The Owls defense gives up 30.2 points a game and a total of 316.8 yards a game their strong point is their secondary led by safety Amir Tyler who leads the team with 36 tackles, but with him being a leading tackler it could mean a lot of big running plays have been had against this defense. Their leading sacker is linebacker William Kwenkeu with two.
Now for the Bearcats the key things to look forward to is the hot play from Desmond Ridder. Ridder coming off a big game versus Notre Dame where he was 19-of-32 passing with 297 yards and two touchdowns in the air, is looking to keep that same pace ahead of tomorrows match up. The senior quarterback has been showing all season so far that he has really been clicking with his offense and I expect him to have another big game especially after the way he played on the road to help lead the Bearcats to their biggest win in school history after upsetting Notre Dame. Look for Ridder to find his guy in Alec Pierce who has had a great start to his senior season, has 11 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown in the last two games for the Bearcats, the two biggest games on the Bearcats schedule. Pierce, a deep ball threat has turned into Ridder’s number one target on offense this season.
I also expect Josh Whyle to have a big game for the Bearcats, as the Bearcats have been rolling with the two tight end tandem of Whyle and Leonard Taylor to start the season, which brings so much upside to the Bearcats offense. Whyle coming off a season in 2020 where he recorded 28 catches for 353 yards and six touchdowns, has been used more in the blocking aspect early this season, as he is so versatile and can do so much he causes multiple matchup issues for opposing teams. I expect Ridder to look to get his guy Josh Whyle involved early tomorrow night versus the Temple Owls, so make sure to keep an eye on number 81.
Jerome Ford- I expect a big game for Jerome Ford after a big day from him in South bend after rushing 17 times for 67 yards, I expect him to continue to have a great start to his junior season as I expect this is the week we may see Ford have a big game.
The big thing will be, the defense. Temple is known to take shots and I see them try to bring the same game plan they had versus Memphis where they potentially try move the ball through the air versus the Bearcats defense. I expect Myjai Sanders to continue to make a big impact, as Sanders gave Notre Dame a lot of problems getting to the quarterback forcing the Irish to turn the ball over three times versus the Bearcats last week. Expect to see Sanders have a big game and be a force on the line. I also expect a huge game from the defensive backs as Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Coby Bryant will continue to show why they are on of the nations top secondary tandems in all of college football.
The Bearcats will look to execute on all aspects off their game plan, coming off a big road win versus a Top 10 team, I expect the fans to play a big role when the Bearcats take the field at Nippert Stadium this Friday night. The Rutkus really showed out last Saturday as they made Notre Dame Stadium feel like a actual home game for the Bearcats. This will be a big matchup for the Bearcats now that they have all of college football watching as they look to be the first “Group of 5” team to make the College Football Playoff’s.
