Rutgers Strong ATS Pick to Ground Temple

Temple Needs More From Ground Game

Temple defeated the Akron Zips last week but the Owls had to rally to do it. After falling behind 21-7, late in the second quarter, the Owls ripped off 17 unanswered points and secured a 24-21 victory as 9½point neutral-site favorites, according to the NCAA football odds.

Despite the gritty come-from-behind victory, the Owls came out flat, and had it not been for the aerial heroics of quarterback E.J. Warner, who threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, this one could very well have gone the other way.

Temple’s ground game was stuck in neutral, gaining only 61 yards against Akron’s pedestrian run-stop unit.

Knights Have Shields Up

Rutgers is coming off an impressive 24-7 victory over Big Ten rival Northwestern, which was nothing but money for those who laid the -5 on the New Jersey entry. It was a calculated and balanced offensive attack that saw the Scarlet Knights junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt throw for 163 yards and one passing touchdown. The running game chewed up 122 yards, resulting in a pair of touchdowns, one of which belonged to Wimsatt.

Nevertheless, it was a stout defensive performance that stole the show and shut down the Northwestern offense throughout the afternoon. The run defense allowed only 12 yards and held the Wildcats’ passing attack to 189 yards and one touchdown, which came with only 19 seconds remaining in the contest. The Knights’ defense ended the day with five sacks and a pair of interceptions in the 17-point win.

Temple vs Rutgers Odds

Temple vs Rutgers Best Bet

The college football lines on this matchup are showing Rutgers as 8½-point home chalk and there are some very good reasons why the college football odds aren’t shorter than that, considering Temple kept it close last season in a 16-14 loss to the Knights but easily covered as 18-point home underdogs.

First, we must understand that a team has to be able to run to set up the pass, especially against a steely defense like Rutgers. The Owls have no such animal in their backfield as evidenced by the six different rushers in their Week 1 win over Akron combining for a grand total of just 61 yards and a meager 2.2 yards per carry.

Rutgers is too strong in the trenches to allow any nonsense from the Temple rushing game. And without having to worry about the run, the Knights will be ready for E.J Warner to pass early and often. However, unlike the Zips, Rutgers is a much more talented team that can defend against the pass and cause turnovers.

The online sports betting sites opened this game with Rutgers -10 but we can see that the college football spreads have this one down to as low as -8½.

I understand a line drop like this can give seasoned bettors cause for pause as it smells a little like sharp money on the dog is dragging this line down, but I believe this is an excellent opportunity to get the better team below a key number (10) and make some money with a poised Scarlet Knights squad.

Knight Flicks: Rutgers vs. Northwestern🪓 pic.twitter.com/692DThG2LM

— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) September 5, 2023

Pick: Rutgers -8½ (-110)

Temple vs Rutgers Game Information

– Game: Temple vs Rutgers
– Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
– Location: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
– Temple vs Rutgers Live Stream: ESPN