Temple faces first of several late-season tests in Thursday’s game against UCF

Fresh off of a bye week, Temple travels to Orlando, Fla., and kicks off an important test that starts with Thursday night’s matchup against Central Florida.

Temple (2-3, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) has to win four of its next seven games to become bowl eligible in Stan Drayton’s first year as head coach. In that stretch, Temple will play UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati, which are slated to leave the conference for the Big 12 in 2023.

This will be a second straight big matchup for the Owls. After a blowout loss to Duke and two-point defeat against Rutgers, Temple had a lot riding on its conference opener at Memphis. A win would’ve marked the Owls’ first time beating Memphis in consecutive meetings. Instead, Temple’s lifeless offense led to a 24-3 loss.

» READ MORE: Stan Drayton takes time for ‘soul-searching’ and self-evaluation during critical Temple bye week

“[The bye week was] an opportunity for us to do some soul-searching and some self-scouting,” Owls coach Stan Drayton said. “Attack some tendencies that we were putting on film for the first couple of games and get back to the fundamentals of playing good football.”

UCF (4-1, 1-0) will have its own challenges, as the program is in the midst of some unusual scheduling. The Knights played last Wednesday because of Hurricane Ian. More than 700 UCF students have requested aid from the university, and the school is still dealing with the residual damage.

Temple enters this game with the third-best scoring defense and the worst scoring offense in the AAC. Facing a UCF team that ranks second in both categories, the Owls have to keep their offense on the field as much as possible.

Temple ranks last in the American in total rushing, averaging 83.8 yards per game on 2.7 yards per carry. If Temple’s offense is going to stay on the field, coordinator Danny Langsdorf will have to use the short-passing game as an extension of the running game. The offensive line will play a key role in that.

“Our running backs were not great reading the play from time to time,” Drayton said. “But there’s times where the opportunities were not there for them.”

Quarterback E.J. Warner gave Temple’s offense a breath of fresh air when he replaced redshirt sophomore D’Wan Mathis in the Week 2 win against Lafayette. Since then, the freshman has seen his passing percentage drop and his interceptions increase in every game.

Physically, Warner has been taking beatings from defenders since becoming the starter. Temple’s two losses with Warner under center aren’t solely his fault, and Drayton and his staff likely are making sure the freshman knows it.

When these two teams met last October, UCF beat the Owls, 49-7, at Lincoln Financial Field to take a 7-2 lead in the all-time series.

“[UCF quarterback John Rhys] Plumlee’s the real deal,” Drayton said. “He played receiver a year ago, so he knows what he’s doing when the ball is in his hands and it’s time to run. He’s a tough football player, not afraid of contact, and manages the offense really well. So, he’s definitely a weapon for UCF that we have to account for on every play.”

After the trip to UCF, Temple will get another prime-time matchup when it plays Tulsa at home. The Owls will face the Golden Hurricane on Oct. 21 on ESPN2. Temple lost last season’s matchup, 44-10, to drop to 3-1 in the all-time series.