Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, October 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN+
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, PA
- Spread: Temple (-6.5)
- Over/under: 58.5
- All-time series: UTSA leads, 2-0
- Last meeting: UTSA 51, Temple 27 — November 22, 2024
- Current streak: UTSA, 2 (2023-24)
Setting the scene
Philadelphia and San Antonio aren’t exactly neighbors on the map, yet this conference matchup between Temple and UTSA is slated to transpire for the third-straight year since the Roadrunners joined the American Conference.
The 2025 installment of the Roadrunner vs. Owl bird brawl will kick off at Lincoln Financial Field, and it’s a conference opener for teams with identical résumés — 2-2 records fresh off a Week 5 bye. UTSA enters as the touchdown favorite after winning a pair of high-scoring matchups
in the prior meetings, defeating Temple 49-34 in 2023 51-27 in 2024.
UTSA Roadrunners outlook
UTSA committed one of the best penalties of the season in Week 4. Colorado State knotted the game at 17 apiece with 29 seconds left, but on the Rams’ made extra point, UTSA jumped offsides. Their opponent accepted the penalty, took that point off the board, and went for two. The Roadrunners forced an incompletion, turning a potential 1-3 start into a 2-2 record heading into the bye week.
It was a cathartic win for Jeff Traylor’s squad which dropped eight-straight regular season road games dating back to November 2023. Now UTSA starts conference play in a road environment, looking to start a new streak in the opposite direction.
The Roadrunners enter every game with confidence thanks to the star wearing the No. 3 jersey. Robert Henry Jr. ranks second nationally in rushing yards at 624 and averages an FBS-best 156 per contest. Operating behind an ideal combination of power, speed, and vision, Henry regularly breaks free into the open field for significant gains. He has a 74+ yard run in all four starts this year and a 76-yard touchdown off a screen vs. Colorado State. Five of his nine touchdowns were from at least 70 yards out, so every snap is essentially a red zone snap for UTSA when Henry is suited up.
His consistency is remarkable. Every defensive coordinator is keying on him in film study, yet Henry rides a 6-game streak of 140+ yard rushing outbursts dating back to 2024, and his maximum number of carries over the span is just 21. UTSA isn’t overly run-heavy despite fielding one of the best backs in the country. The Roadrunners rank 98th in rushing attempts and 37th in passing attempts, often airing it out with second-year starting quarterback Owen McCown.
UTSA is still eyeing the McCown breakout game in 2025. The team knows his potential after a 3,424-yard season in 2024, and they hope the quarterback returns to that form during conference play. He averages 171 passing yards per game vs. FBS opponents this year, and Traylor stated his desire to get the junior quarterback easier throws to improve the offense’s outlook. Pass protection — which has been sturdy to date with only two sacks allowed — will be under a greater microscope, however, as right tackle Jaylen Garth is slated to miss time due to an injury suffered at Colorado State.
Wide receiver health is another storyline to monitor offensively. Willie McCoy is recovering from surgery, while Devin McCuin and David Amador II suffered injuries in the Texas State game and their status remains up in the air for Saturday. However, the healthiest option on the Roadrunners is deep threat AJ Wilson who has seven receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s emerging vertical option.
Defensively, UTSA saw a breakthrough performance in a solid 17-16 outing vs. Colorado State. Outside linebacker Nnannu Anyanwu, stepping in for Camron Cooper (who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1), produced three sacks and four tackles for loss against the Rams — rising to the occasion for a team in desperate need of a No. 1 pass rusher. TCU transfer inside linebacker Shad Banks is another standout on that side of the ball. The former Horned Frog starter seamlessly earned star status in San Antonio, leading the team with 31 tackles and two interceptions on the season.
UTSA’s run defense has been stellar, but the team ranks sixth-to-last nationally in passing yards allowed per game. That is one facet the Roadrunners strive to improve as conference play enters full swing. Another area for improvement is special teams, as UTSA has been subject to allowing long kickoff and punt returns this season.
Temple Owls outlook
What do we make of Temple? The Owls started 2-0 as dominant as anybody, flying past UMass and FCS Howard by a combined score of 97-17. The next two weeks, they challenged teams that are currently ranked and undefeated, falling 42-3 to Oklahoma and 45-24 to Georgia Tech. UTSA presents a new change of pace for K.C. Keeler’s squad as a conference opponent at an even 2-2.
Two opponents on each side of the coin make the Owls a middle-of-the-road team in a multitude of statistics, including total offense and total defense. But thing Temple has done remarkably well is ball security. The Owls are one of three teams, along with Alabama and UConn, to refrain from a single turnover in 2025. That puts them at a +5 on the season with the defense generating a hair over a takeaway per game.
One reason for the lack of turnovers is strong decision-making from quarterback Evan Simon. The Mount Joy, PA native is second in the American Conference with 10 touchdowns to complement his interception-free start. Simon was the model of efficiency in the first two games, but he faced extraordinary pressure against Oklahoma and Georgia Tech, bringing his season completion rate to 57.6 percent.
Two targets stood out during Temple’s first third of the season. Tight end Peter Clarke is third in the conference at his position with 147 receiving yards, averaging an explosive 18.4 per reception. Delaware transfer wide receiver JoJo Bermudez is Simon’s other premier option, owning 15 receptions and a team-high 184 yards in his new home.
The strength of the Temple offense currently lies within the run game. Keeler brought Jay Ducker over from Sam Houston, and the running back is averaging 6.3 yards per carry as the focal point of the ground game. Ducker is the first player in FBS history to record a 100-yard rushing game at four different programs, and he’ll look for his second of the season against the UTSA defense. Secondary back Hunter Smith also averages 7.0 yards per pop, giving Ducker a reliable second fiddle. Terrez Worthy also offers a veteran presence in the room, and the Owls are still waiting to expand their impressive depth with the possible return of Joquez Smith, who has been dealing with an ankle injury.
First-year Temple defensive coordinator Brian Smith has plenty of familiarity with UTSA. He faced Traylor’s Roadrunners four times during his last stint at Rice, playing a role in an upset victory last October. Smith is very multiple on defense, and in all likelihood, the Owls will stack the box to prevent Robert Henry Jr. from a fifth-straight week of a 70+ yard breakaway touchdown run.
Defending the run hasn’t been a strength for Temple which allowed 228 rushing yards to Oklahoma and 307 to Georgia Tech. The main counter the Owls offer is defensive end Cam’Ron Stewart who has 6.5 tackles for loss on the season which include his team-high 4.0 sacks. Defensive tackle Sekou Kromah has also provided similar support in opposing backfields with 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss on a senior-heavy defensive line.
Temple ranks 29th in fewest passing yards allowed per game, holding teams to 172 yards on a 58.3 completion rate. Strong safety Avery Powell has been one of the bright spots of the unit, and the FCS transfer ranks first on the team with 22 stops in addition to recovering one fumble.
Prediction
The key matchup in this game involves Robert Henry Jr. vs. Temple’s 115th-ranked run defense. No matter what teams throw at Henry, the running back finds a way to succeed with a consistent 140+ yard performance featuring at least one highlight run. He is UTSA’s most lethal offensive weapon, and the Roadrunners also have potential to be dangerous in the passing game with Owen McCown — although his receivers are banged up at the moment.
Temple typically thrives on the ground, but this game should see the air open up well for Evan Simon. The Owls have a favorable matchup against the UTSA secondary which should allow them a more fruitful scoring output than they saw in their prior two matchups. However, the Roadrunner offense will prove too powerful and Temple falls to 0-3 all-time vs. UTSA.
Prediction: UTSA 38, Temple 28
