Duke vs Temple football first look: Odds and key matchups to watch under new coaches
Two football programs that stumbled to the finish line last season, leading to coaching changes, face each other to start this season.
Temple lost its final seven games last season, while Duke dropped its final eight.
Stan Drayton replaced Rod Carey as Temple’s coach while Mike Elko took over for David Cutcliffe at Duke.
On Friday night at 7:30 p.m., Duke and Temple open the season under their new coaches at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Duke went 3-9 last season, losing all eight of its ACC contests. But the Blue Devils did win all three of their nonconference home games in 2021, beating N.C. A&T (45-17), Northwestern (30-23) and Kansas (52-33).
Temple also went 3-9, including losing 28-3 to Boston College and 61-14 to Rutgers in its only games against Power Five conference foes.
But enough about last year. Both teams have moved on in terms of coaching. Now they want to move on with better on-field play.
Key matchups
Duke struggled on offense and defense last season. Guess what? So did Temple. So let’s look at a few positions that could decide Friday night’s outcome.
Quarterback: Neither team will have an experienced quarterback leading the offense. Temple named redshirt sophomore D’Wan Mathis its starter. Originally a Georgia signee, he played in seven games at Temple last season and four with the Owls during his redshirt season in 2020. Duke is going with Riley Leonard, a sophomore who started one game last season. He is Duke’s fifth different starting quarterback in its opener in the last five seasons.
Secondary: The Blue Devils allowed an ACC-worst 311.8 passing yards per game last season, which was next-to-last nationally. Elko has rebuilt the group adding transfers Datrone Young (Iowa State) and Darius Joiner (Western Illinois). Freshman Chandler Rivers will see playing time as well. How this group does against Temple’s wide receivers will determine if the Blue Devils can start off with a win.
Running back: Duke’s big highlight last season was running back Mataeo Durant, who set a school record with 1,244 rushing yards as a senior. This season, look for three or four running backs to handle the carries as it will be by committee. Redshirt juniors Jordan Waters and Jaylen Coleman have experience but sophomore Jaquez Moore and freshman Terry Moore will also get plenty of carries. The Owls allowed 220.5 rushing yards per game last season, No. 121 nationally, so perhaps the Blue Devils can find success here.
Betting odds
Though carrying an eight-game losing streak into the new season, the Blue Devils are seven-point favorites to beat Temple. The over-under total is 53.5 points.
Temple at Duke game and TV info
Who: Duke (0-0) vs. Temple (0-0)
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
TV: ACC Network
Stream: ESPN+
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Duke vs Temple football first look: Odds and key matchups to watch under new coaches."