Temple
Temple is 2-7 and No. 105 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 10.6 points below an average FBS team. Last game: lost 42-35 at Navy in Week 10.
Week 11: vs UAB, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Temple is No. 105
- Temple's rating is −10.6: the machine's estimate that Temple is 10.6 points worse than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 105 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −8.6, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 2.0.
- The biggest weekly moves: −2.4 after Week 6 (L 20-34 vs UConn) and −2.0 after Week 7 (L 31-38 vs Charlotte).
- Its record is 2-7. The 7 losses were to No. 35 Penn State, No. 76 Navy, No. 85 Army, No. 89 Toledo, No. 90 East Carolina, No. 92 UConn, No. 130 Charlotte, by 8.4 points on average. The 2 wins came by 14.0 points on average; the best was over No. 83 South Florida. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 85 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 104 Hawai'i (−10.3); just below is No. 106 App State (−10.6).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
K.C. Keeler is in his 2nd season at Temple (since 2025). This season: 2-7. At Temple overall: 7-14, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 115-197 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1586 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 13-5 |
| Yards per attempt* | 8.1No. 37 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 11.7%No. 40 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 7.9%No. 116 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 311-1583 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 5.1No. 29 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 17.7%No. 11 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 17.0%No. 67 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 24.9No. 92 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.31No. 38 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 38.8%No. 86 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 52.2%No. 110 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 11No. 69 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 28.3No. 103 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 6.02No. 110 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 8.1No. 126 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.6No. 101 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 4.0%No. 115 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 9No. 107 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 45.6%No. 125 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Ajani Sheppard85-140, 1245 yds, 8 TD, 3 INT
- Jaxon Smolik28-53, 302 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
- Keveun Mason108 carries, 588 yds, 3 TD
- Ajani Sheppard81 carries, 400 yds, 5 TD
- Samuel Brown V35 carries, 228 yds, 3 TD
Receiving
- Colin Chase24 catches, 381 yds, 2 TD
- Jayce Freeman21 catches, 316 yds, 3 TD
- Jovanni Bermudez19 catches, 298 yds, 3 TD
Tackles
- Curly Ordonez82
- Saboor Karriem64
- Avery Powell47
Sacks
- Curly Ordonez2
- Kevin Hornbeak Jr.2
- Cameron Jones1
Interceptions
- Jamarcus Pierre1
- Joseph Auzenne1
- Saboor Karriem1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Ajani Sheppard8 games140 attempts71%
- Jaxon SmolikMost passes in the last game5 games53 attempts27%
- Colin Chase3 games4 attempts2%
Carrying
- Keveun Mason9 games108 carries54%
- Samuel Brown V4 games35 carries18%
- Hunter Smith5 games31 carries16%
- De'Carlos Young4 games12 carries6%
Catching
- Colin Chase8 games24 catches21%
- Jayce Freeman9 games21 catches18%
- Jovanni Bermudez8 games19 catches17%
- Peter Clarke5 games18 catches16%
Tackling
- Curly Ordonez9 games82 tackles14%
- Saboor Karriem9 games64 tackles11%
- Avery Powell8 games47 tackles8%
- Eric Stuart6 games30 tackles5%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 38–14 vs Rhode Island. Rhode Island is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 2 L 9–27 vs Penn State. The pass defense gave ground: Penn State got 9.5 yards an attempt, 1.8 over what it usually gains. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 3 L 48–49 at Toledo. The run game was the strength: 5.3 yards a carry, 2.5 more than Toledo usually allows.
- Week 4 L 17–21 vs Army. The passing game was the strength: 12.1 yards an attempt, 4.0 more than Army usually allows. The machine had Temple by 2.5 (57%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 5 W 17–13 at South Florida. The run game was the strength: 5.1 yards a carry, 1.6 more than South Florida usually allows. The machine had South Florida by 5.7 (65%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 6 L 20–34 vs UConn. The passing game was the strength: 11.1 yards an attempt, 3.7 more than UConn usually allows. The machine had Temple by 5.5 (64%), so this was a loss it did not see coming; Temple lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 7 L 31–38 vs Charlotte. The pass defense gave ground: Charlotte got 9.7 yards an attempt, 3.6 over what it usually gains. The machine had Temple by 14.9 (82%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 9 L 9–17 at East Carolina. The passing game struggled: 5.8 yards an attempt, 1.6 less than East Carolina usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 10 L 35–42 at Navy. The pass defense gave ground: Navy got 16.2 yards an attempt, 6.6 over what it usually gains. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.