Miami Hurricanes 2023 season preview: Game 4 at Temple

After opening their first three contests at home, the Miami Hurricanes will hit the road and head north to the City of Brotherly Love as they match up against the Temple Owls in week four of the 2023 campaign.

Since 1930, these two programs have matched up 14 times, with the Hurricanes holding the series advantage 13-1, with the lone loss to Temple coming in 1930. Since then, Miami has won 13 straight and will look to extend that to 14 come Sept. 23.

Last season on the offensive side of the ball, Temple first-year head coach Stan Drayton’s side struggled mightily on the ground as they ranked 128 out of 131 FBS programs after averaging just 82.4 rushing yards per contest and finished with a 3-8 record in the American Athletic Conference.

But Temple did see the emergence of sophomore quarterback EJ Warner, who set a new Owls freshman record after throwing for 3,028 yards in 2022. Alongside Warner, who is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, Temple returns six offensive starters from last year, including running back Edward Haydee (639 yards, 6 TDs), last season’s leading receiver Amad Anderson (38 catches, 479 yards, 4 TDs), and center Richard Rodriguez.

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Defensively, the Owls had roughly the same issues as the offense, as they struggled to stop the run game all season, allowing 192.6 yards per game, ranking 111th in the country. Looking to flip the script this season against the run, Owls defensive coordinator Everett Withers will look at returning linebackers Jordan Magee (86 tackles) and Yvandy Rigby (82 tackles) to help anchor the middle of the defense. 

Up front, Miami transfer Allan Haye will look to contribute in the trenches for the Owls alongside returning defensive linemen Jerqauvion Mahone and Demerick Morris, who both saw a healthy dose of action last season.

At defensive back, safety Alex Odom (75 tackles) leads a group that did fairly well against the pass last season as they finished 24th in the nation, allowing just 198.6 passing yards per game. Joining Odom in the secondary is experienced cornerback Jalen McMurray, who finished 2022 with a team-high 7 PBUs.

Ahead of this matchup, controlling the line of scrimmage and dominating the run game on both sides of the ball seems to be the key for the Hurricanes. While we expect Miami to come away with a win against a Temple side that is looking to find its identity in year two under Drayton, playing on the road is never an easy task, and as we all know, no matchup is ever a guaranteed victory.

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