Louk's Closer Look: USF-Temple Set for Prime Time
NEXT GAME: USF (4-4, 2-2) vs. Temple (5-3, 2-2)
DAY/TIME: Thursday/8 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV/RADIO: ESPN/USF Radio Network:
Over the Air: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM &
Digital: Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: Temple leads, 3-2
GAME NOTES: USF (PDF) |
Temple
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
TAMPA, NOV. 6, 2019 – There's not much better than a road conference win followed by an open week. Add in a big home game on national television and November is off to a really good start.
An ESPN audience will be watching as USF and the Temple Owls play on a Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls have two wins to go for bowl eligibility, and at 2-2 they are still in the American Athletic Conference race.
The Temple-USF matchup has been a short one, but there is a lot of history, a lot of emotion, and a lot of memorable moments to review:
- Temple leads the all-time series, 3-2, mainly because it has hosted three games. The road team has never won in this series.
Both games in Tampa featured a ranked team. Temple was No.21 when the Bulls beat the Owls, 44-23, on Nov. 14, 2015. The Bulls had the same No. 21 spot when they beat Temple, 43-7, on Sept. 21, 2017.- The Bulls have had some great wins on Thursday nights, including that 2017 victory over the Owls. Overall, however, USF is just 6-12 all time on Thursdays.
- Temple's football conference history is a unique one. The Owls were expelled from the Big East after 13 years of membership. That sent them to independent status, and later the MAC, before they rejoined the Big East in 2012. USF's first game against Temple was a Big East matchup that year. Both schools joined The American in 2013.
Record watch! Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) is racing up the charts. He now has 1,709 career rushing yards. He'll break in to the all-time USF top 10, moving past Moise Plancher, if he gets just 31 more yards Thursday.- The Owls played in just two bowl games between 1934 and 2008. Since then, they've played in six, including last year's Independence Bowl (a loss to Duke).
- Temple's head coach is Rod Carey, who took the job after Manny Diaz left before coaching his first game. Carey faced USF as head coach of Northern Illinois on Sept. 10, 2016, when the Bulls won, 48-17.
- Temple is the last original Big East football school currently in The American.
- The Owls played at their own stadium from 1928 to 1978 (Temple Stadium) before moving to Veterans Stadium and now Lincoln Financial Field.
More record watch! With a big day, Mitchell Wilcox (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) can catch Marquez Valdes-Scantling on two career charts. His next touchdown catch will be his 11th, which would tie Valdes-Scantling for eighth all time. Seventy-eight receiving yards would see Wilcox move past MVS for 11th all-time.
The game will be on ESPN at 8 p.m. Radio begins at 6 p.m. exclusively on USF Bulls Unlimited through the free iHeart radio app. We'll begin on WDAE 95.3 FM and 620 AM at 7 p.m.
It's going to be a great November, with three home games followed by the trek to Orlando. Next up is Cincinnati on Nov. 16. It will be Hall of Fame weekend, with all of the new inductees, including USF football's George Selvie being introduced during the game. Horns Up!
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
