Homecoming week is here for the Temple Owls (3-3, 1-2), who got back to .500 last week after a much needed victory over the East Carolina Pirates, also giving them their first conference win this season. The win gave head coach Geoff Collins his first conference win and his first road win, both in one game. They’ll take on the Huskies of UConn (1-4, 0-3) this Saturday afternoon at the Linc.
The offense finally broke out in a big way. Two big performances helped the Owls on their way to a victory: QB Logan Marchi threw for 321 yards on 19-31 passes and two TD’s with 1 INT, and junior RB David Hood who totaled 106 yards rushing and one touchdown.
“It felt good to finally see the potential of the offense and what we can do. We went out and executed the gameplan well and it’s a great confidence boost going into this week,” Marchi said.
On the defensive side of the football, the Owls smothered the opposing run game only allowing 34 yards on the ground. LB Shaun Bradley recorded nine tackles, two
for loss. DE Jake Martin had a pair of sacks while S Delvon Randall had 5 tackles and one interception.
“I feel like we came in and prepared well, we over prepared honestly. We came in and just kept watching film, practiced hard. Over preparing is a great thing, and I hope we continue to do that every week so we can go 1-0 every week,” Delvon Randall said.
Leading the way in receiving was sophomore Isaiah Wright. He hauled in 9 passes for a total of 91 yards and a touchdown during the contest. Along with a great performance, Wright has earned the right to wear this week’s coveted No. 1 jersey against UConn. Though Coach Collins says it has nothing to do with his production.
“This has nothing to do with production, even though he is highly productive. Everybody recognizes him from the special plays he’s made all year, but it’s what he does, his work ethic everyday at practice,” Collins said. “He’s had a really good season for us, the production he brings is because of the preparation he puts in on a daily basis and a weekly basis. It’s no shock.”
Wright is coming off his best game thus far, scoring for the first time since week three when the team bested UMass. On the season, Wright has 21 catches totaling 338 yards, which is best among all receivers on the team. He’s also rushed 8 times for 20 yards.
The Owls look to continue their offensive surge this week against a struggling UConn defense who give up an average of 43.6 points per game this season. In their last game against Memphis, the Huskies defense gave up 431 passing yards and seven touchdowns.
The last time these two squared off was in early November of last season, the Owls took that game by a score of 21-0. Temple looks to keep that winning mentality going against UConn and build another win streak.
Fans will be loud this Saturday afternoon as their celebrate homecoming. Look for them to give the Owls a boost on the field. The game is set to kick off from Lincoln Financial Field this Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNews and you can listen in on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Make sure to check back in with the SportsDesk later this week for your pregame report.
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