This week’s game between the Memphis Tigers (8-2) and the Temple Owls (8-2) has the makings of an exciting AAC matchup. The AAC’s second-leading passer, Paxton Lynch (3,292 yards, 21 TDs), will be on display in this matchup. This week’s matchup serves as a chance for both Temple and Memphis to put the past behind them. Given their abysmal results in recent weeks, with both teams having lost two of their last three, they’ll want to use the game as an opportunity to get back on track. Players will take the field Saturday, Nov 21 at 12:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPU.
Temple had an ugly loss against South Florida 44-23 last week. Ventell Bryant had a huge game in the loss, pulling in five receptions for 86 yards and one TD. Robby Anderson had 77 receiving yards on four receptions. Memphis also fell short, getting nipped by Houston 35-34. Paxton Lynch had a great game through the air for the Tigers, connecting on 20 of 31 passes for 278 yards, two TDs and one interception.
The Owls are slender underdogs with Memphis favored by one in the game. For this contest, the Over/Under (O/U) is 65 points.
Heading into Week 12 of the college football season, the Owls are 8-2 Straight Up (SU) and 7-3 Against The Spread (ATS). In their five most recent matchups, the Owls went 3-2 for both SU and ATS. The Temple pass defense has played at another level the past five games. It has given up 218.2 passing yards per game during that span. The Owls are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 9.7 points.
Over on the other sideline, the Tigers have 8-2 SU and 5-4-1 ATS records this season. The Tigers went 3-2 for both SU and ATS over the last five games. Chances are Memphis will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 344.7 passing yards per game ranks 12th in the nation. The Owls will have to stay focused in the second quarter against Memphis. The Tigers usually finish off the first half with dominance, averaging 12.6 points during the second quarter. Temple’s special teams has given up some big plays this season, possibly enticing the Tigers to work a little extra on the return game. The Owls allow 117.1 return yards per game, ranking 111th in the nation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Memphis, ATS Winner – Memphis, O/U – Under
Notes
Temple is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Temple’s last 6 games.
Temple is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Temple’s last 7 games at home.
Memphis is 5-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Temple is 5-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Memphis is only 1-2 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (5-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
Among all FBS teams, the Temple offensive passing game is ranked 83rd in the nation, while the Memphis pass defense is only ranked 119th. The Tigers passing attack is ranked 12th, compared to the 67th-ranked pass defense of the Owls.
