On Thursday night, No. 12 UCF hosts Temple in the "Space Game". The Knights lead the all-time 3-2 over the Owls. Last season, the Knights won 45-19 on the road at Temple in 2017, as then No. 14 UCF had a season-high five takeaways.

A UCF win would extend the Knights’ nation-leading win streak to 21 games, which is a school and conference record. Temple has won three straight games, most recently upsetting then undefeated No. 20 Cincinnati in overtime, 24-17.

Knights247 now takes a deep dive and goes Behind Enemy Lines with OwlsDaily247's reporter Ryan Wallen to get an inside look at Temple and what UCF fans should expect on Thursday night.

Knights247: Last week, Temple upset undefeated Cincinnati in overtime. How big of a deal was that win for the team?

Wallen: As cliché as it sounds, the win over Cincinnati was a season-changing win for the Owls. Not only did it give the Owls their first win over a ranked opponent since their 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship victory against Navy, but it kept the Owls in the hunt for this year’s AAC Championship and was the key victory the Owls needed to presumably get to six wins and obtain bowl eligibility for a fifth consecutive season. Prior to the Cincinnati game, the Owls had five games remaining, four of which against teams that had a combined one loss (Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, and USF), and then a season finale against UConn, which one would assume the Owls should win. Their path to six wins was a little unclear and no doubt a tough one, but the win made that more clear. The team was very excited after the win over the Bearcats, and you could see that as the team stormed the field after Shaun Bradley’s interception of Desmond Ridder in overtime. But even with the path to bowl eligibility more clear, the team knows it still legitimately has a chance to compete for a conference championship and that all hinges on Thursday’s tilt with UCF.



Knights247: The Owls are (5-3) overall with losses to Villanova, Buffalo, and Boston College, but they're undefeated in conference play. What's the reason behind this? How have they gotten to this point?



Wallen: Putting it plain and simple, the first two weeks of the season, in which the Owls lost to Villanova and Buffalo, both at home, Temple struggled to really establish offensive consistency and they could not establish pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Owls missed some opportunities that probably would have given them the win in both of those early-season contests in which they were heavily favored, and no doubt it was a let down to much of the fanbase. That all changed though in Temple’s week three contest with Maryland. The Owls showed up to that game and looked like an entirely different team. They looked more creative on offense with Anthony Russo guiding the unit for the first time in his collegiate career in place of an injured Frank Nutile, while the defense stepped up, forced turnovers and put pressure on the Terps’ quarterbacks, and it shut down the rushing attack. The Owls followed that up by defeating Tulsa before falling to Boston College on the road, even though they realistically had a chance to win that game as well, trailing 38-35 with under eight minutes left in the game and the ball. Though Boston College made a few more plays than Temple, the Owls didn’t let that loss get them down, and have won three straight games against ECU, Navy, and Cincinnati, to get them to 5-3 and 4-0 in the AAC. No doubt that Thursday night’s game against UCF will be their toughest test of the year, but they are treating this week like any other, with the focus to go 1-0 for the week.



Knights247: Temple is second in the AAC and 18th in the country with 24 total sacks. How dangerous is this defensive line? Do you believe they will be able to slow down the Knights fast-paced offense?

Wallen: If you would’ve asked me this question after the Owls loss to Buffalo back on September 8, I would have said “not at all,” as Temple had totaled just two sacks through two games and, like I previously touched on, they could not buy their way into the opponents' backfield. Losing three senior defensive linemen from last year in Jacob Martin, Sharif Finch, and Jullian Taylor really hurt the Owls in the early going, but since then the d-line has stepped up to really become a strength of the team. They are lead by senior defensive tackle Michael Dogbe, who is a freak athlete and is having one heck of a 2018 campaign for Temple with 44 total tackles, six sacks, and three forced fumbles. He can work through double teams and really opens up the rest of the pass rush for his fellow d-linemen. Defensive end Quincy Roche is the Owls best pass rusher and is very quick coming off the edge. He’ll be a guy to watch out for come Thursday night. I also expect to see linebacker Sam Franklin play some defensive end against the Knights, as he’s played sort of a “hybrid” position most of the year against some of the more mobile QBs Temple has faced, and the Owls have seen decent success with that scheme. It will definitely be a challenge to slow down UCF considering the pace the offense likes to go at and the fact that McKenzie Milton is the most athletic QB the Owls will face this season. But Temple is very athletic and very fast on defense itself, so it’ll be interesting to see which team is better conditioned and more rested come Thursday.

Knights247: Like McKenzie Milton, running back Ryquell Armstead is also a "game-time decision". Do you expect him to play? And if not, who has stepped up for the Owls at the running back position?

Wallen: I fully expect Armstead to suit up in this game. If this game were last weekend, I’m not so sure about his status, but with the bye week coming at a perfect time and this being arguably one of the biggest games in Temple’s history in terms of implications and undefeated top-10 opponent, it’s hard to imagine the Owls’ best offensive player won’t be making a case to Coach Collins about playing. He has had since Oct. 6 to rehab his ankle injury and he had definitely taken steps in the right direction in terms of getting healthy, even back on Oct. 20 against Cincinnati where he was no longer in a walking boot and many thought he’d play in that game. A source told me that they saw Armstead getting first-team reps on the practice field earlier this week, so pending a setback, I would say Armstead will take the field with no restrictions Thursday night. But, in the unlikely event that Armstead would miss a third consecutive game, expect to see Jager Gardner and Rob Ritrovato to split the looks at running back. Gardner is more of a versatile player with the ability to catch out of the backfield and he is a very good pass blocker, whereas Ritrovato is a downhill, between the tackles runner used in a lot of short-yardage situations. But the Owls do like mixing up looks on offense and can use several other players at the running back position as well, which I fully expect them to do, even if Armstead plays.



Knights247: Who are other key players that UCF fans must know about on both sides of the ball?

Wallen: Though I already touched on him a little bit, Armstead will definitely be the guy to watch for the Owls if he suits up. In the six games he’s played this season, he has rushed for 626 yards on 122 attempts to go along with 6 touchdowns. He is a special kind of running back who has the size to bulldoze would-be tacklers but also has breakaway speed in the open field. He is a guy who typically plays a major role in big-time games, so I look forward to seeing how he is mixed into the game plan Thursday night. Another guy on offense to watch is Isaiah Wright. Wright is the Owls’ Swiss Army knife on offense and can line up at pretty much any skill position, including wildcat quarterback. He caught the go-ahead touchdown in the Owls’ overtime win over the Bearcats on Oct. 20, but don’t be surprised if he takes some handoffs or even throws the ball against UCF. He is a dynamic playmaker on offense and special teams and typically good things happen when the ball is in his hands. Defensively, one guy to watch is cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Since transferring to Temple back in January from Presbyterian, Ya-Sin has quickly become one of the Owls best defensive players, as he leads the team with nine passes defended and two interceptions. He has the ability to take away an opponents No. 1 receiver for an entire game like he did against ECU with Trevon Brown, and teams have not thrown his way much as of late because he’s just that good. He’s a large part of the reason why Temple has the fourth-ranked pass defense in the nation. Another guy to watch is linebacker Shaun Bradley. He leads the defense with 53 tackles on the year and will most likely be the guy responsible for containing Milton come Thursday night.



Knights247: What are three things Temple absolutely must do if they want to end UCF's 20 game win streak?

Wallen: First off, if Temple expects to win this game they have to protect the football. One of the major areas of weakness for the Owls this season has been turning the ball over. They have turned the ball over 17 times this year, 14 of which coming by way of interception, so it will be quintessential for Anthony Russo to make smart decisions against a team with a lot of speed on defense and players that will be anticipating throws more so than other teams the Owls have faced this season. Several of his 10 interceptions have not been his fault and have been due to drops by his receivers, but there have been times he’s thrown ugly balls and had some miscommunications. Secondly, Temple must prevent UCF from hitting the “big-play.” The Owls have done a great job of this so far in 2018 in terms of pass defense, not giving up a pass more than 20 yards in five straight games, but they have been susceptible to this in the run game, giving up a run of at least 40 yards in four straight games. This is where I think the Owls may be vulnerable, but if contained, Temple will be in this game. Third, the Owls must not let the stage be too big for them. Back in 2015 when Temple was undefeated and took on a top-10 team in Notre Dame on Halloween and College Gameday visited Philadelphia, the Owls played with confidence and heart. They did not look to Notre Dame as being a superior team, but an equal. Even though the Owls came out on the losing end of that game, they proved that they were capable of playing with anyone in the country. Thursday night is probably the biggest game in the program’s history since that Notre Dame game in terms of national attention, not only because it will be a better game than the NFL Thursday night game (sorry 49er and Raider fans), but because all eyes are on UCF and whether they can prove themselves worthy of a spot in the College Football Playoff, if they run the table. The Owls know they are being overlooked in this game, so I’m interested to see if they can make the most of this opportunity as they did against the Fighting Irish three years ago.

Knights247: UCF and Temple have split the last two games, with the Knights winning 45-19 in 2017. What are your expectations for Thursday night and do you have a score prediction?

Wallen: As good as UCF is, I do feel like Temple has the talent to compete with the Knights and make this a very interesting game, especially if Milton is unable to play. Even if Milton does play however, the Owls have shown this season that they can contain the mobile quarterback and force them into high-pressure situations throwing the ball. Partner that with a pair of takeaways and I think the Owls have a good shot to win. But with that being said, I do think the Knights have one of, if not the best, rushing attack/offensive line combos the Owls will see this season, and that is where teams have beat them. We saw it against Villanova, Buffalo and Boston College – veteran offensive lines handling Temple’s pressure. When you have that, to go along with a Heisman-caliber, experienced quarterback, it will be pretty hard to contain that offense for the duration of the game. I think the Owls keep this one close into the fourth quarter, but a late turnover allows UCF to come away with a win and remain perfect on the season. I’ll take the Knights, 38-28.