Temple Football: 5 Things Owls Must Do To Beat UConn

By Mike Gibson

Temple vs. Uconn: 5 Things Owls Must Do to Win

Temple football, P.J. Walker, — In this day and age of switching conferences, regional rivalries are dying out; but there are a few left, and Temple vs. UConn in AAC football is one of them. One of the ingredients making a rivalry is close games and controversial finishes, and these two schools have had that. Temple is a slight favorite on Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN News) so attention to details could decide this one. Here are five keys to an Owls win.

5. Stop the Huskies’ Run Attack

Uconn football,

5. Stop the Huskies’ Run Attack

Uconn football, — If the Huskies do anything on offense well, and they do not do much, it’s commit to the run. The Owls’ front four must stuff the run and put the Huskies in third-and-longs.

4. Make Chandler Whitmer a Target

Chandler Whitmer, Uconn quarterback,

4. Make Chandler Whitmer a Target

Chandler Whitmer, Uconn quarterback, — Temple had four sacks and seven hurries in a 37-7 win at Vanderbilt, knocking the Commodores’ first three quarterbacks out of the game through perceived bad play. Huskies QB Chandler Whitmer, like the Vandy QBs, is not particularly mobile, and he must go down hard and often, creating turnover opportunities like the Owls did at Vandy.

3. Run the Ball Effectively

Jahad Thomas, Temple football,

3. Run the Ball Effectively

Jahad Thomas, Temple football, — Even though the Owls are 2-1 with two blowout wins and a close loss to a good Navy team, they have not run the ball effectively. They must step out of their one-back comfort zone, line up dynamic blocker Kenny Harper as a fullback and run speedy tailbacks Jamie Gilmore and Jahad Thomas behind those blocks.

2. Throw Off Play-Action

P.J. Walker, Kenny Harper,

2. Throw Off Play-Action

P.J. Walker, Kenny Harper, — Having the run established, quarterback P.J. Walker must use the threat of the run by using play-action fakes to Harper and Gilmore, keeping the LBs close to the line of scrimmage to create open windows behind them for passes to receivers like Derrek Thomas and Jalen Fitzpatrick. Those windows have been slammed shut without the threat of a running attack.

1. Maximize Khalif Herbin’s Touches

Khalif Herbin, Temple football,

1. Maximize Khalif Herbin’s Touches

Khalif Herbin, Temple football, — When the entire 105-man Temple roster was asked to draft the rosters for the Cherry and White game in the spring, Khalif Herbin was the No. 1 draft choice for the White team. The players know who can play and who cannot. Herbin can do for Temple what Darren Sproles does for the hometown Philadelphia Eagles, but he won’t unless the coaching staff can maximize his touches which means a few handoffs from the line of scrimmage.

Teams in this article »

Connecticut Huskies

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Temple Owls

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