Temple Owls 2022 College Football Preview
July 5, 2022
2021 Recap
Record – 3-9
ATS – 2-10
The Owls started out on a nice little HEEETER winning three of their first five games, and that included a nice SHOCK the WORLD moment when they took down Memphis as double-digit underdogs. The season went GLUG GLUG GLUG down the drain after that victory and they finished the season on a seven-game (!) skid. Talk about a nasty turn to TURD TOWN.
Next up on the Temple coaching carousel is something called Stan Drayton.
Let’s go!
Temple Owls 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Owls were brutal on offense LY and particularly horrible in the second half of year. They finished #125 in total offense (287 YPG) and #126 in scoring offense (16.3 PPG) and couldn’t do much on the ground or thru the air. Former Georgia Bulldog D’Wan Mathis was a disappointment in 2021 (59.5%, 6-4 TD to INT) but we suppose he’s young enough to improve. Edward Saydee is the only returning RB who booked more than 300Y in 2021 but the hope is that Texas A&M (!) transfer Darvon Hubbard can be a true #1 workhorse. The WR/TE group looks pretty uninspiring but maybe Michigan St transfer WR Ian Stewart can be a difference-maker? They only return two starters up front and need to replace their excellent center CJ Perez.
DEFENSE
Things weren’t much better on this side of the football in 2021 as the Owls allowed 37.5 PPG (#122 FBS) whilst having trouble stopping the run (#121) and defending the pass (#94 pass efficiency D). New DC DJ Eliot has seven returning starters to work with as well as a small handful of Power 5 transfers that should help the cause. LB Jordan Magee (#4 tackler, 6.5 TFL) and safety Alex Odom (#3 tackler) are decent holdovers from last year’s squad. We don’t have high hopes for the stop unit but feel pretty good about saying they’ll be better than the 2021 version. Finding a pass rush of some kind is a top priority.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The good news? Continuity across the board other than at punter. Bad news? They were pretty average LY and note that PK Rory Bell was close to a COIN TOSS (9/16 FG, 3-9 from 40+).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The non-conference schedule is very manageable but they draw the three toughest teams from the AAC (Cincinnati, UCF, Houston). They have seven home games so that doesn’t suck.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – November 12 – at Houston
This will be the Owls 4th road game since the beginning of October and their final road game on the schedule. It could be a LAY DOWN AND DIE spot depending on how the season is going. Not saying, just saying.
Season Win Total
Over 2.5 -155
Under 2.5 +125
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean – Over
Last season’s MEGALOCKS SEASON WIN TOTAL CLUB was treated to a “Temple Over 3 wins” selection that amazed and tortured peeps at the same time. All in the name of getting a ‘push’. Do we have the TEMERITY to take the ‘over’ once again? Well, we bring you the SISTERS OF THE VACCINE MAIMED AND STERILIZED on the schedule…..Lafayette, Rutgers, Duke, UMass, USF, Tulsa, Navy. We’ll make a final call during the summer.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
The Owls were outscored 299-59 (!) during last year’s season-ending seven-game losing streak.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
This looks like a painful season any way you cut it. The Owls will need a year or two to get their feet on the ground with the new coaching staff so it seems the best they can hope for is an upset or two along the way. In any event, HOOT HOOT, and go Temple!
Want more Temple football ?
WEBSITE
https://owlsports.com/sports/football
FORUM
https://247sports.com/college/temple/Board/Temple-Owls-Message-Board-104514/
http://temple.247sports.com/Board/Temple-Owls-Message-Board-Forum-59459
https://temple.forums.rivals.com/forums/temple-football.10/
NEWS
http://temple-news.com/category/sports/football/
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/temple/
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/218/temple-owls