2023 Rutgers Football Game: Week 2 Preview vs. Temple

How To Watch, Stream & Listen

Temple at Rutgers

Where: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, NJ

Kick-off: Saturday, September 9 at 7:30 PM ET

Weather: 70 degrees, scattered thunderstorms with a 57% chance of rain, 3 mph winds

TV: BTN with Joe Beninati (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (color), and Tamara Brown (sideline)

Stream: Fox Sports App

Radio: Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network (WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM, Fox Sports New Jersey 93.5 FM/1450 AM) with Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Eric LeGrand and Mike Teel (analyst), and Anthony Fucilli (sideline); WRSU 88.7 FM - Eddie Kalegi, Alex Carmenaty, Jessica Buckley; Audacy app, SiriusXM 134 or 196, Scarlet Knights app

Series History: Rutgers leads all-time 23-15; Rutgers won last matchup, 16-14, on Sept. 17, 2022

READ MORE: What to watch for in Week 2 vs. Temple

Returning Statistical Leaders

Rutgers

Passing: Gavin Wimsatt - 17-for-29, 58.6%, 163 yards, 1 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Rushing: Kyle Monangai - 49 yards on 14 carries, 3.5 ypc, 1 touchdowns

Receiving: Isaiah Washington - 4 catches for 36 yards, 9.0 ypc, 0 touchdowns

Defense: Deion Jennings - 9 tackles; Shaquan Loyal, Mohamed Toure, Tyreem Powell, Rene Konga, Kenny Fletcher - 1 sack; Robert Longerbeam & Max Melton - 1 interceptions

Temple

Passing: E.J. Warner - 28-for-49, 57.1%, 292 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Rushing: Darvon Hubbard - 35 yards on 10 carries, 3.5 ypc, 0 touchdowns

Receiving: Dante Wright - 7 catches for 71 yards, 10.1 ypc, 0 touchdowns

Defense: Yvandy Rigby - 14 tackles, Layton Jordan - 1 sacks, Tywan Francis - 1 interceptions

What To Watch For

When Rutgers has the ball

The game plan should be the same as last week for Rutgers. Try to establish the run game, protect the quarterback, and let Gavin Wimsatt use his legs.

With that being said, there is still questions marks on whether the Scarlet Knights can find consistency. There is a chance for it in Week 2.

Against Northwestern, Kirk Ciarrocca seemed to play it a bit conservative — in a good way. There are difference between the conservative we saw last week compared to that of last season. The throws were simple for Wimsatt, he was able to escape the pocket and rollout, and Rutgers attempted to get the ground game going. Those are all recipes for success for a quarterback taking over the starting role for the first time.

Wimsatt is going to feel pressure at times this year in the Big Ten. That should not be the case this week. Temple returns a veteran group of linebackers but the defensive front should not cause havoc rushing four.

It is unknown whether Rutgers will get back Samuel Brown or Aaron Young for this week’s game. Reading between the lines, it seems as though Brown is closer than Young but it is still up in the air. Kyle Monangai and Ja’Shon Benjamin handled duties in the backfield in Week 1 and this duo can be trusted once again if need be.

When Temple has the ball

E.J. Warner and a lot of E.J. Warner.

Temple has shown that it trusts its quarterback and it not afraid to use him. Warner threw the ball 49 times in Week 1 against Akron. While this might have been a product of the start, this is what Temple showed last year as well. Warner threw the ball 40 or more times in five games last season. This includes a game each with 50 and 60 pass attempts.

Against the Zips, Temple fell behind 21-7 before coming back to win the game. The Owls rushed for just 61 yards in the game. Against Rutgers, that number should not creep much higher, which means Warner and these receivers will be on display.

Temple lost Jose Barbon on the outside from last year’s team but added Dante Wright from Colorado State. The Owls bring back Amad Anderson Jr., giving Warner two solid options on the outside. This will be an interesting battle with Max Melton and Robert Longerbeam all night long.

Rutgers should be prepared for another 40+ pass attempt game from Warner and Temple. The Scarlet Knights’ secondary will be tested and the defensive front will have a chance to get pressure once again.

Rutgers totaled five sacks against Northwestern. This was a struggle last year but the Scarlet Knights are hoping to get to the quarterback this season. If they can get Warner off his spot and thinking about the rush, it would benefit them greatly over the course of four quarters.

Could Rutgers win this game?

Rutgers enters this game as a 9.5-point favorite so yes. Not only can it win this game but it is expected to. A 2-0 start would put Rutgers on the right track moving forward with an extremely-pivotal matchup with Virginia Tech next week.

Final thoughts

Rutgers took advantage of a bad Temple team in 2021 with a 61-14 victory. Last year, in the first of Stan Drayton, Rutgers was lucky to escape Lincoln Financial with a victory. What will we see this year? Obviously, this is not going to be a game where Rutgers scores 60 points and wins by 40-plus. So, this will be closer to the matchup of last year just with a few more points — not many. This can be a game played in the 20s where Rutgers will need to make some plays on both sides of the ball to come away with a win.