FINAL THOUGHTS: Temple has a chance to turn one breakthrough into something more against UConn
Tagged under: Pennsylvania Colleges, pfn, Temple
Mike Livingston | October 9, 2026
Temple spent most of September searching for evidence that it could finish a close football game.
The Owls finally found it last Saturday.
Temple went 96 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and then produced the defensive stop it needed to upset previously unbeaten South Florida, 17-13. One week later, the question changes.
Can the Owls do it again?
Temple returns to Lincoln Financial Field at 2-3 for Saturday’s Homecoming matchup against UConn. The Huskies enter with the same record but possess enough offensive explosiveness to make this a much different game than the defensive battle Temple just survived in Tampa.
Here are three final thoughts before kickoff.
- This is Ajani Sheppard’s opportunity to take another step
Temple has already figured out that it can run the football.
The Owls have rushed for at least 175 yards in all five games, and that identity should not disappear Saturday. But this matchup provides perhaps the clearest opportunity yet for Temple to find out how much more its passing game can become.
UConn has allowed 290.8 passing yards per game. Maryland threw for 350 against the Huskies, while Syracuse surpassed 300 last week.
Sheppard, meanwhile, has shown flashes of being capable of attacking a defense through the air. He threw for 242 yards against Army before Temple leaned heavily on the run at South Florida, where he finished with only 92 passing yards.
Saturday should not require Sheppard to suddenly throw 40 times. It should require Temple to recognize when UConn gives it favorable opportunities and take them.
The Owls have Colin Chase, Jayce Freeman and Jojo Bermudez available on the perimeter. If UConn commits extra resources toward slowing Temple’s rushing attack, Sheppard has to make that decision costly.
A productive passing performance would matter beyond one afternoon. Temple already knows what its ground game is. Finding another dimension could change what this offense looks like over the second half of the season.
- Temple cannot let UConn’s explosiveness erase good defensive possessions
Hartford Courant columnist Dom Amore offered perhaps the simplest warning about UConn this week.
“You don’t want to sleep on their explosiveness,” Amore said.
That may be the most important defensive thought for Temple.
Quarterback Kalieb Osborne is a legitimate dual threat with 10 passing touchdowns and five more on the ground. Amore said Osborne can make throws at every level while also creating problems as a runner, although he remains prone to holding the ball too long and taking unnecessary pressure.
Temple has to exploit that without becoming reckless.
The Owls do not need every rush to end in a sack. Keeping Osborne contained and forcing him to make decisions from a shrinking pocket may be more valuable than allowing him an escape lane while chasing a big play.
And Osborne is not the only concern.
Amore pointed specifically to running back Cyncir Bowers as a player who can change a game both running and receiving. Bowers broke a 71-yard touchdown run during UConn’s comeback against Syracuse, and his ability in space makes missed tackles especially dangerous.
Temple’s defense has played well enough recently to force opponents to work for points. Saturday, one mistake could erase several good snaps.
- Saturday will tell us whether South Florida changed Temple’s season
The USF win mattered because Temple finally did something it had repeatedly failed to do.
The Owls finished.
They had fourth-quarter opportunities against Toledo and Army and lost both games. Against South Florida, Sheppard responded to a costly fumble by leading the winning drive, and the defense responded by closing the game.
Now comes a different test.
Good teams do not just produce emotional wins. They build on them.
Temple is back home for Homecoming against another 2-3 team. A win would move the Owls to .500, give them consecutive victories for the first time this season, and create genuine momentum entering the heart of their conference schedule.
A loss would make South Florida feel much more isolated.
Amore described UConn’s record in a way that could apply to both teams entering Saturday: the Huskies have shown they can compete with almost anybody on their schedule, but their inconsistencies also leave them susceptible to almost anybody.
Temple is still trying to prove which version of itself is sustainable.
Saturday should tell us considerably more.
Prediction: Temple 27, UConn 24.
