Temple is 2-0 for the first time since 2019 and has looked dominant in all facets of the game in its two wins over UMass and Howard. That level of competition is about to take a big step up, however, as Brent Venables‘ No. 13 Oklahoma squad is in town to face K.C. Keeler‘s upstart squad.

Oklahoma is off to a 2-0 start of its own with wins over Illinois State and No. 15 Michigan. Saturday’s contest will be the Sooners’ first road trip of the year, however, and a game against No. 24 Auburn next week looms.

WHEN TEMPLE IS ON OFFENSE

For a team that finished last season No. 121 in the nation in scoring offense, the offensive turnaround to start the season for Temple has been noteworthy. The Owls are No. 14 in the nation in scoring at 48.5 points per game, No. 18 in total offense, No. 14 in rushing offense and No. 3 in team passing efficiency.

“They’ve done a remarkable job in a very short window over the last several months since they’ve gotten on campus,” Venables told reporters at his weekly press conference. “They have great balance in their offense…regardless of who their opponents that they’ve played, they’ve completely gotten after them.”

Redshirt-senior quarterback Evan Simon has been nearly perfect to start the season, as he’s completed 77.1 percent of his passes for 422 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions. The Lancaster County native leads the nation in passing efficiency and is No. 3 nationally in passing touchdowns despite attempting just 35 passes in his one-and-a-half games. By comparison, the two quarterbacks in front of him in passing touchdowns, Western Kentucky’s Maverick McIvor and Arkansas’ Taylen Green, have attempted 120 and 57 passes, respectively. Simon has also rushed for 55 yards on the ground.

“Evan’s a big reason why we’re ranked so high in a lot of categories nationally offensively,” Keeler said. “He’s had just a terrific season so far. A lot of it is him improving. A lot of it is him having a great grasp of this offense, and I also think a lot of it is that we’ve put some talented guys around him.”

One of those talented guys around Simon is junior tight end Peter Clarke, who has already set career highs with six catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns this season. Both of Clarke’s touchdowns came against UMass when he was rated as Pro Football Focus’ top tight end of the week.

“Peter has had a really great start to the season,” Keeler said. “He has just really stepped up on game day and made some great catches. He’s more athletic than you’d think he would be, being such a large human being. He’s now become a big part of that offense.”

Temple’s offensive line has also looked much improved through two games, as Owls like Grayson Mains, Jackson Pruitt and redshirt freshman Giakoby Hills have combined to allow just two sacks. The front line has also paved the way for Temple’s ground game, which was anemic last year with a production of just 96.8 rushing yards per game, to rack up 520 yards so far this season. Sam Houston State transfer Jay Ducker has been as good as advertised with 215 yards off of just 29 carries (7.4 yards per rush) so far this season. Terrez Worthy (126 total yards) and Louisiana-Monroe transfer Hunter Smith (91 yards and a 65-yard touchdown) have also been productive behind Ducker.

All that being said, Temple’s newly-effective offense will have its hands full on Saturday. Oklahoma is No. 10 in the nation in scoring defense at just eight points allowed per game and also No. 18 in total defense. Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas led the Sooners with nine sacks last year and while the Florida native has yet to record a sack this year, he has pressured opposing quarterbacks three times.

True freshman cornerback Courtland Guillory has been a revelation for Venables’ defense, as he’s started the first two games of his collegiate career and has only given up one pass for six yards. Against Michigan, Guillory was targeted five times and gave up no receptions. Guillory rarely leaves the field at one corner spot while Gentry Williams and Devon Jordan rotate in at the other corner spots. Against Michigan, the secondary helped limit Bryce Underwood to just nine completions for 142 yards and zero touchdowns.

One area where Oklahoma’s defense has struggled so far this season is the big play category. While the Sooners have obviously been successful on defense, they have just three sacks, including two against FCS Illinois State, and zero forced turnovers this season. It’s a big ask, but if Temple’s offensive line is able to keep the pocket clean for Simon, he’s shown the ability to make the right read over and over again this season.

WHEN TEMPLE IS ON DEFENSE

This is where things could get tricky for Temple. Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer has been dynamic this season as he’s thrown for 662 yards and four touchdowns through the air while also running for 98 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. According to BetMGM, Mateer is the co-favorite right now for the Heisman Trophy.

Against Michigan, Mateer threw for 270 yards and rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He used his legs to buy time out of the pocket and keep his eyes downfield. That’s where the redshirt junior thrives, as Mateer has averaged 10.5 yards per attempt under pressure. Mateer has shown the tendency to take more risks when he’s not under pressure, evident by the fact both of his interceptions this year have come from a clean pocket.

“[Mateer] is a problem you have to account for,” PHLY NFL Analyst and former Temple video coordinator Fran Duffy told OwlScoop on this week’s podcast. “If you are able to keep him in the pocket, he will put some balls in harm’s way. He is willing to test tight windows and push the limits that way, which can be a good thing but that can be a double-edged sword.”

Mateer has been the dominant force in Oklahoma’s rushing attack, as running backs Tory Blaylock (17 carries for 66 yards) and Jovante Barnes (13 carries for 33 yards) have struggled to get going so far. Blaylock, a true freshman, and Barnes, who led the Sooners with 577 rushing yards last year, both rushed for just 24 yards against the Wolverines.

One player who has not struggled to get going so far this season has been senior wideout Deion Burks. Burks, a Purdue transfer, torched Temple for three touchdowns last season in Oklahoma’s 51-3 season-opening win. Burks, who played just five games last year due to injuries, has started off this season with 14 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

“This is a guy who, despite an undersized frame, he’s got some speed. He was a big-time track athlete in the state of Michigan when he was coming out of high school,” Duffy said. “When you’re looking at Burks, he’s a guy you have to account for certainly. He’s proven to be, so far, one of Mateer’s go-to weapons.”

Wisconsin transfer Keontez Lewis has also gotten off to a hot start with 12 catches for 155 yards. Tight end Jaren Kanak spent the first three years of his Oklahoma career as a linebacker, including a 2023 season where he had 62 tackles and six TFL, but has made the transition to tight end look seamless. Through two games, Kanak has caught 10 passes for 159 yards and has proven to be a reliable safety valve for Mateer.

Temple’s defense, meanwhile, has not allowed a point in the second half of games this season. The Owls have forced three turnovers, a mark they didn’t hit until Game Six last year, and have the No. 16 red zone defense in the nation.

“It doesn’t matter what level you’re playing at, who you’re playing. Winning is really, really hard and [Temple has] made it look really dang easy,” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle told reporters at his weekly press conference.

The Owls have frequently rotated defensive linemen and rush linebackers in and out of the game. Twelve different Temple players have played at least 20 snaps this season at those positions. Rutgers transfer Cam’Ron Stewart has been the most productive of that group so far with three sacks and five tackles for a loss so far.

“They do a good job of cycling in and out their defensive linemen,” Arbuckle said. “That just tells me that they feel good about the guys that they have and so they feel like they can take guys in and out and not lose a step on anything…I think [Stewart] is a really talented player. Showed up in the first two games and was really disruptive. I think their defensive line does a lot of really, really good stuff.”

In addition Stewart, safety Javier Morton and linebacker Curly Ordonez have also logged two TFL each. Sixth-year senior Ben Osueke has manned one of the Owls’ cornerback spots and grabbed a crucial interception against UMass. Youngstown State transfer Jaylen Castleberry has been the main guy at the other corner spot.

“As a whole, their defense is physical and they fly around,” Arbuckle said. “Their coordinator puts them in really good positions to be successful so it’s going to be a really good challenge for us.”

Oklahoma’s offensive line is young, especially on the left side, but talented. True freshman Michael Fasusi, a former 5-star prospect, mans the left tackle position while sophomore left guard Heath Ozaeta slides in next to him. The line is more experienced further down, where right guard Febechi Nwaiwu has played 2,621 snaps during his time at Oklahoma and North Texas and Stanford transfer center Jake Maikkula was a two-year starter for the Cardinal. The offensive line group is deep, as every position except Nwaiwu at right guard is listed as a co-starter on the Sooners’ depth chart and has seen multiple guys play the position for extended stretches this season.

That being said, the offensive line has struggled to run block this season and also allowed seven pressures against Michigan.

“This offensive line is not the offensive line we’ve seen from Oklahoma five, six, seven years ago where they’re chock full of offensive line prospects,” Duffy said. ‘It’s not that level of talent in terms of realized talent. There are guys that can develop down the road.”

If Temple is to have any chance on Saturday, the Owls will need to pressure Mateer inside the pocket. He’s shown the elusiveness to get outside the pocket when pressured and make opponents pay.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Temple’s special teams unit has not been asked to do much this season, at least in the placekicking and punting categories, but has been solid when called upon. Carl Hardin has hit all of his kicks this season, including two field goals against Howard, and also has nine touchbacks and four fair catches on his kick offs. Punter Dante Atton has averaged 42.8 yards per punt this season and has yet to have a punt returned.

Jojo Bermudez took over the punt returning responsibilities against Howard and has three returns for 59 yards, including a 37-yarder. Bermudez’s stats would have looked even better if not for a holding penalty that nullified a huge return. Bermudez should handle most of the punt return responsibilities but could be relieved by Tyler Stewart or Colin Chase, Keeler said.

“I would think that Jojo would either be the guy or be in some type of rotation back there,” Keeler said. “The reason I say some type of rotation is that we don’t take Jojo off the field a lot in offense. So if he needs a blow, he might get it there. We feel really good that we have a couple of guys that can punt return.”

Oklahoma punters have combined to average 47.7 yards per punt this year. UTSA transfer kicker Tate Sandell has made all eight of his extra point attempts this season but missed a 42-yard field goal attempt against Michigan. The Sooners have only returned two kickoffs this season for just 16 yards. On punt returns, Isaiah Sategna has been productive with six returns for 65 yards.

If Temple is to somehow manage a massive upset over Oklahoma, the Owls’ special teams units will have to be a factor, Keeler said.

“We’ve been close on special teams,” Keeler said. “A couple penalties have really hurt us…If we have a chance to win this game, we can’t lose on special teams. We have to make some plays on special teams. We can’t have penalties on special teams. I think what excites a special teams unit is to know that, if they make their blocks, there’s a chance. And I think we can say that on both kickoff return and punt return.”