South Florida @ Temple preview

Temple makes its return to the Big East as they face South Florida for the first time on the gridiron at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday. After beginning the season with two wins, the Bulls have lost three straight and are looking to live up to the considerable preseason hype that tabbed them as conference contenders. The Owls enter the contest fresh off of consecutive losses and if they intend to make their homecoming game successful, they’ll need to get their struggling passing offense – a unit ranked last in the conference and fifth worst in the nation with only 121 yards per game – going in order to challenge South Florida. The Bulls run their offense through versatile quarterback B.J. Daniels, who leads the team in rushing (271 yards) and passing (1,285), but has struggled with efficiency in the passing department with seven interceptions and a 55.6 percent completion clip.

TV: 12 p.m. ET, Big East Network. LINE: Temple -4

ABOUT TEMPLE (1-2, 0-0 Big East): Temple quarterback Chris Coyer has taken all the snaps for the Owls this season despite completing only 45.5 percent of his attempts to go with four touchdowns and one pick. It is Coyer’s legs, however, that have kept him relevant as he’s rushed for 197 yards, good for second-most on the team. For the Owls to counter an impressive Bulls pass rush, they’ll need their duo tailbacks, Boston College transfer Montel Harris and starter Matt Brown, to establish the power running game. Brown is the team’s leading rusher with 202 yards on 33 carries this season.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (2-3, 0-1 Big East): Daniels will look down the field to wideouts Andre Davis and Terrence Mitchell, who both have more than 20 receptions and 300 yards on the season. The Bulls bring the conference’s No. 4-ranked offense with an average of 404.8 yards, but with troubles in the red zone and Daniels’ turnover issues, they are second to last in the Big East with 24.6 points per game. The Bulls have had some issues on defense, primarily with allowing opponents to dominant the clock, allowing more than 20 first downs per game on average. A key for the Bulls on defense is applying pressure on the pocket, where they have excelled this season with 11 sacks, good for second most in the conference. Linebacker Devekeyan “DeDe” Lattimore is a key playmaker who leads the team with 39 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

EXTRA POINTS

1. South Florida is 1-4-1 against the spread in their past six road games, while Temple is 4-2 against the spread in their past six home contests.

2. The point total has gone over in four of South Florida's last six roads games.

3. South Florida heads to Louisville on Oct. 20 while Temple travels to Connecticut on Oct. 13.

PREDICTION: Temple 28, South Florida 24