The Norte Dame Fighting Irish travel to Lincoln Financial Field Saturday night to face the undefeated Temple Owls. The Fighting Irish are ranked 21st in the nation and are coming off a big win against the USC Trojans. The 9th ranked Owls are looking to pick up their eighth win of the season and are 7-0 for the first time in the school's history.
Temple is led by junior quarterback P.J. Walker, who is a major reason for the Owls' success this season. Walker has thrown for 1,314 yards this season with nine touchdown passes. Head coach Matt Rhule will look to put his quarterback in good positions on Saturday, as the Irish are arguably the best defense they have seen this season.
The Owls will look to control the clock with running back Jahad Thomas. The junior running back is averaging five yards per carry this season and has 822 rushing yards. Thomas has 13 total touchdowns for Temple's offense and is a dual threat out of the backfield, as he has over 200 receiving yards this season.
The Irish defense will look to stop Thomas Saturday, and head coach Brian Kelly will try to have his defense prepared for their dominating running back. Junior linebacker Jaylon Smith is one of the best at his positions in the country. Smith has 57 tackles this season and six tackles for loss. The Irish linebacker will be all over the field Saturday night, as he is a constantly found around the ball.
The Irish will look for quarterback DeShone Kizer to continue to move the ball for Notre Dame. Kizer took over early this season when starting quarterback Malik Zaire fractured his ankle against Virginia. Kizer is coming off his best game of the season against the Trojans, in which he threw for 227 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 47 yards.
Kelly will look to get both C.J. Prosise and Will Fuller involved early against the Owls. Fuller is the Norte Dame's leading receiver with over 700 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. Prosise is averaging 7.1 yards per carry this season and has scored 11 touchdowns for the Irish. Both Prosise and Fuller are Notre Dame's big playmakers on offense, and they will need to produce if the Irish want to give Temple their first loss of the season.
This game is crucial for both teams, as they know a loss Saturday could end both their chances at the College Football Playoff. The game starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Irish's radio broadcast, go here, and for the Owls' radio broadcast, click here.
