The undefeated, 22nd-ranked Temple Owls will travel to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to face the East Carolina Pirates in an AAC showdown Thursday night.
Temple has slowly moved up in the rankings this season, and beating teams like Penn State and Cincinnati has made them one of the front-runners to win the conference. The Pirates have won some big games this season as well, but are 2-1 in the AAC and are just one game behind the Owls in the East division.
The Owls are led by junior quarterback P.J. Walker, who is having a huge season. Walker said Temple being nationally ranked for the first time since 1979 was "business as usual," via the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. Walker has thrown for 1,063 yards and has thrown eight touchdown passes. He also has a 60.8 completion percentage this season, but has thrown three interceptions.
Owls head coach Matt Rhule will look to put the ball in running back Jahad Thomas' hands early. Thomas is coming off a monster game against UCF last week, in which he rushed for 199 yards and scored three touchdowns. The junior running back is a big time player for Temple, and is a big reason they are undefeated this season.
Senior wide receiver Robby Anderson will look to be Walker's top target Thursday night, as he is the team's leading receiver. Anderson has 23 receptions this season for 262 yards with four touchdowns. Rhule will probably run the ball early, bringing the defense closer to the line, and then Walker will try to take shots down field at Anderson.
East Carolina's offense has some talent of its own, and head coach Ruffin McNeill will look to get his young team going against the undefeated Owls. East Carolina's system has two quarterbacks in Blake Kemp and transfer James Summers. Summers came in last week for the Pirates and threw 127 yards and a touchdown to help get a win over Tulsa.
That wasn't the first time Summers has stepped in to a game and led his team to victory, either. Against Virginia Tech, Summers rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns to get the upset win, 35-28.
Kemp is also a legitimate starting quarterback, as he has already thrown for 1,556 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, and will look to junior wide receiver Isaiah Jones to have a big game. Jones has 595 receiving yards, with three touchdowns, but will have to try and get open against a tough Temple defense.
The Owls defense is one of the best in college football, giving up an average of 14.7 points per game, and has recorded 11 interceptions on the season. Both Summers and Kemp will have to be smart with the ball, as Temple's defense is one of the best at getting turnovers.
The Owls are looking for their first 7-0 start in school history, but East Carolina still stands in the way of handing them their first loss of the season.
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here.
To listen to the Owls' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Pirates' radio broadcast, go here.
