USF Looks to Set the Tone as Temple Comes to Ray Jay

The games begin to carry significantly more weight for the South Florida Bulls on Saturday night.

USF’s clash against the Temple Owls (1-3) on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium is the unofficial start to conference play for the Bulls. While USF (4-0) already picked up a win over an American foe in Week 2 against Army and has one more nonconference game against Kent State on Oct. 17, a line has been drawn in the sand for USF.

“We know what’s upon us and we know what goal on hand is,” USF head coach Brian Hartline said about the start of conference play Tuesday.

Setting the stage for South Florida

The Bulls head into Saturday night’s matchup coming off a less-than-beautiful 14-6 win over Bowling Green last week.

USF’s offense was held scoreless for three quarters before it clawed its way to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls’ offense has been a roller coaster ride this season.

USF ranks 75th in the FBS, averaging 30 points per game this season. However, they are averaging just 20.3 points per game against FBS opponents in 2026.

The Bulls rank 113th in passing offense this season. Junior quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has 691 passing yards and three touchdowns through four games this season. He is one of 31 quarterbacks in the FBS to throw zero interceptions and play in at least four games this season.

A big contributor to the Bulls’ struggles in the air has been their struggle to protect Van Buren Jr. He’s been sacked eight times this season, and Pro Football Focus has the Bulls ranked as the 121st-best pass-blocking team in 2026.

USF’s offense has been leaning on graduate running back D.J. Crowther in its last two games. He’s rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time in his career in the Bulls’ past two games. Crowther has forced 29 missed tackles this season, which ranks as the third most among running backs this season.

On defense, the Bulls have held their opponents scoreless in their last six quarters of play. They rank 21st in the country in scoring defense, with their opponents averaging 14 points per game this season.

“Our mindset is that we don’t back down from anybody. They have to play us,” sophomore linebacker Sam Robinson said Tuesday.

The Bulls’ opponents have only scored one rushing touchdown this season. They are one of just 10 teams that have allowed one or fewer rushing touchdowns this season. They also rank first in the American Conference and 30th in the country, allowing their opponents to convert 30.9% of their third downs.

Senior safety Ayden Jackson leads USF with 29 tackles this season. Robinson ranks second on the team with 24 tackles and leads the team with 3.5 tackles for loss this season. Robinson has thrived with consistent playing time this season after having just one start in his two seasons previously with Rutgers.

“It’s all about competitive excellence,” Robinson said Tuesday. “I just do my job and play as I play and not stress about what type of opportunity it is.”

Overall, the Bulls have 33 tackles for loss this season, which is tied for the seventh most in the country.

“There’s a lot of good signs, but it’s Week 4. We really haven’t created our identity yet, but we’re working on it,” Hartline said about his team.

Setting the stage for Temple

Temple heads into Saturday’s game on a three-game losing streak.

However, the slump is a little deceiving. In Week 2, the Owls hung around with No. 16 Penn State for a half before the Nittany Lions pulled away late. Then, in Weeks 3 and 4, Temple squandered fourth-quarter leads against Toledo and Army and lost in one-score affairs.

“I told the team, the bad news is we have to go play South Florida after a brutal loss like this. The good news is we get to play South Florida after a brutal loss like this. Because the only thing that’s going to get you right is going out there and beating a good football team,” Temple second-year head coach K.C. Keeler said this week.

The Owls are led by second-year head coach K.C. Keeler. Before he went to Temple, Keeler spent 11 seasons coaching Sam Houston State, where he went 97-39 and led the Bearkats to an FCS national title in 2020. He’s 6-10 during his Owls tenure thus far.

Temple’s offense is spearheaded by its ground attack. They rank 24th in the country, averaging 220.3 rushing yards per game. The Owls have run for at least 176 yards on the ground in each of their first four games. They are averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

The Owls’ leading rusher is sophomore running back Keveun Mason, who has 340 yards on the ground this season. He’s averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season.

Another playmaker on Temple’s offense is senior running back Sam Brown V. He missed the team’s first two games due to injury, but last week he led the Owls in rushing and receiving, totaling 174 yards from scrimmage. That includes a 78-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Black Knights.

The Owls also have 6-foot-6, 265-pound senior tight end Peter Clarke, who is currently projected as a Day 3 NFL draft prospect. Clarke played his first 11-on-11 tackle football game when he was 17 after playing predominantly flag football in his hometown of London. He committed to Temple after playing in the NFL Academy from 2020-22.

Temple senior quarterback Ajani Sheppard has completed 31 of his 58 passing attempts for five touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He’s averaging 17.4 yards per completion this season. He has also added 147 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per carry this season.

“We have a lot of respect for the way their quarterback plays. He does a good job of making plays with his arm and his feet,” Hartline said about Sheppard Tuesday.

Temple ranks 10th in the American Conference and 109th in the country in total defense this season, allowing 389.8 yards per game. They only have three sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season.

The Owls have been especially leaky in pass defense. They rank 101st in the country in passing yards allowed. Toledo junior quarterback John Alan Richter passed for 429 yards and four touchdowns against the Owls in Week 3.

Temple senior linebacker Curly Ordonez leads the Owls with 40 tackles this season.

Keys to the game

Temple’s rushing attack against the Bulls’ rushing defense is a key matchup to watch on Saturday. The Owls rank in the 91st percentile in Expected Points Added per rush on offense, while USF ranks in the 86th percentile in EPA per rush on defense.

The Owls have only lost three yards on rushing attempts all season. Comparing that with the Bulls’ gaudy tackle-for-loss numbers this season, something has to give.

After going turnover-less in their first two games, the Bulls have coughed up the ball three times in their past two games. USF hasn’t won the turnover battle since Week 2. Getting back to clean football will surely be a key for Hartline and the Bulls on Saturday.

The Bulls will also look to find some explosive plays on Saturday night. USF ranks in the first percentile of college football in explosive and pass-explosive play percentage. Temple’s defense ranks in the seventh percentile in allowing explosive pass plays.

USF and Temple have plenty of history, with the Owls having a 6-4 all-time record against the Bulls. However, USF is 4-1 against the Owls at Raymond James Stadium. Temple’s only win at Ray Jay came in 2019, when they beat the Bulls 17-7. That win is also the last time the Owls have won a road game at night.

The teams will meet for the 11th time Saturday night, with both looking to get a leg up as American Conference play begins.

The game will be at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.