In a Friday night matchup to help kick off the Week 4 college football slate, the Army Black Knights will face the Temple Owls. Army is off to a 1-1 start, while Temple has frustratingly dropped to 1-2.
In the Week 4 CFB matchup, Army enters as a three-point favorite with -155 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Temple is +130 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 47.5 points.
This article previews both teams and offers a pick for the Week 4 CFB matchup.
Army vs. Temple Preview
Army Black Knights
The Army Black Knights are off to a 1-1 start to the season, with not much proven yet. Jeff Monken’s squad steamrolled Bryant 59-3 in the season opener. Army outgained Bryant 648-165, including an absurd 569 rushing yards. Bryant has since improved to 3-1, but has faced little competition, and Army covered the 36.5-point spread.
The Black Knights dropped into the loss column in their most recent game, falling 28-24 to the University of South Florida. Army took a 14-7 lead into halftime and took an additional fourth-quarter lead, but a 38-yard go-ahead touchdown by the Bulls with just 19 seconds remaining sealed the loss. Army led the time-of-possession battle 35:46-24:14 and largely succeeded, but failed to finish the job and lost outright as 3.5-point favorites.
As expected, Army leans on its rushing attack as the foundation of its offense. The Black Knights have attempted 24 total passes through the first two games, more than in some past years. Cale Hellums primarily lines up under center and has completed 13 of his 19 passes for 150 passing yards and two touchdowns this season, while adding 25 rush attempts for 142 yards and two scores on the ground. Godspower Nwawuihe has posted a team-high 31 carries for 147 yards and two scores of his own, while Zach Mundell adds 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Samari Howard leads the team with five receptions for 62 yards.
Temple Owls
K.C. Keeler injected some real life into the Temple football program last season, snapping their streak of four consecutive 3-9 seasons by going 5-7 after a 5-3 start. The Owls have slipped to 1-2 to start the season, leaving a sour taste in the program’s collective mouth.
Temple opened the season with a 38-14 victory over Rhode Island, pouring in 21 unanswered points to pull away and cover the 14.5-point spread. They then put up a respectable fight against Penn State. Temple scored the first touchdown of the season against the Nittany Lions and successfully covered the 24.5-point spread, but ultimately fell 27-9. The Owls rushed for an impressive 176 yards against Penn State’s stout defensive front. Most recently, Temple lost 49-48 to Toledo in an overtime thriller. They led 42-28 with just over a minute left, but Toledo scored twice, completed the onside kick, forced overtime and eventually won.
Temple has leaned on a two-quarterback system to start the season. Still, they’ve made their decision after Jaxon Smolik suffered a foot injury against Toledo and is not expected to be in the rotation this week. Ajani Sheppard will get the start under center and has taken all the first-team reps throughout the week. Through his first three games, he has completed 20 of 38 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 99 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Keveun Mason leads the team with 49 carries for 283 rushing yards and two touchdowns himself, while Samuel Brown V has also exceeded 100 yards on the ground and notched two scores. Colin Chase leads the team with 120 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Jojo Bermudez has a team-high seven receptions.
Army vs. Temple Pick, Best Bet
Both teams are a notch better than they have shown so far this season, and this will be an intriguing measuring-stick matchup. Army is 8-7 all-time in the season series and won a 14-13 battle last year in Philadelphia.
Jaxon Smolik’s injury will draw plenty of headlines, and the shift in the quarterback outlook is notable. But frankly, Temple’s offense has looked better and been more effective with Ajani Sheppard under center. He is the more talented athlete, and his running-game ability has further opened the playbook. To some extent, this decision may help steer the program on track for the year as they find consistency at quarterback.
Perhaps the most promising factor in Temple’s outlook is how they rose to the challenge on both sides of the line of scrimmage against Penn State. It will require the same caliber of effort against a team they know will make every effort to establish the running game and lean on it throughout. The recent loss to Toledo was extremely frustrating, and feels like the type of game that could make or break a season. But it’s clear most of the Rockets’ offensive production came through the air, with 429 passing yards. This will not be a factor in the matchup with Army, and there is much more reason for optimism surrounding the Temple run defense.
My lean is toward the under in a matchup where I expect the ball to be aired out very little and field position to play a significant role in the outcome. But this is an important matchup for Temple’s season outlook, and I do not expect them to roll over. Army failed to put South Florida away last week and paid the price. Expect Temple to hang around throughout this matchup and be in play for a victory in the final stretch. With this being such a pivotal matchup for their season, I am backing the underdog at home, and I wouldn’t argue if you want to take the moneyline swing.
