Temple Hosts USF for First Place in the East

PHILADELPHIA - Returning to Philadelphia following a two-game road stint, Temple (4-3, 2-1 American) turns its attention to a highly-anticipated matchup with East Division leader USF (6-1, 3-0). The game is scheduled for Friday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN and 97.5 The Fanatic, Temple football's flagship radio station. With a dramatic one-point victory over UCF in the rearview mirror, the Owls are poised to defend last season's division title in the group's only revenge game of the season. The Bulls stole Temple's perfect conference regular season last year with an upset victory, and the Owls aim to return the favor this time around. Led by senior RB Jahad Thomas, the offense has been churning out a powerful rushing attack. The senior tailback inflicted major damage on UCF's defense this past Saturday, generating 153 total yards with two scores, making him the NCAA active leader for most consecutive games with two or more touchdowns (5). Under center once again is senior QB Phillip Walker who notched 167 yards passing and two touchdowns of his own last week against the Knights. The Temple defense, which generated seven sacks in the winning effort over UCF, will face a rolling USF offense averaging 44.1 ppg and 506.4 ypg, a unit that has only been slowed once this season in the team's only loss to ACC powerhouse Florida State.

LAST WEEK
Temple took to the road for the second straight week to face UCF in Orlando, stealing a dramatic 26-25 victory with a literal last second touchdown. As the clock fell to one second remaining, senior QB Phillip Walker connected with junior WR Keith Kirkwood on an eight-yard fade to give the Owls a one-point advantage and the eventual win over the Knights. Senior RB Jahad Thomas played a brilliant game as he led Temple with 153 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, now good for the NCAA active leaderboard for consecutive games with two or more scores. The Owl defense, which generated some key stops late in the game, was headed by senior defensive linemen Haason Reddick and Romond Deloatch. The pair combined for four of the unit's seven sacks, pressuring UCF QB McKenzie Milton all evening.

LAST TIME
In last season's conference matchup with USF, the Bulls upset the favored Owls 44-23 at home, handing Temple its first and only American loss on the year. Despite the score, though, many current Owls put together stellar games, including then-junior QB Phillip Walker, who threw for 259 passing yards, one touchdown and then-freshman WR Ventell Bryant, who grabbed five receptions for 86 yards and a score. Senior RB Jahad Thomas had a mediocre game by his standards, just 65 yards on 16 carries, but passed the 1,000-yard mark on the year with that total.

UP NEXT
Temple remains in Philadelphia the following week for its fourth straight American Conference matchup, facing Cincinnati (3-3, 0-3 American) on Saturday, October 29.

Coach Rhule Press Conference | Player Interviews

Temple University Athletics

Temple Hosts USF for First Place in the East

Players Mentioned

Ventell Bryant

Romond Deloatch

Keith Kirkwood

Haason Reddick

Jahad Thomas

Phillip Walker

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