The Oklahoma Sooners will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Temple Owls in a matchup that holds a bit more luster than most expected when the schedule first dropped. Both these teams enter with a 2-0 record, and there is some added anticipation after some Oklahoma reporters got caught on a hot mic comparing this to a high school crowd and how most of the fans in the stands will be representing the Sooners. Temple head coach K.C. Keeler has been quick to add this to the bulletin board material and has made it publicly known that he believes Oklahoma is in for more than they bargained for.
Looking at the odds, Oklahoma enters as 21.5-point favorites and holds -1650 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Temple holds +950 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 51.5.
This article will take a brief preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 3 matchup.
Oklahoma vs. Temple prediction, preview
Oklahoma Preview
The Sooners enter with a 2-0 record after defeating Illinois State 35-3 in their opener and taking down Michigan 24-13 last week. Time will tell how impressive a victory it is, but Michigan’s unwillingness to unleash Bryce Underwood as a passer stood out live. This is not to take away from Oklahoma holding up its end of the bargain. John Mateer has climbed to the Heisman Favorite at +850 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook due to his strong start. He has completed 51 of his 71 pass attempts for 662 passing yards, four touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions while adding 98 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Deion Burks headlines the wide receiver production with 189 yards and a pair of touchdowns thus far. Jaren Kanak and Keontez Lewis each have also notched double-digit receptions and 150+ yards, with Lewis adding two scores.
Defensively, Oklahoma has tallied three sacks and kept opponents to 439 yards of total offense. They have yet to force a turnover, but the front seven’s play has been solid. Sammy Omosigho leads the team in tackles with 11 and has 1.5 of the team’s sacks. The Sooners have allowed just a 43.2% completion rate and only 88.0 passing yards per contest. The 219.5 yards per game they are allowing currently ranks 18th among Division I programs.
Temple Preview
Temple is off to its first 2-0 start in six years, and the program has more excitement around than has been the case since the Matt Rhule days. K.C. Keeler has made quick work in his first season as head coach after spending the past two seasons as the head coach at Sam Houston. The Owls defeated Howard 55-7 in their season opener and then took down UMass 42-10 in the previous game. Evan Simon has impressed at the quarterback position, completing 27 of his 35 pass attempts for 422 passing yards and nine touchdowns without a turnover. Running back Jay Ducker has taken his 29 carries for 215 yards and a touchdown while tight end Peter Clark is leading the receiving stats with six receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
The Owls’ defense has also looked the part, even if it has been against lesser talent than this matchup. They limited Howard to just 121 yards of total offense in the previous game. UMass put up 302 yards of total offense, but was held scoreless for the final three quarters. Cam’Ron Steward headlines the defensive line production with 3.0 sacks and 5.0 tackles for a loss already this year. Temple has four sacks total and 11 tackles for a loss. They have not forced an interception yet, but do have one fumble recovery.
Oklahoma vs. Temple pick, best bet
Oklahoma has looked impressive so far this season and climbed to 13th in the AP Poll. They are the better team on paper, and this matchup will tell us if Temple should enter some different conversations moving forward. The Owls have done everything possible to look the part against the opponents on their schedule, and you have to take some stock in what they have done to this point.
With the added intensity from the media dust-up that Keeler has strategically made a big deal of, I like Temple to keep this close. However, talent very well may win out, and John Mateer has played like a legitimate Heisman candidate to his point. With this in mind, I am taking Temple on the first half spread.
Expect the stands to be packed with a bit more Temple faithful than is being discussed as the program builds some momentum. Evan Simon has been just about perfect to this point, and if the Owls can put forth a score or two in the first half, they should remain within range. Expect the Temple defense to show some resistance and make life difficult and for the offense to do the rest. Temple is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games and have covered in six of their last seven home games. There is a chance Oklahoma comes out in full force in the second half to produce a result in this game, but I am backing Temple to at least hang in there for a half.
