The Temple Owls (0-2) seek their first win of the 2024 College Football season this weekend with their Home Opener against Coastal Carolina (2-0). The Chanticleers have averaged big offensive numbers through two games this season bringing a 47.5 points-per-game average to Philadelphia for the road contest.
On the flip side, it has been a very difficult start defensively for Temple entering the game allowing 44.5 points per game this season. If the Temple offense can protect the football against Coastal Carolina, the contest could provide an exciting offensive display of points on the oversized Linc scoreboard.
When: Saturday, September 14: 2:00 PM EST
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
How: ESPN+
Spread: Coastal Carolina -17 | Temple +17
Moneyline: Coastal Carolina -800 | Temple +550
Total: over/under 52
Coastal Carolina (2-0) enters the road contest against Temple missing two of their best tailbacks. Head coach Tim Beck indicated that Ja’Vin Simpkins and Braydon Bennett will be unavailable for the game in Philadelphia. Simpkins left last week’s win against William & Mary and was seen in a walking boot on the sidelines. This is the third running back injury for the Chanticleers with running back Max Balthazar injured before the beginning of the season.
Despite the injury issues, Coastal Carolina still expects to feature a heavy dose of the run game against Temple. The Chanticleers have averaged 285 yards running the football this season. Additionally, the offensive line has not allowed a sack in pass protection during the first two games of the new campaign. The home defense has a tall task to handle on Saturday afternoon. However, according to Danny Kelly of the Post and Courier, Coastal Carolina is expecting a fight from the Owls, particularly on third downs, according to Coach Beck:
“Defensively is the strength,” Beck said of Temple. “They’re a very good defensive team, very good front, very good secondary. They’re one of the top teams in the country on third down, giving up on 24 percent third down conversion rate, which we weren’t very good [on third down] last week. So we’ve got to make sure we stay on the field.”
The Owls enter the third game of the 2024 season reeling after a pair of blowout losses in the first two weeks of the season. Head Coach Stan Drayton doubled down after last week’s loss claiming that the coaches will need to find the right mix of players to put on the field. It’s been a difficult start to the year with massive early scoring deficits to overcome against nationally ranked Oklahoma as well as by Navy.
One of the contributing factors to the blowout losses this season has been turnovers. Enter Week #3, Temple football has LOST nine turnovers in two games. According to TeamRankings.com, the -4.5 turnover margin per game for Temple is the second worst in college football behind Central Michigan (-6.0). The Owls will need to protect the pigskin better, particularly early in games, to give themselves a shot at their first win of the season in front of the Cherry and White supporters.
The Owls and the Chanticleers will kick off at 2 pm at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are still available for the game via Temple’s website. The football game will be available for viewing via streaming service ESPN+ (paid subscription likely required).
All Temple students receive a free ticket to Temple football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball. Qualifying students can visit Owlsports.com for additional information regarding these tickets. There will also be a Free Student Tailgate in Parking Lot K23 of Lincoln Financial Field in the Temple Fan Tailgate Zone on Saturday before kick-off. A student ID is required for entrance into the tailgate.
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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