After a bye week, Temple heads back on the road to face FBS newcomer Charlotte.
Here's a closer look at the matchup:
Temple (3-0, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) at Charlotte (2-2, 0-2 Conference USA)
Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina
Friday, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Scouting Temple
Temple just finished up a week of rest and the Owls needed a bit of a breather after their last game. Temple used a blocked PAT return for two points late and 10-play, 50-yard drive in the final minute to set up the go-ahead field goal to escape with a 25-23 win over UMass.
Despite managing only 66 yards on 25 carries against UMass, Jahad Thomas is still the driving force behind Temple's offense. Thomas has 394 yards and four touchdowns through three games so far this season.
Thomas wasn't the only Temple player on offense to have a shaky game the last time on the field. The old P.J. Walker showed up a bit against UMass, and that's not a good thing for the Owls. While Walker was 28 of 48 for a career-high 391 yards and one touchdown, he also threw two interceptions. The formerly turnover-prone QB hadn't thrown a pick yet this season until facing the Minutemen.
TU head coach Matt Rhule had been interested to see how his stout defense would fare against a pass-heavy opponent and the result wasn't pretty. The Owls allowed 393 yards and three touchdowns through the air courtesy of Minutemen quarterback Blake Frohnapfel.
News
Overall, Temple's D has been its usual steady self. The unit is allowing 19.6 points per game. The Owls are also getting after the QB at a high rate. They have 12 sacks to start the season with Tyler Matakevich and Nate D. Smith combining for seven of those. Plus, the Owls have eight forced turnovers (six interceptions, two fumble recoveries). That opportunistic nature could come in handy against a sloppy Charlotte team.
Scouting Charlotte
Following a promising introduction into FBS play, the 49ers have come crashing back down to Earth in their last two games. Two weeks ago, Charlotte suffered a humiliating 73-14 loss to Middle Tennessee State. Last week, it was a 17-7 loss to Florida Atlantic in which Charlotte turned the ball over an unthinkable seven times. Quarterbacks Lee McNeill (four) and Matt Johnson (two) combined to throw six interceptions, while wideout Workpeh Kofa fumbled on the team's opening possession.
Charlotte tends to lean on its ground game. The 49ers average 146 yards rushing yards per game (Temple averages 143.7). Running back Khalif Phillips is their leading rusher with 374 yards and a pair of TDs through four games.
The 49ers have played QBs Johnson, McNeill and Brooks Barden throughout their four games, none with any outstanding success. The trio has combined for 179.5 passing yards per game and a 49.2 completion percentage. Throw in the fact that they have managed to toss 12 total interceptions to four touchdowns, and it's a wonder Charlotte has had any offensive success.
On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi (25 tackles) and linebacker Nick Cook (24 tackles) are players to keep an eye on. The Temple O-line will also need to focus on Zach Duncan, who leads the 49ers with three sacks.
History
With Charlotte's football program starting in 2013 and moving up to FBS in 2015, this will mark the first meeting between the two teams.
Storyline to watch
It will be interesting to watch the turnover battle. Charlotte has proven to be very loose with the football. The 49ers have 20 turnovers (12 interceptions, four fumbles lost) in their first four games. Owls defensive coordinator Phil Snow preaches to his group about going after the ball and it has shown to this point with eight takeaways. Throw in that there could be inclement weather thanks to Hurricane Joaquin, and the Owls could find themselves having another dominant day on D.
What's at stake?
Temple almost experienced a letdown to a lesser opponent in its last game. With the chance to finish off an early three-game road trip on a high note and remain unbeaten past the first week in October, the Owls can't afford to mess around Friday night.