Temple vs UAB Prediction, Pick: Target Total in Birmingham

Let's dive into the Temple vs. UAB odds and find a betting pick and prediction for Saturday's Week 12 college football game.

Did anybody out there besides Blazers fans think Trent Dilfer would have his team prepared to face a triple-option offense?

As predicted in last week's article, UAB got completely destroyed by, Navy 31-6. The abysmal Blazers defense had no answers for the Midshipmen, and even I was surprised to see quarterback Jacob Zeno struggle so much.

This could be a wake-up call for UAB. This week, the Blazers will host the Temple Owls, who are coming off of a loss themselves.

This is a very interesting game to handicap, so let's waste no further time and break down both of these teams.

Temple quarterback E.J. Warner had a mixed-bag performance last week, as he threw three touchdown passes and three interceptions. He now has 10 interceptions on the season but luckily will get a cupcake matchup in this one.

I have been impressed at times with this Owls offense, and I was a bit surprised when they struggled to score points at USF last weekend.

The Bulls' defensive front can be stingy, but their secondary has been known for allowing explosive plays down the field.

The Owls enter this matchup in the bottom 10 in the nation both Rushing Success Rate and Passing Success Rate. To make matters worse, they're in the bottom 20 in Offensive Finishing Drives as well.

However, I take these stats with a grain of salt with this particular matchup. I've seen how good this passing attack could be when the offense is clicking, and the Owls should find plenty of success against this Blazers defense.

I am also encouraged that the Owls do a good job of preventing Havoc at 38th in the nation. The Blazers already struggle to create Havoc to begin with, so Warner shouldn't have to deal with much pressure in the pocket.

The biggest reason I'm so confident in the Owls offense this week is that the Blazers are bottom-15 in both Defensive Quality Drives and Defensive Finishing Drives. I can't envision this offense struggling to put touchdowns on the board without multiple self-inflicted wounds.

I don't think it's warranted to waste much time on the Owls defense because the stats are pretty horrific. Notably, this group is nearly dead last in both allowing Quality Drives and Finishing Drives.

They're also pretty much dead last in creating Havoc and Passing Success Rate. The Blazers do run the ball pretty often, but Zeno will be able to pitch a tent with the time he has in the pocket against this Owls defense.

I doubt that the Owls will have an answer against this explosive Blazers passing attack, especially since they will be looking to bounce back after last week's performance.

Make sure you're ready for all the action with our exclusive ESPN BET promo code as ESPN Bet launches November 14.

I don't want to continue to pat myself on the back, but that Blazers loss last week was the easiest handicap that I've had all season. The writing was on the wall that they were going to struggle mightily against Navy.

The good news for Dilfer is that he won't have to strain his brain too much going against this Owls offense. I know he doesn't have much involvement in the defense, but you would think he has some sort of input overall.

I've repeated this over and over again during my weekly UAB articles, but the Blazers' defensive metrics don't even matter — any offense with a pulse is going to have success against this group.

All jokes aside, I'd be interested to see how a Division II offense would do against this Blazers defense. Quite frankly, I'd imagine they would have a decent amount of success.

This defense is nearly dead last in every category except for Passing Success Rate and Havoc, but it's not inside the top 75 in those categories either.

Offensively, I know Zeno is chomping at the bit to get back out there this week. He easily had his worst game of the year when he threw two interceptions last week.

There are no doubts that the Blazers will have a ton of success through the air against the horrific Owls pass defense. I would expect the Blazers to capitalize whenever they cross the 50-yard line with touchdowns.

This group is fifth in the nation in offensive Line Yards, along with top-25 rankings in both Rushing and Passing Success Rates. Expect Zeno to shred and this Blazers offense to hang a crooked number.

The must-have app for college football bettors

The best NCAAF betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

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

Temple Offense vs. UAB Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	126	133
Line Yards	124	130
Pass Success	72	78
Havoc	38	78
Finishing Drives	111	119
Quality Drives	84	132

UAB Offense vs. Temple Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	24	60
Line Yards	5	81
Pass Success	28	131
Havoc	107	132
Finishing Drives	88	126
Quality Drives	51	129

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	54	61
PFF Coverage	121	100
Special Teams SP+	123	132
Middle 8	130	55
Seconds per Play	24.1 (17)	24.4 (19)
Rush Rate	40.9% (127)	48.3% (109)

I can't believe the Blazers are 7.5-point favorites in this game; they shouldn't be favored that much over any team in the FBS. However, I love the over in this spot.

I wouldn't dare take an under in a game both offenses are among the top 20 in seconds per play, especially given how awful these defenses are. Both offenses have a great opportunity to put up a ton of points.

There's no reason to worry about the Owls' offensive metrics considering Warner is too talented to put up a dud in this matchup.

Unless there are a lot of drives killed by turnovers, this should be a big-time barn-burner.

Pick: Over 63.5 (Play to 66)