How and what to watch for Temple vs. Tulane

The Temple Owls (1-2) are looking to get to .500 when they take on the Tulane Green Wave (2-4) on Saturday. The last time these two teams played each other, Temple defeated Tulane, 29-21, at Lincoln Financial Field in 2019.

Last week the Owls went on the road and lost 41-29 to the Memphis Tigers. In a game where both defenses struggled, it was the Tigers who forced Owls senior quarterback Anthony Russo into three interceptions.

Outside of those turnovers, the 6-foot-4 quarterback completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. Throughout the early portion of the Owls’ schedule, Russo has thrown an interception in all three games. Russo was reportedly scheduled to have an MRI done on his shoulder on Monday, according to head coach Rod Carey. If Russo’s shoulder injury becomes problematic, expect the Owls to hand the football off to sophomore running back Re’Mahn Davis.

Davis had 113 rushing yards on 20 carries against Memphis last week. In six games this season, Tulane’s defense is giving up 150.8 rushing yards per game.

However the Owls’ defense has not been good at stopping the run this season, giving up 190 rushing yards per game. That’s good news for Tulane running back Stephon Huderson, a 5-foot-9 senior running back that had 88 rushing yards on 14 carries and a touchdown last week against the UCF Golden Knights. Overall he has recorded 397 rushing yards on 58 carries and three touchdowns in three games.

In addition to Huderson, keep an eye on Tulane freshman quarterback Michael Pratt. Pratt has struggled this season, completing 47.4 percent of his passes and tossing an interception in back-to-back games.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Temple vs. Tulane on Saturday, October 31st at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, or you can stream it via the ESPN app with an ESPN+ subscription.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Temple (+5) vs. Tulane
Point Total: O/U 59
Money line: Temple (+163), Tulane (-205)

• Temple is 2-4 straight up in its last six games.
• The point total went over in four of Temple’s last five games.
• Tulane is 13-7 against the spread in its last 20 games.
• The point total went over in five of Tulane’s last five games.

The Best Bet

In a noontime AAC affair, Temple will take on Tulane in a game where defense will be under the microscope. Thus far this season, both the Owls and Green Wave have struggled to stop the run. But where this game could take a turn in either team’s favor is at quarterback. Tulane’s freshman signal caller Michael Pratt is not playing well, while Owls quarterback Anthony Russo is a turnover machine. But if Russo can limit his mistakes, Temple might come away with the W.

Pick: Temple +5

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