Temple QB Frank Nutile To Start At Cincinnati

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Temple will look for a second straight win on Friday night when the Owls visit the Cincinnati Bearcats in American Athletic Conference action.

The Owls are 4-5 (2-3 AAC) on the season and coming off their most impressive win of the season. This past Thursday the Owls beat Navy at the Linc, 34-26. The defense held the vaunted Navy triple-option rushing attack to just 136 yards on 52 carries.

On offense it was a big game for redshirt junior quarterback Frank Nutile against Navy. Making his second start in place of an injured Logan Marchi, Nutile went 22 of 30 for 289 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception.

"I think he did a great job just leading the offense," Temple head coach Geoff Collins tells KYW Newsradio. "A lot of poise, getting us into the right checks, making the right audibles, going to the right places with the ball, so we're really proud of him. Going to Friday night against Cincinnati, we're going to go with Frank. We always take everything one game at a time, but I think Frank gives us a really good opportunity to play at a high level on Friday night offensively."

On Friday night the Owls will visit a Cincinnati team that is 3-6 (1-4 AAC). The Bearcats are coming off a 17-16 road win on Saturday over Tulane.

"They've got tremendous athletes all over the field," Collins says.

Collins says the Bearcats run a tempo offense similar to what the Owls saw against South Florida and East Carolina.

"They do a really nice job on the perimeter with their skill guys," he says. "Quarterback has a quick release, makes really good decisions based on where the coverages are."

And on defense?

"They fly around," Collins says. "We've gotten to see them a couple of times in crossover games, and just how they've developed throughout the season has been really, really impressive."

Last year, Temple beat the Bearcats at the Linc, 34-13.

Friday night's game will kick off at 7:00pm.