Temple @ Army preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2016 ) Army 28, Temple 13

With three losses in its last four games, Temple aims to stop the bleeding Saturday in its road date against Army. The Owls have won 10 games in each of the last two seasons but likely will struggle to make another bowl game if they don't start pulling some upsets.

Temple's last outing was a 28-24 home loss to Connecticut in which the team rallied with 10 points in the fourth quarter before falling short. “It’s always disappointing when you have a loss, but we’re going to bounce back,” said Owls running back David Hood. “We’re not really thinking about being bowl eligible. We’ve just got come out with energy - play the first quarter like it’s the fourth." Army has won three straight games and persevered last week despite not completing a single pass. It was actually the third time this season that the Golden Knights did not complete a pass, but fortunately the team can lean on the nation's second-ranked rushing offense (378.4 yards per game), which has scored a national-best 28 touchdowns on the ground.

TV: Noon ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Army -7

ABOUT TEMPLE (3-4): Logan Marchi passed for 356 yards and Hood racked up 120 total yards and a score in last week's defeat in which the Owls were doomed by 12 penalties and two turnovers. The team went a combined 5-of-18 on third and fourth down as junior running back Ryquell Armstead continued to struggle. After running for 919 yards and 14 touchdowns on 5.9 yards per attempt in 2016, Armstead is averaging 3.2 yards per carry and has one touchdown on 86 carries this season.

ABOUT ARMY (5-2): Army, one of four independent teams in college football, defeated Eastern Michigan 28-27 a week ago as safety James Gibson made a game-saving tackle on a two-point conversion in the final minute. "Every win is important. Every time you have a chance to get a victory it means something," coach Jeff Monken said. "To be able to overcome adversity, that to me is really important. We were able to find a way to make a play." Ahmad Bradshaw has a team-high 818 yards on the ground and leads the squad with seven touchdowns, but the senior quarterback has only completed 7-of-30 passing attempts this year.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Army handed Temple a 28-13 loss in last year's season opener. Andy Davidson rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns and the Golden Knights ran for 329 as a team.

2. Army needs one win to become bowl eligibile. The team has not made a bowl game in back-to-back seasons since 1984 and 1985.

3. Marchi is coming off back-to-back 300-yard passing games for the first time in his career.

PREDICTION: Army 23, Temple 20