Central Florida game begins tough stretch for Temple

Temple resumed practice Monday morning after coach Matt Rhule gave the Owls two days off. The break, Rhule said, allowed his team to regroup after it lost for the second time this season.

The Owls turned the ball over four times Friday in a 31-10 defeat at Houston. The second-year coach told his team, as he said he always does, to "deal in reality."

"We're all in this together," Rhule said. "It wasn't what we wanted, but we're going to be right back in that situation many times, and we have to learn from it and get better. I think our kids know that we're talented enough and good enough. We just have to play better in crucial games, crucial moments."

The next two games are crucial for the Owls (4-2, 2-1) as they take on the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference. Temple travels to Central Florida (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday night and hosts East Carolina (5-1, 2-0) the following week.

Temple lost to the Knights on a last-second field goal last season. Rhule was asked if his team had this game circled on the calendar.

"We lost quite a few games last season, so I think for us it's just a matter of trying to get our house in order and building the team the best we can," Rhule said. "Especially coming off last week, we recognize that we have a lot of work to still do to become a really good team."

Central Florida has won its last three games by an average margin of 6.3 points. Like Temple, the Knights struggled last week to throw the football. Sophomore quarterback Justin Holman threw for 113 yards and tossed two interceptions in a 20-13 win over Tulane. He was pulled in the second quarter before being reinserted after a few series. Coach George O'Leary said Monday that he does not expect to make a change.

The Knights' passing attack should be ripe for Temple's defense, ranked No. 1 against the pass in the AAC. The Owls allow opposing quarterbacks to throw for an average of 170.5 yards per game.

Temple quarterback P.J. Walker completed 65 percent of his passes over the season's first four games. But the sophomore has completed just 45 percent in his last two games. He threw three interceptions against Houston.

"P.J. hasn't made the throws that he has to make," Rhule said. "I anticipate him playing a lot better this week. But again, I think it's all of us."