Miami vs Temple Odds & Picks: Expect a Blowout in Philly

Miami and Temple have history as old members of the Big East, but that's not the only way the programs are connected.

Miami hired head coach Al Golden away from Temple in 2010. Eight years later, Temple hired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its head coach — or so it thought. Diaz returned to Miami two weeks after Mark Richt stepped down.

Fast forward to 2023 and Diaz is gone, too.

This week, Mario Cristobal will lead his No. 20 Hurricanes to Philadelphia to take on Stan Drayton and the Owls. Miami is 3-0, highlighted by its 48-33 victory over Texas A&M. Temple will come in at 2-1 following a 41-9 victory over Norfolk State.

Miami holds a 13-1 edge in the all-time series, last defeating Temple, 34-3, in 2005. The Hurricanes are heavily favored in this matchup, as well.

Miami brought in Shannon Dawson from Houston to replace Josh Gattis as offensive coordinator, and the early returns have been excellent. The Hurricanes are averaging 44.6 points per game this season, including scoring 48 in each of the last two games.

Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is playing at a high level and looks like the quarterback some thought would be a first-round pick in last April's NFL draft. He's thrown for 822 yards, eight touchdown passes — including five against Texas A&M — and is completing 76% of his passes with just one interception.

Miami is sixth in the FBS in Passing Success Rate, but it's been balanced offensively, as it's tied for 29th in Rushing Success Rate.

The Canes have a deep committee of backs led by junior Henry Parrish Jr., who currently leads the team with 192 yards.

The most talented of the group may be true freshman Mark Fletcher Jr., but he missed last week's game against Bethune-Cookman.

Wide receiver was arguably the weakest unit on Miami's roster last year, but the group has stepped up thus far. According to PFF, Miami has the best receiving grade in the country.

Xavier Restrepo, Colbie Young and Jacolby George are each averaging five receptions per game. Restrepo leads the team with 314 yards, while George leads the team with four touchdown catches.

Miami's overhauled offensive line has not been too shabby, either. It's allowed just four sacks (only two on Van Dyke) and ranks 16th nationally in Havoc Allowed.

Miami has some work to do defensively, but first it must get healthy. Defensive linemen Akheem Mesidor, Branson Deen and Nyjalik Kelly were all out of the Bethune-Cookman game after the physical battle against Texas A&M.

All-American Kamren Kinchens was also out after the scary hit he took against the Aggies. He's on the mend, but I wouldn't expect him to play with Miami's ACC opener a week away and UNC on the schedule in two weeks.

Even without a few of its stars defensively, Miami ranks in the top 30 in Rushing Success Rate, Havoc and Passing Success Rate. It's just 63rd in Finishing Drives, although mostly the result of the shootout against Texas A&M.

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For those watching this Temple team for the first time, you may recognize a familiar name under center: E.J. Warner.

The son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner is in his second season as the starter.

The sophomore threw for over 3,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a true freshman.

This year, he's averaging 253 passing yards per game, but he's completing just 52.5% of his passes and threw two interceptions against Rutgers.

True freshman running back Joquez Smith is coming off a big game, with 142 yards and a touchdown in the win over Norfolk State. He's averaging 7.8 yards per carry through his first two games.

However, the Owls are averaging just 4.5 yards per carry as a team and rank 92nd in Rushing Success Rate.

Warner has a quick release and has been sacked just once this season, so sacks haven't hurt Temple's yard per carry average. However, it may still struggle to keep him upright in this game.

True freshman Luke Watson started at left tackle against Rutgers and this season, he has a 12.4 Pass Blocking Grade. As a group, the Owls have allowed 23 pressures.

Even with a couple of starters out, Miami's defensive line has the depth to make Temple's offensive line — and by extension, Warner — miserable. However, Temple may struggle to pressure Van Dyke.

Temple has just four sacks in its first three games. It ranks 118th in Havoc and 65th in Rushing Success Rate. Defensive tackle Allan Haye will be motivated to prove that prediction incorrect.

A transfer from Miami, Haye has locked down Temple's nose tackle job. According to PFF, Haye has five pressures this season, but he doesn't have a sack yet.

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Miami and Temple match up statistically:

Miami Offense vs. Temple Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	30	65
Line Yards	21	44
Pass Success	8	70
Havoc	26	118
Finishing Drives	18	101
Quality Drives	5	72

Temple Offense vs. Miami Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	92	20
Line Yards	71	18
Pass Success	59	46
Havoc	23	29
Finishing Drives	111	63
Quality Drives	75	39

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	15	28
PFF Coverage	96	52
Special Teams SP+	6	127
Middle 8	7	74
Seconds per Play	31.1 (127)	23.8 (18)
Rush Rate	51.9% (73)	43.9% (107)

Whether you're ready to buy in on this Miami team or not, it has a 30.3 average margin of victory in the first three games, including a win over an SEC opponent. Miami is 2-1 against the spread this year.

In its two games against FBS opponents thus far, Temple has beaten Akron and lost 36-7 to Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights dominated in the trenches in that game, and I expect Miami to have similar success up front.

Miami's biggest issue in this game may be the weather. The forecast calls for rain and temps in the low 60s, which will be an issue for a team from Miami. However, Van Dyke has the arm strength to cut through bad conditions.

In this spot, I have to back Miami to cover.