Football Travels to Orlando to face UCF

This Week

The Owls will travel to Orlando, Fla. after a bye week for a mid-week match-up with the UCF Knights on Thursday, October 13, at 7pm on ESPN and 97.5 The Fanatic.

Last Week

Before its bye week, Temple lost its conference opener to the Memphis Tigers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, 24-3. The story of the game was Memphis' quarterback Seth Henigan who was successful in the air and on the ground throwing for 195 yards and running for 60 yards. The Memphis defense stood tall, holding the Owls to just a field goal and forcing multiple takeaways. The Owls defense kept the Tigers off the board in the first half, leading 3-0 at the break, but once Memphis took the lead in the third quarter they would never return it.

Last Time vs. UCF

The last time the Owls took on the UCF Knights was last season when the Cherry and White fell 49-7. Trailing 14-0 midway through the second quarter, the Owls were not able to cut the deficit after fumbling in UCF's red zone. A few minutes later, another Temple fumble led to UCF's third touchdown of the game heading into halftime. From there, the Knights outscored the Owls 28-7 in the second half.

Last Time at UCF

In 2020, the Owls fell at UCF. Costly turnovers on Temple's first two possessions led to two quick UCF touchdowns and the Knights never looked back after that, maintaining the lead throughout the contest. The Owls, playing for the third straight week with a roster depleted by injuries and COVID-19 protocol issues, stayed close following the early 14-0 deficit and trailed by 21-3 at the half. However, UCF, which led the nation in total yards at the time (619.1 ypg), exploded for 17 third quarter points to break the contest open. For the Owls, quarterback Re-al Mitchell made his first career start. On the other side of the ball, defensive end Arnold Ebiketie continued his impressive season, recording a sack and forced fumble while leading the team with nine tackles.

Temple-UCF History

The Knights lead the all-time series 7-2, with UCF winning the last five contests dating back to 2017. Temple's only win in Orlando was in 2016, when Matt Rhule's Owls won on a last second comeback, 26-25. Down five with just 32 seconds remaining, senior QB P.J. Walker orchestrated a four-play, 70-yard drive to bring the Owls back from the brink, capped by a dramatic eight-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior WR Keith Kirkwood with one second left on the clock.

Up Next

The Owls will return home for a Friday night fight with Tulsa on October 21, at 7:30pm on ESPN2 and 97.5 The Fanatic.