Temple is hoping to get back on track after its embarrassing 34-14 loss on the road against USF when the Owls take on UCF Saturday at noon at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Owls’ 20-point loss to USF after having two full weeks to prepare dropped them to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in American Athletic Conference play while marking the first time USF beat an FBS opponent in two seasons.

UCF is coming off a 24-7 victory against Memphis that improved its overall record to 4-3 and the Knights’ conference record to 2-2. However, UCF has yet to win a single game on the road this season.

Here is how Temple matches up with UCF in all three phases of the game.

WHEN TEMPLE IS ON OFFENSE

The Owls’ offense is really struggling this season. They rank 10th in points per game, 11th in rushing yards per game and eighth in passing yards per game in the conference.

Temple’s offense is coming off a slow performance against USF where the Owls posted just 232 total yards and 48 rushing yards. Starting quarterback D’Wan Mathis finished the game completing 12 of 21 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

It all came on a night when Temple ran just 34 plays and possessed the ball for just 15 minutes and 25 seconds.

Mathis didn’t have his best game of the season, but he didn’t have much help either. Temple’s offensive line struggled yet again, and one of his interceptions hit tight end Darius Pittman square in the chest before getting popped into the air.

On the receiving end, Temple did get its leading receiver back in Randle Jones, who caught a 70-yard touchdown and has recorded 340 yards and three touchdowns this season. Jose Barbon is second on the team in receiving yards with 325 yards and first with 26 receptions.

UCF’s passing defense isn’t going to make things any easier on the Owls this week. They rank fourth in the AAC, allowing just 208.6 passing yards per game this season.

The Knights’ secondary is led by starting cornerbacks Dyllon Lester and Davonte Brown. Lester leads the team in interceptions with two and Brown leads the team in pass breakups with six.

As for Temple’s running game, it is the worst in the AAC. The Owls are averaging a measly 111.1 rushing yards per game and have scored just nine rushing touchdowns — also last in the AAC.

Temple’s leading rusher is Edward Saydee, who has recorded just 218 yards this season and four touchdowns. Saydee recorded just 27 yards against USF and was the only running back to receive more than one carry in the game.

UCF’s run defense could be a unit Temple finds success against — although given its performance against USF’s conference-worst run defense, it seems unlikely — as the Knights rank eighth in the AAC, allowing 162.4 rushing yards per game.

The Knights’ run defense is led by two linebackers in Bryson Armstrong and Tatum Bethune, who lead the team in tackles with 60 and 51, respectively.

Some of Temple’s struggles in the running game should be attributed to the offensive line, and they will have their work cut out for them. UCF ranks sixth in the AAC in sacks and is led by defensive ends Big Kat Bryant and Josh Celiscar, who have recorded a combined 6.0 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season.

Temple is capable of scoring on this UCF defense, but it is hard to trust the Owls after the performance they turned in against a much worse defense one week ago.

WHEN TEMPLE IS ON DEFENSE

Through seven games, the story of Temple’s defense is the same. They rank at the top of the AAC in passing defense and at the bottom in rush defense.

The Owls’ passing defense is allowing just 157.7 passing yards per game, but they are dealing with some injuries this week. The statuses of three starters - cornerback Keyshawn Paul and safeties Amir Tyler and M.J. Griffin - are still up in the air.

Paul has played well on the outside this season, recording an interception and two fumble recoveries, while Tyler and Griffin lead the team in tackles.

UCF’s passing offense has largely struggled since it lost quarterback Dillon Gabriel to a season-ending injury. The Knights rank ninth in the AAC in passing yards per game and fifth in passing touchdowns.

Quarterback Mikey Keene has stepped in to lead the Knights’ offense for most of the season. He’s recorded 631 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.

As for their receivers, UCF is led by Ryan O’Keefe, who has recorded 41 receptions for 416 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 124 yards on the ground. Brandon Johnson and his seven touchdown catches make him the team’s primary red zone threat.

The Knights also have a speed threat in Jaylon Robinson, who is averaging 19.50 yards per catch this season.

The Owls’ rushing defense got torn to shreds last week against USF. Temple’s primary 3-3-5 scheme lends itself to giving up yards in the running game, but the team has also struggled to tackle in a lot of games, leading to some big runs. Temple eventually switched to using more four-down linemen against USF, and it is something head coach Rod Cary said the team would consider doing more this week.

The injuries to Tyler and Griffin also affect Temple’s rush defense, as they led the team in tackles and typically have primary fill responsibilities in the run fit. If they can not play, the Owls will have to lean on linebackers Will Kwenkeu, Jordan Magee, George Reid and BUBO Yvandy Rigby to step up and fill some of the gaps up front.

Unfortunately for Temple, that might be a tall task this week. UCF totes the second-best rushing offense in the AAC, averaging 205.7 yards per contest this season. UCF leans on running backs Isaiah Bowser and Johnny Richardson. Bowser leads the team with six touchdowns and 406 yards while Richardson has recorded 364 yards and one touchdown.

While UCF’s offense may not be as explosive as in previous years, it will still challenge the Owls on the ground and with their blistering offensive tempo.

WHEN TEMPLE IS ON SPECIAL TEAMS

Temple’s special teams didn’t see the field much against USF, but they’ve done a solid job in the kicking game this season.

Punter Adam Barry is averaging 44.09 yards per punt and has booted nine punts more than 50 yards. Kicker Rory Bell is 7 for 9 on field-goal attempts and has recorded 10 touchbacks on 33 attempts.

In the return game, the Owls will likely continue to rely on Amad Anderson and Jadan Blue on punts and De’Von Fox on kickoffs. Anderson is averaging 8.20 yards per return, and Fox is averaging 23.89 yards per return.

UCF relies on punter Andrew Osteen, who is averaging 40.5 yards per punt, and kicker Daniel Obarski, who is 4 of 5 on field-goal attempts this season.

Knights punt returner Amari Johnson is averaging 6.71 yards per return, and Richardson, their kick returner, is averaging 20.45 yards per return.