Scouting report: A look at the Temple Owls, the next opponent for No. 5/6 Cincinnati
Playing against the Temple Owls has never been easy for University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell and the Bearcats.
Due to COVID-19 issues within both programs, the two teams weren't able to play last season, but the previous three matchups were each close fights to the finish.
"Temple has been a thorn in our side since we've been here," Fickell said Tuesday.
In 2019, the Bearcats held on for a 15-13 victory over the Owls at Nippert Stadium. With the win, UC clinched a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
The previous season, Cincinnati surrendered 14 unanswered points and Desmond Ridder, then a redshirt freshman, threw a game-ending interception, as the Owls rallied to a 24-17 win in overtime.
The loss was the first of the season for a then-6-0 Cincinnati squad.
In 2017, Fickell's first season at the helm of the Bearcats program, UC lost to Temple 35-24 at Nippert. After the loss, Fickell said he was disappointed in the way he and his staff coached and prepared the team.
The Owls will head back to Nippert on Friday (7 p.m. on ESPN), and both Fickell and Ridder expect No. 5/6-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) Cincinnati (4-0) to begin AAC play with another tough bout against the always pesky team from Philadelphia.
"Temple is one of these, I don't want to say tough and nasty, but blue-collar programs," Ridder said. "They're going to come in and give us their best. We have to be ready for that."
Our First Look at the Temple Owls
RECORD: Temple is 3-2 (1-0 AAC) this season after opening conference play last week with a 34-31 win over Memphis (3-2, 0-1). The Owls trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter only to score 17 unanswered points and rally to the victory. Temple also has wins at Akron (1-4) and against FCS opponent Wager (0-5).
The Owls' two losses came in their season-opener at Rutgers (3-2) and at home against Boston College (4-1).
HEAD COACH: Rod Carey is 12-13 in three seasons at Temple. Carey and the Owls stumbled to a 1-6 mark in a COVID- and injury-plagued 2020 after posting an 8-5 record in his first season in 2019.
The 50-year-old Madison, Wisconsin, native took over the program after leading Northern Illinois to six bowl appearances in six seasons.
Carey is seeking a bounce-back year after having Temple's school-record streak of five straight seasons with a bowl appearance come to an end last year.
KEY PLAYERS: Georgia transfer D'Wan Mathis earned a spot on this week's AAC Honor Roll after completing 35 of 49 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 53 yards against Memphis.
Mathis' 35 completions tied a 53-year-old Temple single-game record.
Mathis' 39-yard run in the win was the longest by a Owls quarterback since Todd Centeio (45 yards) in 2019.
Fifteen of Mathis' 35 completions went to wide receivers Jose Barbon (seven catches for 51 yards and a touchdown) and Jadan Blue (eight receptions for 37 yards and a score).
Barbon's 62.4 yards-per-game average ranks 10th in the AAC, while Blue, a junior, had 13 catches for 120 yards against the Bearcats in 2019.
Safeties Amir Tyler (47) and M.J. Griffin (40) rank third and fifth, respectfully, in the conference in total tackles and will look to contain Ridder and UC's offense.
"They have some explosive guys now," Tyler said of the Cincinnati wide receivers. "These guys can change the game if you let them, if we give them that room and that little opening of an inch to make a big play."
SERIES HISTORY: Friday will mark the 23rd meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1973. Temple leads the series 13-8-1. Cincinnati's win in 2019 snapped a four-game losing streak against the Owls.
FUN FACT: A win Friday would ensure the Bearcats have been in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll for 365 days. Cincinnati has been ranked in the top 10 since jumping to No. 8 on Oct. 11, 2020.