushing defense ranks third in the AAC, as the Bearcats are allowing 124.5 yards per game this season.
Their run defense is led by linebackers DeShawn Pace and Darrian Beavers, who rank first and second on the team in tackles with 32 and 29, respectively.
The Bearcats also have a talented edge rusher in Myjai Sanders, who hasn’t recorded any sacks this season, but he consistently creates pressure on the quarterback.
This is the best defense Temple’s offense will face all season. If they can score points against the Bearcats’ defense, they can score on anybody.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON DEFENSE
Despite giving up more than 300 yards through the air against Memphis, Temple’s passing defense remains one of the best in the AAC. They are still only allowing 147.2 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the conference.
The Owls are receiving consistent play from transfer cornerbacks Keyshawn Paul and Cameron Ruiz. Both players are doing a good job limiting explosive plays this season.
This week, Temple’s secondary is tasked with stopping potential NFL quarterback prospect Desmond Ridder. Ridder is completing 63.5 percent of his passes this season and has accumulated 1,045 yards and nine touchdown passes.
Ridder is also a potent running threat who can win both scrambling outside the pocket and on designed runs. The Bearcats’ leading receiver is Alec Pierce with 294 yards and one touchdown this season.
On the flip side, Temple’s run defense has been less than stellar this season. They are allowing 169.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks ninth in the AAC. The Owls’ rushing defense is led by linebackers William Kwenkeu and Jordan Magee.
Kwenkeu leads the team with 5.5 tackles for a loss and with three sacks. Magee is second on the team with 3.5 tackles for loss and leads the team in pass breakups with three.
Temple is also getting strong run defense from its safeties. Amir Tyler and M.J. Griffin rank first and second on the team in total tackles.
Temple is using more three-down fronts this season and putting an extra safety on the field, which leaves fewer defenders in the box to stop the run. This is helping Temple limit explosive passing plays but also leaves them open to giving up yards on the ground.
This week might be a different story since Cincinnati’s rushing attack is underwhelming this season. As a team, they average 147 rushing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the AAC. Their leading rusher is Jerome Ford with 364 yards and six touchdowns.
Cincinnati’s offense doesn’t look overly intimidating on paper, but they are scoring 38.2 points per game this season and have scored 32 points off of turnovers. If Temple makes mistakes, the Bearcats will make them pay.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON SPECIAL TEAMS
In the kicking game, Temple will continue to rely on kicker Rory Bell and punter Adam Barry. Bell is 6-for-8 on field goals, and Barry is averaging 45.76 yards per punt this season with eight going longer than 50 yards.
In the return game, Temple is still using receivers Jadan Blue on punts and De’Von Fox on kickoffs. Blue is averaging just 3.17 yards per return and Fox is averaging 24.50 yards per return.
The Bearcats are struggling in the kicking game this season. Field goal kicker Cole Smith is just 2 of 6 on kicks this season, including three misses in the 30- to 39-yard range. Their punter, Mason Fletcher, is averaging 43.3 yards per punt, with three longer than 50 yards.
Cincinnati’s kick returner is wide receiver Tre Tucker, who is averaging 33.8 yards per return. Their punt returner, running back Ryan Montgomery, is averaging 7.1 yards per return.
Temple has struggled to cover kicks and punts this season, but they did a good job limiting Memphis’ dynamic return man, Calvin Austin III, to just five punt return yards last week.
The Owls will have to duplicate that performance again this week if they hope to upset the Bearcats on Friday night. Their margin for error is already pretty thin, and one special teams gaffe could put the game out of reach.