The No. 21 Temple Owls (7-0) look to continue their unbeaten streak as they play the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1). The IndFBS’s top passer, DeShone Kizer (1,370 yards, 10 TDs), will be key to the outcome of this contest. It starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 31 and will air on ABC.
Temple beat East Carolina 24-14 last week. Robby Anderson had a big game in the win, registering eight receptions for 126 yards and one TD. P.J. Walker had a big game as well, totaling 250 yards and a TD through the air. Notre Dame managed to get the win as well, beating USC 41-31. Will Fuller had an outstanding performance for the Fighting Irish, totaling three receptions for 131 yards and one TD. C.J. Prosise also had a big game with 143 rushing yards and two TDs on 19 attempts.
The Owls, a 10-point underdog, will be looking to defend their home field when Notre Dame comes to town.
The Owls enter the game with records of 7-0 Straight Up (SU) and 5-2 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. During their last five games, the Owls have done an improved job of keeping their opponents from advancing the ball, only giving up 282 yards per game. A pivotal part of the game will be whether the Fighting Irish can protect their quarterback from Temple’s hungry defense. It averages the 11th-most sacks in the nation with 3.1 per game. On special teams, Temple has some playmakers. They average 124 return yards per game, 13th in Division I.
On the other side, the Fighting Irish have a record of 6-1 for both ATS and SU. In the last five games, the Fighting Irish have a 4-1 SU record, but have played surprisingly well with a perfect record ATS. Hopefully Temple’s defense is better than its timing. It will be matching up against a Fighting Irish offense that is on fire lately, averaging 502 total yards over their last five games. The Notre Dame pass defense has given teams problems during the past five games as well. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 196.4 passing yards against this terrorizing unit. Prepare to see a lot of yellow flags flying around when the Owls are playing. They are one of the most penalized teams in the nation with 7.6 calls per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Temple
Notes
Temple is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Temple’s last 9 games.
Temple is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Temple’s last 6 games at home.
Each team is 5-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
According to national passing ranks, Notre Dame has an advantage on both offense and defense. Its passing attack (ranked 32nd in the nation) will face the 56th-ranked pass defense of Temple, while its 40th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 92nd-ranked passing game of the Owls.
