Game: Tulsa Golden Hurricane @ Temple Owls
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Odds: Golden Hurricane -13, Owls +13
Total: 52.5
When Tulsa and Temple play each other in an American Athletic Conference game on Friday night in Philadelphia, both teams will be looking to end losing streaks. The 2022 season has taken a turn for the worse for both teams. Both Temple (2-4, 0-2) and Tulsa (2-4, 0-2) have lost three straight games. That gives the Owls and Golden Hurricane a spot at the bottom of the AAC along with South Florida.
This season, Tulsa’s offense was putting up points over its first four games. Even in a 35-27 defeat against then-No. 16 Ole Miss, Tulsa scored 27 points. The Golden Hurricane’s productivity has, however, decreased over the past few weeks. In consecutive losses to Cincinnati and Navy, Tulsa scored 21 points in each game.
After the Golden Hurricane lost to the Navy 53-21 on October 8, head coach Philip Montgomery mentioned that the running game has to improve. Tulsa has rushed for a combined 61 yards in its last two games. Running the ball would help Tulsa QB Davis Brin and the passing game. Brin has thrown for 1,839 yards and 14 touchdowns so far this season. He is what makes the Tulsa offense go.
Temple has really struggled to move the ball. The Owls scored a combined 16 points in two consecutive away defeats to Memphis and UCF. Temple has one of the worst offenses in college football. Out of 131 FBS programs, the Owls’ 15 points per game average puts them in 126th place. Part of the problem is the running game, which averages just 83.8 yards a game which also ranks 126th.
The Owls’ first-year head coach, Stan Drayton, is worried about how his team will manage its emotional response following a 70-13 defeat against UCF in its previous game on October 13. The Owls will have to do something on offense to have a shot at pulling the upset.
E.J. Warner, the Owls’ quarterback, will be responsible for the offense’s success. Warner has completed 86-of-153 throws for 1,040 yards. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Warner’s father is NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
Brin is no stranger to Temple. It was his two touchdown passes that helped the Golden Hurricane beat the Owls last year. Tulsa won 44-10, but Temple had won the three previous meetings. The two teams have only played each other six times. Each team has won three games.
Tulsa has done very well against the number when playing on the road. Tulsa has an ATS record of 16-3 in their previous 19 away games. On the other hand, Temple has struggled to cover spreads both at home and in general. The Owls have a 4-8 ATS record in their last 12 home games. In addition, they have a 3-10 ATS record over their last 13 games.
Surprisingly, the Owls have the 20th-ranked scoring defense in the FBS. Temple allows only 16.8 points per game. That’s why four of their six games have gone Under the total this season.
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