Temple has a quick turnaround as it gets set to open AAC play against Tulsa

With the Golden Hurricanes also playing on a short week, Owls head coach Stan Drayton doesn't want to use any of that as an excuse to not come away with a positive result.

Temple tight end Reese Clark (left) and wide receiver Amad Anderson Jr., will be leaned upon when the Owls head out on the road to open conference play against Tulsa on Thursday night.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

by Max Dinenberg

Published Sept. 27, 2023, 2:08 p.m. ET

After a 2-2 start to the season, Temple will open conference play on a short week at Tulsa on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN).

How does Temple head coach Stan Drayton feel about playing an American Athletic Conference opponent after a few short days?

“It’s the same challenge Tulsa has,” Drayton said. “They’re coming on a short week as well. The challenge is to make sure that we don’t make it an excuse. Not to make [it] an issue. Our players have done a great job of focusing on things that we need to prepare [for] when we see Tulsa but also to fix things that we had to repair from the Miami game. Same issue Tulsa is facing and neither team can use that as an excuse.”

Tulsa (2-2) leads the all-time matchup, 4-3. Tulsa has beaten Temple the last two seasons, including a 27-16 win last season at Lincoln Financial Field. Temple’s last win came in 2018 and its last win on the road against the Golden Hurricanes was in 2017.

Last season, Tulsa finished 10th in the AAC at 3-5 (5-7 overall).

Similar to Temple, Tulsa faced a tough nonconference schedule to begin the season. Tulsa defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Northern Illinois but lost to ranked opponents in Oklahoma and Washington.

Stopping the run

The main problem for the Owls defensively this season has been stopping the run. Last week, Miami entered the game ranked eighth in rushing yards in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Hurricanes are a pass-heavy team, but they rushed for 323 yards against the Owls. In Temple’s two wins, the Owls allowed just 74 rushing yards against Akron and gave up 130 yards to Norfolk State.

Tulsa is ranked fourth in the AAC in rushing yards at 170 yards per game. Redshirt seniors Anthony Watkins (234 yards, one TD) and Jordan Ford (215 yards, one TD) are both top 10 in the AAC in rushing yards.

Tulsa redshirt freshman quarterback Cardell Williams has not been the clear-cut starter, sharing duties with redshirt junior Roman Fuller this season.

Protect the football

After only throwing two interceptions in the first three games this season, Temple quarterback E.J. Warner had three turnovers in the loss to Miami. He threw two interceptions and fumbled once.

Warner is facing a Tulsa team that has a dangerous secondary, which is second in the AAC with five interceptions. Safety Kendarin Ray leads the defense with 38 tackles and has one interception.