The Temple Owls begin year number two under head football coach Stan Drayton on Saturday when they host former-MAC rival the Akron Zips at Lincoln Financial Field.
Temple finished the 2022 season 3-7 including a dreadful 1-7 record in the The American. Despite the poor record, the Owls had some bright flashes in 2022 that they hope to carry over to 2023. The brightest of the bright came from quarterback E.J. Warner, who appeared in 11 games for Temple enroute to winning the 2022 AAC Rookie of the Year award. Warner’s accession has allowed the Owls to focus on the rest of the offense heading into 2023.
Defensively, the Owls will look to veteran leaders such as redshirt-junior linebacker Jordan Magee to steady a defense that allowed nearly 30 points per game in 2022. Despite the overall ugly points per game number last season, the Owls defense played with aggression and had a nose for the football. The Owls will look to use their limited 2022 success as a building block.
As for Akron, the Owls former MAC-rival enters 2023 under second-year head coach Joe Moorhead. The former Mississippi State offensive coordinator arrived in Ohio with the history of offenses that were able to score. Well, that wasn’t the story of the 2022 Akron Zips, who averaged just under 22 points per game. Last season, Akron only defeated one FBS school, a late-season 44-12 drubbing of Northern Illinois.
Like Temple, the Zips are seemingly set at quarterback with veteran DJ Irons under center. Irons has the ability to make plays through the air and with his legs, respectively. Defensively, Akron gave up over 330 yards per game last season to opponents and nearly 34 points per game. The Zips have some veteran leadership defensively however keeping opponents off the scoreboard will likely still be a problem for Akron in 2023.
How to Watch Temple vs. Akron
- 🏈 Akron Zips vs. Temple Owls
- 📆 Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
- 🕒 Time: 2:00 PM/EDT
- 🏟️ Where: Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA
- 📺 Telecast: ESPN+ (subscription needed)
- 📻 Broadcast: 97.5 The Fanatic
- 📊Team Records: Akron (0-0) | Temple (0-0)
- 🎲 Game Odds: Arkron (+260) | Temple (-350)
Temple vs. Akron Betting Odds
| Bet | Akron Zips | Temple Owls | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | +260 | -350 |  |
| Point Spread | +10 (-110) | -10 (-110) | |
| Total Points | Over 56.5 Points (-110) | Under 56.5 Points (-110) | |
Temple vs. Akron: Team Stats (2022)
| Akron | Temple | |
| 21.8 | PTS/GM | 21.9 |
| 315.3 | Pass Yds/GM | 272.9 |
| 89.6 | Rush Yds/GM | 82.4 |
| 33.5 | Opp Pts/GM | 29.3 |
| 255.0 | Opp Pass Yds/GM | 216.4 |
| 162.4 | Opp Rush Yds/GM | 192.6 |
Temple vs. Akron: Players to Watch
Offense
- Temple QB E.J. Warner (So.): 11 G, 268 for 443, 3,028 YDs, 6.8 Y/A, 18 TD, 12 INT, 125.9 QBR (2022). 2022 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, 2023 Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watchlist.
- Akron QB DJ Irons (Sr./R): 10 G, 253 for 380, 2,609 YDs, 66.8%, 6.9 Y/A, 10 TD, 7 INT, 129.5 QBR, 133 Rush Att, 314 YDs, 2.4 AVG, 4 TD (2022). 2022 Third-Team All-MAC
Defense
- Temple LB Jordan Magee (Jr./R): 12 G, 86 TOT, 9.0 TFL, 4.5 Sacks, 3 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR (2022). 2022 fourth-team All-AAC (multiple publications), team leader in total-tackles. 2023 preseason second-team All-AAC linebacker and Butkus Award watchlist.
- Akron DB Darrian Lewis (So./R): 12 G, 56 TOT, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 Sacks, 1 INT, 6 PD, 1 FR (2022)
Temple vs. Akron: Last Ten Head-to-Head
- Temple owns a six-game winning streak dating back to 2007.
- Temple leads the all-time series 15-to-7.
| Date | Location | Akron | Temple |
| 9/11/21 | Akron, OH | 24 | 45 |
| 9/10/21 | Akron, OH | 3 | 41 |
| 10/30/10 | Phila., PA | 0 | 30 |
| 11/13/09 | Akron, OH | 17 | 56 |
| 11/28/08 | Phila., PA | 6 | 27 |
| 10/13/07 | Akron, OH | 20 | 24 |
| 9/18/99 | Akron, OH | 25 | 15 |
| 9/12/98 | Phila., PA | 35 | 28 |
| 9/3/94 | Akron, OH | 7 | 32 |
| 10/23/93 | Phila., PA | 31 | 7 |
