The Miami Hurricanes will head up to Philadelphia to face the Temple Owls in non-conference action this Saturday from Lincoln Financial Field on ESPN2. Miami and Temple faced off as rivals in the old Big East Conference from each season from 1992-2005, and the Canes hold a lopsided 13-1 head-to-head lead.
Miami (FL) Hurricanes Preview
Miami comes in at 3-0 after defeating Bethune Cookman at home, 48-7. The Hurricanes handled business in their first taste of in-state action, and they’ll now look to close the non-conference slate strong here. The Miami offense is scoring 44.7 ppg, while passing for 322.0 ypg, rushing for 189.0 ypg, and converting 52% of their third downs.
Miami Player Notes
• Tyler Van Dyke followed up his five-score performance against A&M by going 19/23 for 247 yards, and three total touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush). The junior quarterback has really shown improvements behind center, and there’s a good chance it continues in his first road test of the season. Van Dyke has passed for 822 yards, with eight touchdowns to one interception.
• Junior back Henry Parrish Jr. leads the U in rushing yards (192), after surpassing the 50-yard mark in each of the first three contests.
• Third-year wideout Xavier Restrepo replicated his six-catch, 126-yard outing against A&M last week against Bethune Cookman, and he’s first on the team in receptions (17) and receiving yards (314).
• The Miami defense has allowed 14.3 points per game.
Temple Owls Preview
Temple enters at 2-1 after defeating Norfolk State in Philly, 41-9. The Owls bounced back from a road loss to longtime rival Rutgers with the big win over the Spartans, and they’ll attempt to slow another former conference rival when Miami comes to town this weekend. The Temple offense is scoring 24.0 ppg, while passing for 254.7 ypg, rushing for 139.7 ypg, and converting 39.5% of their third downs.
Temple Player Notes
• E.J. Warner managed last week’s contest well, passing for 238 yards and a touchdown in the win over NSU. The sophomore quarterback struggled in his lone Power 5 matchup with Rutgers, and he’ll have to deal with another fierce unit with Miami coming to town. Warner has passed for 760 yards, with four touchdowns to two interceptions thru three games.
• Freshman RB Joquez Smith led the backfield with 142 yards against Norfolk State last weekend.
• Junior wideout Dante Wright leads the Owls in receptions (16) and receiving yards (185).
• The Temple defense is allowing 22.0 points per game.
Miami (FL) vs Temple Trends
• Miami is 3-0 against the spread, with a 1-2 O/U record.
• Temple is 1-2 ATS, with a 0-3 over/under record.
Corey’s Free Pick
Miami will face a big margin when they make the trip to Philly this weekend, and although they should leave town undefeated, covering this number could be quite the task. The magic number is sitting a bit low due to Temple’s positive under trend early on, but it looks attainable, when you consider how well Miami has played offensively. Tyler Van Dyke looks like the real deal behind center, after scoring 38 or more in their first three contests, they may be able to handle the heavy lifting here.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
