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Temple vs Tulsa preview: Which team will bounce back after blowout AAC losses?

Temple has lost two straight, while Tulsa has lost three straight. Who will prevail in Philly on Friday night?

Quincy Patterson (center) of the Temple Owls celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Massachusetts Minutemen in the second half at Lincoln Financial Field on September 24, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Quincy Patterson (center) of the Temple Owls celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Massachusetts Minutemen in the second half at Lincoln Financial Field on September 24, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Read moreMitchell Leff / Getty Images
    by Devin Jackson, Action Network
    Published 

After an offensive onslaught that saw 70 points be put on the board by the UCF Knights, the Temple Owls return home to face off against their third AAC opponent of the season in the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, losers of three straight games.

This will be just the fifth ever meeting between these two programs, with Temple holding a 3-1 series lead. Tulsa won the most recent matchup in 2021, a 44-21 blowout where the Owls entered the game as 22-point underdogs.

In the 2022 version of the game, from Lincoln Financial Field, the Owls are once again double-digit underdogs for the third straight game, this time a 13-point underdog against Tulsa on BetMGM.

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After largely playing well all-season long, the Owls’ defense struggled to contain the high-powered UCF offense, and the task won’t get any easier against a Tulsa offense led by quarterback Davis Brin. The Golden Hurricane offense ranks fourth in the AAC in yards per game (437), fifth in points per game (33) and second in passing yards per game (327.8).

Meanwhile, the Temple’s defense has given up the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (196.3) this season and four of six games this season has resulted in a point-total under, including in three of the last four games.

Since opening conference play against Memphis, E.J. Warner and the Owls’ offense have scored just one touchdown over their last eight quarters, but face one of the worst AAC defenses in Tulsa, which is giving up the second-most points in the conference (35.2) and most rushing yards per game (239.7).

» READ MORE: Temple coach Stan Drayton pulls positives from blowout loss to Central Florida

The Golden Hurricane, on the other hand, have been a mixed bag against the spread, as they enter the game 1-3-1 against FBS opponents, with the push coming against Cincinnati in their conference opener. Tulsa failed to cover in a blowout loss to Navy last week, 51-21.

The point-total between these two programs, set at 52.5, seems weirdly high considering how bad Tulsa’s defense has been this season and the inconsistencies with Temple’s offense. The issue with taking the under, though, is if this game made it to overtime, the under would almost certainly be in jeopardy.

If there’s a bet to make in this Friday night contest that kicks off on ESPN2, taking the Temple +13 and the over 52.5 point total could earn you a nice payout on a parlay.

Temple vs Tulsa odds (via BetMGM)

Betting Line: Temple +13; O/U: 52.5

TUL: -500

TEM: +375

*Temple is 3-3 against the spread this season, while Tulsa is 2-3-1 ATS (Owls are 2-2 all-time ATS vs Tulsa).

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