Watch CBS News

Temple Looks To Rebound Saturday Vs. Houston

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Temple will be back home on Saturday as they continue American Athletic Conference play against the University of Houston.

The Owls are 2-2 after getting blitzed last Thursday down in Tampa by South Florida in their AAC opener, 43-7. Very little went right for the Owls who had just 85 yards of offense (-4 yards rushing) and turned the ball over six times. Temple head coach Geoff Collins says the way his defense responded to the turnovers was one of the few bright spots in this one.

"We had sudden change situations six times," Collins tells KYW Newsradio. "Only gave up one touchdown, forced them to kick four field goals and then had a goal line stand off of a sudden change. So those kind of things are bright spots and those are things to build on."

The Owls used three quarterbacks in the loss to the Bulls and Collins says the decision on who will start against the Cougars is up in the air.

"Every single week, your reps are determined by how you practice," he says. "That's the same way with the quarterback position."

Houston is 2-1 on the season and coming off a 27-24 loss to Texas Tech last time out. This will be the AAC opener for the Cougars. Collins says they have a real difference maker along their defensive line.

"Their nose guard, [sophomore Ed Oliver], he jumps off the tape when you turn it on, watching the TV game on Saturday," Collins says. "He's a really good player, has the ability to change the game from that position, which I think is a premier spot in college football to have a guy that can take over the game from the defensive line position. They definitely have that."

These two teams last played in the 2015 AAC title game. The Cougars won 24-13.

Saturday's game will kickoff at noon at the Linc.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.