The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0, 1-0 B1G) and Temple Owls (1-0) renew their rivalry in primetime on Saturday night in Piscataway, NJ. Separated by about 67-miles, Rutgers and Temple were longtime rivals in old Big East and again in the earliest incarnation of The American. Saturday will mark the final game of a three-game series between the two teams that began in 2021. As of now, Rutgers and Temple are not slated to play each other for the foreseeable future.
Moving on to this weekend.
Both programs enter Saturday’s game on the back of opening week wins, albeit in drastically different fashion. Rutgers used a smothering defense and a competent offensive attack to beatdown Big Ten West opponent Northwestern, 24-7. The Scarlet Knights were 0:19 away from their first FBS shutout since the 2009 season. As for the Owls, Temple was forced to play catchup from the second play of the game against out of conference opponent Akron. The Zips zipped (sorry) out to a 7-0 lead and extended the lead to 21-7 before the Owls ripped off 17-unanswered points enroute to a 24-21 victory.
The two programs met a season ago in Philadelphia, the Scarlet Knights snuck out of Lincoln Financial Field with a 16-14 victory over the Owls. It was an ugly, ugly win for Rutgers that likely should have been a loss. The Scarlet Knights blew out the Owls, 61-14, two seasons ago in Piscataway, but that was under former Owls’ coach Rod Carey. Saturday’s game is likely to fall in-between the two most recent matchups.
Here’s a look at how to watch Temple vs. Rutgers plus betting odds, team stats, players to watch, and a game prediction.
How to Watch Temple vs. Rutgers
- 🏈 Temple Owls vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- 📅 Date: September 9, 2023
- 🕛 Time: 7:30 PM/EDT
- 🏟 Where: Piscataway, NJ | SHI Stadium
- 📺 Telecast: Big Ten Network with Joe Beninati and Brock Vreen
- 📻 Broadcast: Temple- 97.5 The Fanatic with | Rutgers- Fox Sports Radio NJ 93.5 and the Audacy App
- 📊 Team Records: Temple (1-0) | Rutgers (1-0, 1-0 B1G)
- 🎲 Betting Odds: Temple (+260) | Rutgers (-350)
Temple vs. Rutgers Betting Odds
| Bet | Temple Owls | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | +260 | -350 |  |
| Point Spread | +8.5 (-105) | -8.5 (-115) | |
| Total Points | Over 44.5 points (-110) | Under 44.5 points (-110) | |
Temple vs. Rutgers: Team Stats
| Temple | Rutgers | |
| 24 | PTS/GM | 24 |
| 292 | Pass Yds/GM | 163 |
| 61 | Rush Yds/GM | 122 |
| 21 | Opp Pts/GM | 7 |
| 205 | Opp Pass Yds/GM | 189 |
| 74 | Opp Rush Yds/GM | 12 |
Temple vs. Rutgers: Players to Watch
Offense
- Rutgers QB Gavin Wimsatt: Wimsatt was officially handed the keys to the Rutgers’ offense in the offseason and looked the part in last week’s 24-7 win over Northwestern. Wimsatt was 17-for-29 for 163-yards and touchdown. The junior signal caller also rushed nine times for 33-yards and another score. More importantly for Rutgers, Wimsatt looked in control. Were there some errant passes, yes, but overall Wimsatt looked comfortable and capable of running Kirk Ciarrocca’s new offensive scheme.
The first TD of the year for @RFootball is a beauty! pic.twitter.com/qLt1htfy9p
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 3, 2023
-
- Temple QB E.J. Warner: Warner continued his hot streak that started at the end of his freshman campaign for the Owls. The sophomore was 28-for-49 for 292-yards and a pair of scores to running back Edward Saydee. Warner’s 49 drop backs were slightly higher than his 2022 average, slightly under 41 drop backs per game, but were understandable considering the Owls’ furious comeback. Warner was once again as advertised for Temple.
Q3| @elijah13warner drops it in the bucket to @k1ngzaee!!#TempleTUFF pic.twitter.com/KnXc8m8lBD
— Temple Football (@Temple_FB) September 2, 2023
Defense
- Rutgers DE Aaron Lewis: Lewis was conspicuously quiet on Sunday for the Scarlet Knights only registering one total tackle. The 2023 Bednarik watch list nominee, Lewis was a menace in 2022 notching 8 TFLs and one sack. Despite a quiet day in the box score, Lewis mere presence –and relentless pursuit– allowed the rest of the Rutgers defense room to breathe. Lewis will have the advantage on Saturday against an inferior Temple o-line.
- Temple LB Yvandy Rigby: Rigby led the Owls with 14 total tackles in last Saturday’s win over Akron and he’ll likely have a shot at leading the Owls in tackles again on Saturday against a run-heavy Rutgers team.
Temple vs. Rutgers: Who Has the Advantage
| Temple | Rutgers | |
| ☑️ | QB | |
| RB | ☑️ | |
| TE/WR | ☑️ | |
| O-Line | ☑️ | |
| D-Line | ☑️ | |
| LB | ☑️ | |
| Secondary | ☑️ | |
| — | Special Teams | — |
Let’s call special teams a “draw” at this point and move on, okay? Okay. Looking at the two teams and the games both programs played, it’s fair to say that Temple has the advantage under center. That’s not a swipe at Rutgers’ QB Gavin Wimsatt, he played a fine game and there’s reason for excitement, but E.J. Warner is simply the proven player right now. Warner’s track record is better than Wimsatt’s and it’s as simple as that. That’s where Temple’s advantages end.
Other than QB, Rutgers has the advantage at every other position on the field. Rutgers’ running backs, especially with a healthy Sam Brown, Al-Shadee Salaam, and Aaron Young, are a better unit than the Owls. The tight ends skew towards Rutgers. Even the Scarlet Knights’ offensive line, which has been in a state of flux, is better than the Owls’ o-line. The one area where the Owls have an argument is wide receiver, it’s close but Rutgers has the slight advantage in the wide receiver room.
The offensive advantage goes to the Scarlet Knights.
On the defensive side, it’s not even close. The 2023 Rutgers defense has potential to be one of the best in school history. The veteran laden group forced five sacks and two interceptions against Northwestern last Sunday. The Scarlet Knights completely overwhelmed Northwestern’s offensive line and made life a living hell for Wildcats’ QB Ben Bryant. The unit is stacked from top to bottom and there’s no real weakness as relates to playing the Owls. The expectation is a lot of the same from the Rutgers defense this week against Temple.
Overall Advantage: Rutgers
Temple vs. Rutgers: Last Ten Head-to-Head
- Rutgers leads the all-time series 22-15.
- Rutgers is on a six-game winning streak dating back to 2003.
- Temple’s last win against Rutgers came in Greg Schiano’s second year in Piscataway. The coach for the Owls was Bobby Wallace and current Rutgers wide receiver coach Dave Brock was the Owls’ offensive coordinator.
| Date | Location | Temple | Rutgers |
| 9/17/2022 | Philadelphia, PA | 14 | 16 |
| 9/4/2021 | Piscataway, NJ | 14 | 61 |
| 11/2/2013 | Piscataway, NJ | 20 | 23 |
| 10/20/2012 | Philadelphia, PA | 10 | 35 |
| 10/16/2004 | Piscataway, NJ | 6 | 16 |
| 10/25/2003 | Philadelphia, PA | 14 | 30 |
| 11/16/2002 | Piscataway, NJ | 20 | 17 |
| 10/13/2001 | Philadelphia, PA | 30 | 5 |
| 10/14/2000 | Piscataway, NJ | 48 | 14 |
| 10/30/1999 | Philadelphia, PA | 56 | 28 |
Rutgers vs. Temple Prediction
Rutgers’ head coach Greg Schiano is on the record saying the Scarlet Knights were lucky to have won last year against Temple and he’s correct in that assessment. Saturday’s game is going to be a lot closer than a lot of Scarlet Knights faithful are currently thinking. Dreams of a 61-14 blowout win for Rutgers are just not feasible. Temple is a quality program with an exceptional quarterback and some offensive weapons.
But…
Rutgers is the better team in-between the lines. Rutgers’ defense should be able to neutralize the Owls’ offensive attack. E.J. Warner will likely make a play or two, he’s that good, and he will keep Temple in the ballgame to some extent. But in the end, it comes down to the “Jimmy’s and the Joe’s” and Rutgers has the advantage especially with what seems to be competent offense. This game will be a bit of a grind-it-out affair for two-to-three quarters but in the end the home team will be moving to 2-0.
