After winning their first three games to start their season, the Miami Hurricanes will head to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the Temple University Owls on Saturday. The ‘Canes will look to start their season with four straight wins for the first time since 2017, where they finished 10-3 and placed as high as #2 in the AP Top 25 ranking during the year. Saturday’s matchup will be Miami’s first road game of the year and their final non-conference game before ACC play begins.
The Hurricanes are ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 rankings. They will build on an impressive start to Mario Cristobal’s second season as head coach after dominant wins against Miami University and Bethune-Cookman, especially a decisive upset of then-No. 23-ranked Texas A&M Aggies on September 9.
Saturday’s game will be the 15th meeting between the two schools, with Miami leading the all-time series 13-1. They last met on Oct. 15, 2005, when Miami cruised to a 34-3 victory over the Owls in Philadelphia.
The star for Miami in 2023 has been fourth-year junior quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who has shown massive improvement in his abilities after enduring an injury-plagued and lackluster first season under Cristobal’s staff.
Under the direction of new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, Van Dyke has fit seamlessly into Dawson’s scheme of pushing the ball downfield, greatly helped by the return of many key pieces on offense, namely wide receivers Xavier Restrepo, Colbie Young and Jacolby George. Van Dyke has 822 passing yards and nine touchdowns so far, as well as a stellar 94.0 Pro Football Focus rating that eclipses all other college quarterbacks in the nation.
After Miami’s rousing win over Texas A&M, Dawson explained his philosophy on offense in simple terms, stating, “When you get conservative, you get beat.”
On defense, a question mark remains as multiple prominent names are yet to officially return to the lineup from injuries from the past two weeks. Notably, defensive linemen Branson Deen, Akheem Mesidor and Nyjalik Kelly all sat out against Bethune-Cookman due to injuries sustained, and junior safety Kamren Kinchens, an All-American in 2022, continues to recover after suffering an injury from a big hit in Miami’s win over Texas A&M.
The Temple Owls currently stand at 2-1 and are second in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) to start the season, with their most recent matchup resulting in a 41-9 defeat of the Norfolk State Spartans in Philadelphia. The Owls’ starting quarterback, E.J. Warner, has 760 passing yards and four touchdowns to start his season, along with Temple’s top receiver, Dante Wright, having 185 receiving yards.
The Hurricanes will look to keep their strong start to the season going as they head on the road to Philadelphia and face the Owls this Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field will take place at 3:30 p.m.