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2021 Temple Owls football
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record3–9 (1–7 The American)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Uremovich (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorJeff Knowles (3rd season)
Home stadiumLincoln Financial Field
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^   8 – 0     13 – 1  
No. 17 Houston y   8 – 0     12 – 2  
UCF   5 – 3     9 – 4  
East Carolina   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Tulsa   5 – 3     7 – 6  
SMU   4 – 4     8 – 4  
Memphis   3 – 5     6 – 6  
Navy   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Tulane   1 – 7     2 – 10  
South Florida   1 – 7     2 – 10  
Temple   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Temple Owls football team represented Temple University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls were led by third-year head coach Rod Carey and played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, competing as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

Preseason

American Athletic Conference preseason media poll

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021.[1] Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.

Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Cincinnati 262 (22)
2 UCF 241 (2)
3 SMU 188
4 Houston 181
5 Memphis 168
6 Tulsa 153
7 Tulane 132
т-8 East Carolina 85
т-8 Navy 85
10 Temple 46
11 South Florida 43

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 412:00 p.m.at Rutgers*
BTNL 14–6152,519
September 113:30 p.m.at Akron*
ESPN+W 45–2414,474
September 1812:00 p.m.Boston College*
ESPNUL 3–2825,290
September 2512:00 p.m.Wagner*
  • Lincoln Financial Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
ESPN+W 41–720,179
October 212:00 p.m.Memphisdagger
  • Lincoln Financial Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
ESPNUW 34–3128,573
October 87:00 p.m.at No. 5 Cincinnati
ESPNL 3–5237,978
October 237:00 p.m.at South Florida
ESPN+L 14–3425,430
October 3012:00 p.m.UCF
  • Lincoln Financial Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
ESPN+L 7–4919,595
November 63:00 p.m.at East Carolina
ESPN+L 3–4532,817
November 1312:00 p.m.Houston
  • Lincoln Financial Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
ESPN+L 8–3718,440
November 204:00 p.m.at Tulsa
ESPN+L 10–4416,731
November 2712:00 p.m.Navy
  • Lincoln Financial Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
ESPNUL 14–3816,708

Source:[2]

Game summaries

At Rutgers

Temple at Rutgers
1 234Total
Owls 0 770 14
• Scarlet Knights 12 141421 61
  • Date: September 4, 2021
  • Location: SHI Stadium
    Piscataway, NJ
  • Game start: 12:02 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes
  • Game attendance: 52,519
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 4 MPH
  • Referee: Jeff Servinski
  • TV announcers (Big Ten Network): Joe Beninati (play-by-play), Matt McGloin (analyst) and Michelle McMahon (sideline)
        
Scoring summary
111:54RUTOlakunle Fatukasi safety
(3 plays, -1 yards, 1:08)		RUT 2–0
08:52RUTValentino Ambrosio 25-yard field goal
(8 plays, 26 yards, 2:51)		RUT 5–0
01:44RUTJohnny Langan 2-yard rush (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(1 play, 2 yards, 0:03)		RUT 12–0
214:15RUTJohnny Langan 1-yard rush (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(6 plays, 28 yards, 2:23)		RUT 19–0
10:59RUTKyle Monangai 1-yard rush (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(4 plays, 22 yards, 1:24)		RUT 26–0
09:15TEMEdward Saydee 11-yard rush (Samir Gardner kick)
(7 plays, 65 yards, 1:44)		RUT 26–7
312:02TEMD'Wan Mathis 3-yard rush (Samir Gardner kick)
(9 plays, 81 yards, 2:52)		RUT 26–14
08:05RUTBo Melton 40-yard pass from Noah Vedral (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(2 plays, 55 yards, 0:33)		RUT 33–14
06:57RUTMax Melton 46-yard interception returned (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(3 plays, 14 yards, 1:08)		RUT 40–14
414:57RUTIsiah Pacheco 2-yard rush (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(12 plays, 64 yards, 5:29)		RUT 47–14
11:26RUTAaron Young 1-yard rush (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(4 plays, 17 yards, 1:29)		RUT 54–14
03:09RUTKyle Monangai 7-yard rush (Valentino Ambrosio kick)
(13 plays, 62 yards, 6:37)		RUT 61–14

See also: 2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
Pregame line Over/under
RUT –14.5 52
Statistics Temple Rutgers
First downs 12 21
Total yards 261 365
Rushing yards 113 220
Passing yards 148 145
Turnovers 5 0
Time of possession 24:23 35:37
Team Category Player Statistics
Temple Passing D'Wan Mathis 8/24, 148 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Edward Saydee 12 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jose Barbon 2 receptions, 48 yards
Rutgers Passing Noah Vedral 15/27, 138 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Noah Vedral 9 carries, 71 yards
Receiving Bo Melton 6 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD

At Akron

Temple at Akron
1 234Total
• Owls 7 17147 45
Zips 14 307 24
       
Scoring summary
110:19AKRDJ Irons 9-yard rush (Cory Smigel kick)
(12 plays, 77 yards, 4:41)		AKR 7–0
02:43AKRTony Grimes Jr. 17-yard pass from Kato Nelson (Cory Smigel kick)
(10 plays, 80 yards, 4:26)		AKR 14–0
02:26TEMRandle Jones 70-yard pass from Justin Lynch (Rory Bell kick)
(1 play, 70 yards, 0:12)		AKR 14–7
211:46AKRCory Smigel 39-yard field goal
(11 plays, 53 yards, 5:40)		AKR 17–7
05:24TEMWilliam Kwenkeu 38-yard fumble returned (Rory Bell kick)
(7 plays, 15 yards, 3:10)		AKR 17–14
05:12TEMManny Walker 3-yard interception returned (Rory Bell kick)
(1 play, -10 yards, 0:05)		TEM 21–17
00:37TEMRory Bell 26-yard field goal
(10 plays, 59 yards, 2:46)		TEM 24–17
309:34TEMRandle Jones 27-yard pass from Justin Lynch (Rory Bell kick)
(5 plays, 71 yards, 2:13)		TEM 31–17
00:24TEMJustin Lynch 1-yard rush (Rory Bell kick)
(11 plays, 77 yards, 5:51)		TEM 38–17
406:06TEMRa'Von Bonner 1-yard rush (Rory Bell kick)
(11 plays, 67 yards, 5:43)		TEM 45–17
02:47AKRKonata Mumpfield 3-yard pass from DJ Irons (Cory Smigel kick)
(7 plays, 75 yards, 3:19)		TEM 45–24

See also: 2021 Akron Zips football team
Pregame line Over/under
TEM –6.5 52
Statistics Temple Akron
First downs 19 26
Total yards 432 362
Rushing yards 177 171
Passing yards 255 191
Turnovers 0 2
Time of possession 27:51 32:09
Team Category Player Statistics
Temple Passing Justin Lynch 19/23, 255 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Tayvon Ruley 6 carries, 62 yards
Receiving Randle Jones 7 receptions, 170 yards, 2 TDs
Akron Passing DJ Irons 12/22, 109 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Jonzell Norrils 15 carries, 66 yards
Receiving Michael Mathison 8 receptions, 101 yards

Boston College

Boston College at Temple
1 234Total
• RV Eagles 14 707 28
Owls 0 003 3
  
Scoring summary
113:21BCJaden Williams 19-yard pass from Dennis Grosel (Connor Lytton kick)
(3 plays, 29 yards, 1:39)		BC 7–0
00:36BCPat Garwo III 1-yard rush (Connor Lytton kick)
(10 plays, 66 yards, 7:59)		BC 14–0
200:48BCTravis Levy 2-yard rush (Connor Lytton kick)
(4 plays, 57 yards, 2:22)		BC 21–0
413:09TEMRory Bell 22-yard field goal
(11 plays, 47 yards, 5:21)		BC 21–3
04:14BCDennis Grosel 2-yard rush (Connor Lytton kick)
(8 plays, 58 yards, 4:34)		BC 28–3

See also: 2021 Boston College Eagles football team
Pregame line Over/under
BC –15.0 56
Statistics Boston College Temple
First downs 13 13
Total yards 221 245
Rushing yards 179 84
Passing yards 59 161
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 28:40 31:20
Team Category Player Statistics
Boston College Passing Dennis Grosel 7/15, 59 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Pat Garwo III 17 carries, 48 yards, 1 TD
Receiving CJ Lewis 2 receptions, 21 yards
Temple Passing Justin Lynch 17/24, 161 yards
Rushing Justin Lynch 21 carries, 27 yards
Receiving Jadan Blue 3 receptions, 40 yards

Wagner

Wagner at Temple
1 234Total
Seahawks 7 000 7
• Owls 0 17177 41
  • Date: September 25, 2021
  • Location: Lincoln Financial Field
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Game start: 12:05 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 4 minutes
  • Game attendance: 20,179
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 5 MPH
  • Referee: Nate Black
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Bill Spaulding (play–by–play) and Barrett Brooks (analyst)
    
Scoring summary
110:24WAGGuenson Alexis 1-yard rush (Austin Hosier kick)
(9 plays, 80 yards, 10:24)		WAG 7–0
211:57TEMKyle Dobbins 1-yard rush (Rory Bell kick)
(11 plays, 81 yards, 6:06)		TIE 7–7
06:43TEMRory Bell 47-yard field goal
(8 plays, 27 yards, 3:01)		TEM 10–7
04:20TEMKyle Dobbins 1-yard rush (Rory Bell kick)
(3 plays, 20 yards, 1:09)		TEM 17–7
311:48TEMRory Bell 31-yard field goal
(8 plays, 61 yards, 3:12)		TEM 20–7
07:03TEMKyle Dobbins 5-yard rush (Rory Bell kick)
(7 plays, 77 yards, 2:51)		TEM 27–7
05:12TEMKadas Reams 44-yard pass from D'Wan Mathis (Rory Bell kick)
(3 plays, 50 yards, 0:57)		TEM 34–7
406:25TEMKadas Reams 21-yard pass from D'Wan Mathis (Rory Bell kick)
(10 plays, 95 yards, 4:48)		TEM 41–7

See also: 2021 Wagner Seahawks football team
Pregame line Over/under
TEM –36.5 55
Statistics Wagner Temple
First downs 8 22
Total yards 159 407
Rushing yards 123 115
Passing yards 36 292
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 30:54 29:06
Team Category Player Statistics
Wagner Passing Guenson Alexis 4/8, 36 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Rickey Spruill 14 carries, 73 yards
Receiving Jeremiah Lorick 3 receptions, 33 yards
Temple Passing D'Wan Mathis 22/32, 292 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Kyle Dobbins 13 carries, 61 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Jose Barbon 8 receptions, 130 yards

Memphis

Memphis at Temple
1 234Total
Tigers 3 1468 31
• Owls 0 17710 34
  • Date: October 2, 2021
  • Location: Lincoln Financial Field
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes
  • Game attendance: 28,573
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 12 MPH
  • Referee: Hank Johns
  • TV announcers (ESPNU):  
Scoring summary
1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Memphis Tigers football team
Over/under
   
Statistics Memphis Temple
First downs    
Total yards    
Rushing yards    
Passing yards    
Turnovers    
Time of possession    
Team Category Player Statistics
Memphis Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    
Temple Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    

At No. 5 Cincinnati

Temple at Cincinnati
1 234Total
Owls 0 300 3
• No. 5 Bearcats 10 7287 52
     
Scoring summary
107:15CINCole Smith 30-yard FG
(10 plays, 48 yards, 4:26)		CIN 0–3
02:52CINAlec Pierce 9-yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Cole Smith kick)
(2 plays, 13 yards, 0:34)		CIN 0–10
209:42CINJerome Ford 8-yard run (Cole Smith kick)
(11 plays, 65 yards, 5:10)		CIN 0–17
05:27TEMRory Bell 55-yard FG
(9 plays, 37 yards, 4:03)		CIN 3–17
314:50CINJerome Ford 75-yard run (Cole Smith kick)
(1 play, 75 yards, 0:10)		CIN 3–24
11:00CINTyler Scott 38-yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Cole Smith kick)
(2 plays, 54 yards, 0:41)		CIN 3–31
07:45CINCharles McClelland 28-yard run (Cole Smith kick)
(3 plays, 61 yards, 1:04)		CIN 3–38
00:54CINMichael Young 11-yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Cole Smith kick)
(10 plays, 76 yards, 4:03)		CIN 3–45
410:15CINEthan Wright 58-yard run (Cole Smith kick)
(5 plays, 77 yards, 2:14)		CIN 3–52

See also: 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
Pregame line Over/under
CIN −28 54.5
Statistics Temple Cincinnati
First downs 14 23
Total yards 235 542
Rushing yards 85 279
Passing yards 150 263
Time of possession 31:59 28:01
Team Category Player Statistics
Temple Passing D'Wan Mathis 16/27, 120 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Justin Lynch 3 carries, 29 yards
Receiving Jose Barbon 5 receptions, 45 yards
Cincinnati Passing Desmond Ridder 22/30, 259 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Jerome Ford 15 carries, 149 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Alec Pierce 6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD

At South Florida

Temple at South Florida
1 2Total
Owls 0
Bulls 0
  • Date: October 23, 2021
  • Location: Raymond James Stadium
    Tampa, FL
  • Game start: TBD EDT
  • Elapsed time:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
  • Referee:  
  • TV announcers ( ):  
Scoring summary
1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 South Florida Bulls football team
Over/under
   
Statistics Temple South Florida
First downs    
Total yards    
Rushing yards    
Passing yards    
Turnovers    
Time of possession    
Team Category Player Statistics
Temple Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    
South Florida Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    

UCF

Central Florida at Temple
1 234Total
• Knights 7 14217 49
Owls 0 007 7
Scoring summary
1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 UCF Knights football team
Over/under
   
Statistics UCF Temple
First downs    
Total yards    
Rushing yards    
Passing yards    
Turnovers    
Time of possession    
Team Category Player Statistics
UCF Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    
Temple Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    

At East Carolina

Temple at East Carolina
1 2Total
Owls 0
Pirates 0
  • Date: November 6, 2021
  • Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
    Greenville, NC
  • Game start: TBD EDT
  • Elapsed time:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
  • Referee:  
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle, Brandon Weeden
Scoring summary
1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 East Carolina Pirates football team
Over/under
   
Statistics Temple East Carolina
First downs    
Total yards    
Rushing yards    
Passing yards    
Turnovers    
Time of possession    
Team Category Player Statistics
Temple Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    
East Carolina Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    

Houston

Houston at Temple
1 234Total
• Cougars 7 31413 37
Owls 0 008 8
  • Date: November 13, 2021
  • Location: Lincoln Financial Field
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 16 minutes
  • Game attendance: 18,440
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 13 MPH
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Leger Douzable (analyst)
   
Scoring summary
18:47HOUAlton McCaskill 3-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)
(7 plays, 47 yards, 3:30)		HOU 7–0
27:46HOUDalton Witherspoon 39-yard field goal
(13 plays, 58 yards, 7:09)		HOU 10–0
311:29HOUTa'Zhawn Henry 6-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)
(8 plays, 65 yards, 3:31)		HOU 17–0
4:00HOUAlton McCaskill 34-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)
(5 plays, 52 yards, 2:05)		HOU 24–0
414:22TEMEdward Saydee 1-yard run (Justin Lynch pass to Darius Pittman for two-point conversion)
(4 plays, 45 yards, 0:56)		HOU 24–8
10:57HOUJaylen Erwin 35-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon PAT blocked)
(7 plays, 77 yards, 3:23)		HOU 30–8
6:13HOUSeth Green 6-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick)
(6 plays, 42 yards, 2:28)		HOU 37–8

See also: 2021 Houston Cougars football team
Line Over/under
HOU –25.0 53
Statistics Houston Temple
First downs 24 10
Total yards 446 218
Rushing yards 217 99
Passing yards 229 119
Turnovers 0 3
Time of possession 39:22 20:38
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 21/34, 224 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Alton McCaskill 21 rushes, 129 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Seth Green 7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD
Temple Passing Justin Lynch 11/24, 119 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing Justin Lynch 14 rushes, 78 yards
Receiving Randle Jones 5 receptions, 36 yards

At Tulsa

Temple at Tulsa
1 234Total
Owls 0 0100 10
• Golden Hurricane 10 17710 44
Scoring summary
1
2
3
4

See also: 2021 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
Over/under
   
Statistics Temple Tulsa
First downs    
Total yards    
Rushing yards    
Passing yards    
Turnovers    
Time of possession    
Team Category Player Statistics
Temple Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    
Tulsa Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    

Navy

Navy at Temple
1 234Total
• Midshipmen 7 10714 38
Owls 0 770 14
  • Date: November 27, 2021
  • Location: Lincoln Financial Field
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours, 2 minutes
  • Game attendance:  
  • Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: NW 18 MPH
  • Referee: 16,708
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Hutson Mason (analyst)
    
Scoring summary
14:33NAVYCarlinos Acie 11–yard run (Bijan Nichols kick)
(5 plays, 27 yards, 2:22)		NAVY 7–0
210:40NAVYChance Warren 15–yard pass from Xavier Arline (Bijan Nichols kick)
(13 plays, 71 yards, 6:40)		NAVY 14–0
8:30TEMRa'Von Bonner 1–yard run (Rory Bell kick)
(1 play, 1 yard, 0:04)		NAVY 14–7
0:11NAVYBijan Nichols 32–yard field goal
(4 plays, –8 yards, 1:23)		NAVY 17–7
36:43NAVYIsaac Ruoss 3–yard run (Bijan Nichols kick)
(11 plays, 58 yards, 5:22)		NAVY 24–7
0:47TEMTayvon Ruley 4–yard run (Rory Bell kick)
(14 plays, 80 yards, 5:51)		NAVY 24–14
49:04NAVYIsaac Ruoss 6-yard run (Bijan Nichols kick)
(12 plays, 75 yards, 6:43)		NAVY 31–14
1:40NAVYChance Warren 4–yard pass from Tai Lavatai (Bijan Nichols kick)
(12 plays, 57 yards, 5:53)		NAVY 38–14

See also: 2021 Navy Midshipmen football team
Pregame line Over/under
NAVY –13.5 42.5
Statistics Navy Temple
First downs 21 11
Total yards 291 182
Rushing yards 219 84
Passing yards 72 98
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 37:11 22:49
Team Category Player Statistics
Navy Passing Tai Lavatai 5/11, 57 yards, TD
Rushing Carlinos Acie 10 carries, 86 yards, TD
Receiving Chance Warren 3 receptions, 43 yards, 2 TD
Temple Passing Mariano Valenti 10/14, 73 yards
Rushing Tayvon Ruley 9 carries, 68 yards, TD
Receiving Jose Barbon 5 receptions, 34 yards

References

  1. ^ "Cincinnati Chosen as Favorite in American Preseason Media Poll". theAmerican.org. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "2021 Temple Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
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