MILITARY BOWL PREVIEW – TEMPLE vs WAKE FOREST
TEMPLE 11.5 WAKE FOREST (40.5)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Temple -13 Sagarin ratings – Temple -15
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Temple 26 Wake Forest 14.5
The Game
Gather up the family and head to brisk Annapolis, Maryland for the holidays. With commercials, it may be 4 hours+ out in the freezing cold but we would probably still do it if we were free that day.
AAC Champion Temple brings a very impressive 10-3 record into this game and have been on SUPAH HOT FYRE winning 7 games in a row to close out the season. Wake Forest got off to a quick 6-3 start and then lost their last three games to finish up at 6-6. Two of those games were against Clemson and Louisville, so it was not totally unexpected.
The Match-Up
Temple offense vs Wake Forest defense
One last chance to see seniors QB PJ Walker and RB Jahad Thomas. Will be really strange to not see them on the Owls’ squad next year, not to mention HC Matt Rhule. Temple has an excellent ground game and we think it was a lot more effective with two guys sharing the load. J Thomas and R Armstead each (!) finished up with 918 yards on the ground and combined for 27 rushing TDs. Wake has a solid defense, but we would not be surprised to see both of these guys get to the 1,000-yard mark. Any time QB PJ Walker is on the field there are probably going to be points scored. He hits a lot of big plays in the passing game and also enjoys throwing to the other team when the opportunity presents itself. Amaze your CHEATING GOLF BUDDIES with this one….As a TEAM, Temple averaged 14.4 yards per reception. In the era of bubble screens that is pretty impressive. At least to us.
Wake Forest has a pretty scrappy defense and were ranked in the Top 40 overall in total defense. They were good in the red zone and managed to get a lot of PENETRATION (#13 FBS sacks per game). The question becomes, how will they hold up if the offense continuously goes 3-and-out and makes them play 58 minutes on defense ?
Wake Forest offense vs Temple defense
Temple was an absolute BRICK WALL down the stretch allowing only 13,0,0,10 and 10 points in their final five contests. They finished up ranked #3 in total defense in the FBS and were very good against the run and the pass. This is really bad news for a Wake Forest offense that may be even worse than the one we will see take the field for Boston College. They just do not have the weapons needed to compete. QB John Wolford had a 7 TD to 9 INT ratio. Leading rushing M Colburn’s longest run was 29 yards. Their leading receiver C Lewis had 415 yards on the season. The good news is that they can throw the kitchen sink at Temple in this game and may catch them off guard with some new formations or trick plays. No chance they win this game with their standard offense unless they are +3 or better in turnovers.
Motivation / Intangibles
Temple – This is where it gets tricky. They lost their HC. They already won their conference title. Now they get to play Wake Forest. In Maryland. Probably does not move the needle much to be honest. They could be psyched to solidify a Top 25 spot in the final rankings. But really, what does all that rankings and awards stuff mean when Michigan is argued to be in the playoff by media stiffs and Lamar Jackson wins the Heisman in a landslide. We say let the kids party and have fun. GRADE – Below Average.
Wake Forest – Their DC is off to Notre Dame. They lost their last three games. And now they get to play Temple. In Maryland. Oh ya, and there is also that DEBACLE with the LEAKED PLAYBOOKS to hear about forever. GRADE – Garbage.
MEGA BOWL BITES
Wake Forest last appeared in a bowl game in 2011 and have not won one since 2008 when they defeated Navy…..Kennan Reynolds did NOT play in that game for Navy so it makes sense….Wake HC Dave Clawson deserves credit for getting this team to 6-wins…..FWIW – he was 0-2 in bowl games at Bowling Green.
Summary
Wow. We watch ANY college football game. This one will be a challenge. The good news is that we LOVE this Temple team and they have some really good players. So much uncertainty swirling around both sqauds it is hard to play the spread with confidence.
Conclusion
Official play: None.
Best play on the game: Temple TT over 26.5. (play up to 27)
Underdog ML playable for small potatoes (Y,N) ?: NO