Temple @ Memphis preview
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 2, 2021 ) Memphis 31, Temple 34
Memphis will look to extend its winning streak to four games and remain atop the American Athletic Conference standings when it hosts Temple on Saturday.
The Tigers (3-1, 1-0) are coming off a 44-34 non-conference victory over North Texas. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan threw for two touchdowns, Brandon Thomas rushed for two, and Jaylon Allen and Xavier Cullens each returned an interception for a score.
"There's no time to sit there and reflect on ‘OK, how do we improve and get better on that stuff.' Every week's a different season. We're not searching for answers," Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. "There's none of that. It's how do we execute and get better at a higher level."
Temple (2-2, 0-0) heads to Memphis after a 28-0 victory over UMass in the Owls' first shutout since 2016.
Temple quarterback E.J. Warner, the son of Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner, went 11 of 22 for 173 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to pick up his first win as a starter. Layton Jordan returned an interception 41 yards for the Owls, who bounced back from a 16-14 loss to Rutgers the previous week.
After Memphis' Henigan went 19 of 30 passing for 165 yards and a TD in a season-opening 49-23 loss at Mississippi State, he's gone 62 of 91 for 916 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception with two rushing touchdowns during the winning streak.
Five Tigers have caught at least 10 passes this season, with tight end Caden Prieskorn leading the team with 15 catches.
For Temple, Warner has gone 44 of 73 passing for 561 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Adonicas Sanders has 17 catches for 236 yards and a TD.
Temple defeated Memphis for the second time in three seasons last year by rallying from a 17-0 deficit to pull out a 34-31 victory at Philadelphia.
"Personally, I believe that we will be ready for (Memphis), because we got (experience against) a passing team and multiple running teams," Temple safety Alex Odom said. "So we're probably gonna get a mixture of both from Memphis."
--Field Level Media