Temple at Memphis Betting Odds & Pick: Tigers Relishing Revenge Spot Against the Owls (Saturday, Oct. 24)

Temple at Memphis Betting Odds

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After a crazy fourth-quarter comeback against UCF last Saturday, Memphis will resume its quest to defend its AAC title against Temple on Saturday. Quarterback Brady White brought the Tigers back from a 12-point deficit with less than six minutes to go to win by one in the final minutes, 50-49.

The Tigers could top that performance on Saturday against an inexperienced Temple defense that lost most of its starters from last season.

Temple needed a furious fourth-quarter comeback of its own against a really bad South Florida team last Saturday. The Owls were down 31-20 before scoring back-to-back touchdowns, one of which came on the defensive side of the ball by way of a fumble. They'll need to drastically improve on both sides of the ball if they are going to hang with the Tigers on the road.

Temple pulled off a 30-28 upset over Memphis last year, which ended up being the Tigers' lone regular-season loss. Memphis will no doubt be looking to exact revenge at home on Saturday.

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Temple Owls

Offense

Anthony Russo is back at quarterback for his senior season as a Temple Owl. So far, his downturn in efficiency that was evident in his sophomore season has continued into 2020. He's been throwing the ball for only 6.6 yards per attempt in his first two starts. The good news is that Russo gets back his three main targets from last season, including Jadan Blue, who racked up over 1,000 yards receiving.

Temple never really developed a running game in 2019, and it looks like it isn't going to develop one this year either. The Owls only managed 3.8 yards per carry against Navy and South Florida. They returned three of their starters on the offensive line but will have to deal with the loss of top lineman Matt Hennessy. Without improvements on the offensive line, it's hard to imagine the Owls will improve their run game against Memphis, which is allowing only 3.6 yards per carry.

Defense

Temple's defense underwent major changes in the offseason. It lost its best defensive lineman in Quincy Roche to Miami, leaving a gaping hole on its D-line. Roche led the AAC with 13 sacks in 2019, and Temple doesn't have the talent to replace that kind of production.

The Owls also lost their three starting linebackers from last year, each of which was a top-three tackler on the squad. Those losses have already made a major impact, as Temple allowed 30 or more points to Navy and South Florida.

If Temple losing its best defensive lineman and three starting linebackers wasn't enough, the Owls also had to replace their best corner and a starting safety. That will be a huge issue, as they haven't faced a passing offense like Memphis' so far this year.

Memphis Tigers

Offense

New head coach Ryan Silverfield convinced QB Brady White to stay for his senior season, which is a testament to Silverfield as a coach and recruiter. White's decision to return to school has paid off, and the Tigers offense is firing on all cylinders. White looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the country through his first three games, throwing for 8.2 yards per attempt and 13 touchdowns. His performance has led Memphis to a ninth-place ranking in offensive passing success.

Not only is Memphis lighting up the scoreboard through the air, but it's also doing work on the ground behind sophomore running back Rodrigues Clark. Clark is toting the rock for 5.5 yards per carry and already has 315 rushing yards through three games. Memphis returned three of its five starters on the offensive line, so it should be able to run the ball at will against Temple's inexperienced defense.

Defense

Mike Norvell's departure to Florida State meant that most of his assistants — including defensive coordinator Adam Fuller — went with him. However, Silverfield hired former two-time national coach of the year Mike MacIntyre to fill Fuller's previous role. MacIntyre inherited a defense that returns seven starters, including star defensive back T.J. Carter.

Last season, most of Memphis' defensive issues came against the run, as it allowed 4.5 yards per carry. This year, it returns most of its starters on the defensive line. That returning experience has contributed to the Tigers' improved rush defense, which has allowed 3.6 yards per carry in 2020.

Where Memphis excelled last season was against the pass. It ranked 30th in defensive passing success and allowed only 6.7 yards per attempt. However, the Tigers have struggled early in 2020, allowing 10.0 yards per attempt. But, in fairness, most of those struggles came last Saturday against UCF's high-powered offense. Temple and Anthony Russo will be a much easier task by comparison, so I expect substantial improvement from MacIntyre's defense on Saturday.

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Betting Analysis & Pick

It's hard to ignore how good this Memphis offense is with Brady White under center. The Tigers offense averages 6.6 yards per play and should have no issue moving the ball against a Temple defense that has only been practicing for a little over a month.

I also believe we'll see a much-improved Tigers defense on Saturday compared to what we saw against UCF. Furthermore, without a running game, it's hard to imagine Temple will move the ball consistently.

I have the Tigers projected as -22.24 favorites on Saturday, so I think there is plenty of value on them at the current line of -13.5.

Pick: Memphis -13.5 (up to -17)

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