University of Memphis
Temple
Tigers Expecting Physical Matchup Against Owls
Oct 22, 2020 | Football
MEMPHIS — The Memphis Tigers will face the Temple Owls at 11 a.m. Saturday inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in a matchup of two teams coming off dramatic comeback victories.
Memphis (2-1, 1-1 The American) defeated UCF 50-49 last Saturday after trailing 35-14 in the third quarter. The 21-point comeback is the largest in program history.
Temple (1-1, 1-1) came back from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat USF 39-37 in Philadelphia last week. The Owls scored three touchdowns in just over 11 minutes in the second half to pull off the win.
"Temple is a physical team," said Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield. "We know we're going to have to match, and be even better than, their physicality. That's just what they are, they're Temple tough. It's the way they've been and the way they're wired. We're going to have to bring it every single play."
Emerging Stars
Several Tigers have taken advantage of unexpected opportunities in significant roles offensively early this season.
Sophomore running back Rodrigues Clark has rushed for at least 98 yards in all three games after rushing for just 85 yards all of last season.
Junior wide receiver Calvin Austin III, a former walk-on, has become White's go-to target. He set career highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (151) against UCF.
Redshirt freshmen wide receivers Tahj Washington and Javon Ivory were also key contributors in the win over UCF. Washington had seven catches for 131 yards, four more catches and 99 more yards than he had all of last season. Ivory entered last Saturday without a career catch before hauling in four passes for 88 yards.
"(Javon and I) have been roommates since we got here and we've been pushing each other every day," Washington said. "Now, it's coming to fruition. Everyone is getting to see what we've been working on. It's dreams coming true for us."
Veteran Leaders
Both teams enter this game with veteran quarterbacks in their third season as starters.
Memphis' Brady White ranks second in the country with an average of 4.3 passing touchdowns per game this season, trailing only Florida's Kyle Trask with 4.6 per game. In the win over UCF, White moved into third on the Tigers' career passing yards list with 8,372. He also took over second in program history with 72 career passing touchdowns.
Temple has a veteran offense across the skill positions with its leading passer (Anthony Russo), leading rusher (Re'Mahn Davis) and leading receiver (Jadan Blue) back from last season.
Deceiving Numbers?
The Tigers' defense has allowed an average of 34.3 points through three games. However, Memphis' first three opponents all currently rank among the top 11 nationally in total offense.
In a season-opening win over Arkansas State, the Tigers held the Red Wolves to 24 points. Arkansas State is averaging nearly 42 points per game in its other four games played this season.
Memphis held SMU to its lowest point total of the season in a 30-27 loss. The Mustangs rank sixth nationally in points per game with 42.6 through five contests.
Awards Recap
White has been among the nation's best passer this season, and was particularly impressive in the second-half rally against UCF when he threw five of his six touchdown passes on the day. With career highs in completions (34), yards (486), passing touchdowns (6) and total touchdowns (7) last week, White earned several weekly honors that include national and conference awards.
Brady White Weekly Awards:
· Maxwell Award National Player of the Week
· Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week
· Davey O'Brien Award Great 8
· Manning Award Stars of the Week
· American Athletic Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week
· College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Week
"I wish, if you win an individual award, you could break that thing up and give it to all 11," "That's truly what it means and that's what it means to me. At the end of the day, I'm just worried about winning."
The Tigers' top two receivers against UCF also received weekly honors, with Austin III being named to the AAC Honor Roll and Washington selected Honorable Mention Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week.
