On Friday, August 29th, the Temple Owls will face off against the 16th-ranked team in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners. The game will take place on Oklahoma turf under the bright lights of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Sooners, who recently joined the SEC, will be looking to make a demanding statement in their first contest of the new season. The team finished last season with a record of 10-3 but lost QB1 Dillon Gabriel to the transfer portal.
On the other hand, Temple finished last season with a record of 3-9, with no wins on the road. Oklahoma is expected to dominate the matchup, but college football is college football, and anything could happen.
Brent Venables, head coach for the Sooners, has had a very successful career on the defensive side of the ball. Before accepting the head coaching position at Oklahoma, Venables helped lead two teams to a National Championship as the defensive coordinator with Clemson University.
That said, the defense that Oklahoma fans dreamt of in the late 2010s is finally here. With stars like Billy Bowman Jr. and Danny Stutsman leading the way, the 2024 Sooner defense has the potential to be one of the best in the country.
On the offensive side, things have been slower since Lincoln Riley’s departure in 2021. Though things seemed to be picking back up last season, Gabriel’s transfer left a massive role to fill. Jackson Arnold, the new QB1 for Oklahoma, will be looking to create more success than in past seasons and lead the Sooners back to the playoffs.
Arnold, along with numerous other explosive playmakers like Gavin Sawchuk and Deion Burks, are set to bring the offense back to days when players like Baker Mayfield, CeeDee Lamb, and Kyler Murray gave opposing defenses nightmares.
Things to Expect from Temple
After a lackluster 2023 season, the Owls are looking for any success possible. Playing in the AAC conference, Temple won’t face as tough competition as a team like Oklahoma would play, it will, regardless, be tough to climb to the top of the rankings. With no road wins and a losing record at home last season, no place feels comfortable for the team.
Going up against a talented defense like Oklahoma, Temple will likely stay conservative. The head coach of the Owls, Stan Drayton, has made it clear that the QB1 decision is unclear by indirectly avoiding naming a starter. While Forrest Brock is expected to start under center, we may see other quarterbacks get a chance to play. Due to this indecision and confusion, the run game will likely be what Temple relies on during Friday’s contest.
Final Thoughts
While this game will likely end in a dominant win for Oklahoma, the Owls will have a chance to kickstart their season and learn more about their team against possibly their toughest opponent of the year. The Sooners, however, will use the game to prepare for tougher SEC opponents down the road. Though this contest isn’t expected to be competitive, it will be an exciting game to watch.
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