Tag: Temple Owls

Oklahoma Sooners moving 2024 season opener to Friday night

“It’s a unique and exciting opportunity for us,” says Joe Castiglione about Oklahoma and ESPN moving the Sooners season opener.

The much anticipated move to the SEC will come one day earlier as the University of Oklahoma announced a date change for their week one matchup with the Temple Owls.

Originally slated to play on Saturday August 31, Joe Castiglione announced Oklahoma and ESPN have agreed to play the season opener on Friday night, August 30 at 6 p.m. CT. The game will take place on ESPN.

“We were asked to consider moving up the season opener by a day so ESPN could televise our first game as a member of the SEC in a primetime window,” Castiglione said in a statement released by the Oklahoma Athletic Department. “It’s a unique and exciting opportunity for us, as it will be our first Friday night game in the history of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and will give our team tremendous visibility nationally. Another major plus is, given the kick time, our players and fans should benefit from a cooler temperature. It’s reasonable to expect that playing in the evening will significantly mitigate some of the heat issues we typically deal with during early season day games. Our first-ever ‘Friday Night Lights’ will undoubtedly be one for the books, and we’re excited to open the season and our first year in the SEC in such a spectacular fashion.”

Oklahoma and its fan base has longed to play more primetime games. Under the Fox grant of rights with the Big 12, the Sooners were relegated to a number of 11 a.m. kickoffs, which was Fox Big Noon Kickoff’s No. 1 playing window.

The move to the SEC created hope that Oklahoma would get more opportunities under the lights at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. And the SEC and ESPN are already delivering on that hope.

While Friday’s have regularly been reserved for high school football, the Sooners week one matchup against Temple in primetime on ESPN will provide Oklahoma a national audience to put on display Jackson Arnold, Danny Stutsman, and the Sooners stars that will lead them into 2024 and their SEC future.

More from the University of Oklahoma

Heat indices in Norman for OU’s last three season-opening games reached 93 degrees in 2023, 96 degrees in 2022 and 105 degrees in 2021. Three of the last four years have produced a heat index high of at least 98 degrees on Aug. 31 in Norman.

Added Castiglione, “We recognize this schedule change will impact travel plans for some fans. We ask hotels in our area to work closely with those individuals to accommodate the move from a Saturday game to a Friday night contest.”

The Sooners, who will officially join the SEC on July 1, boast a 60-19-2 (.753) record in Friday games (includes a 2-4 record in bowl games) but have only played five Friday evening regular season contests, all on the road and all victories.

Since World War II, Oklahoma has played 16 regular season Friday games and is 10-6 in those outings. Ten of those 16 games, and the Sooners’ only six losses, were against Nebraska. OU beat NU on Fridays in 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1990, and lost to the Huskers in 1982 and every year from 1991-95. The Sooners’ other Friday wins since 1945 were at Detroit in 1947 (Bud Wilkinson’s first game as OU head coach), at Miami (Fla.) in 1975, at Tulsa in 2002 and 2007, at West Virginia in 2018 and vs. TCU in last year’s regular season finale.

Oklahoma, which is starting its third season under head coach Brent Venables, has won 18 straight home openers.

More: Oklahoma Sooners 2024 Schedule

More: Predicting every game on Oklahoma’s 2024 schedule

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Lions work out LB for special teams at Temple pro day

Lions work out LB Jordan Reese for special teams at Temple pro day

Out on the collegiate pro day circuit, the Detroit Lions continue to check out potential prospects for the team for the 2024 NFL Draft. That includes special teams assets, as the Temple Owls pro day affirmed.

Per Devin Jackson of the Philly Enquirer, the Lions were one of two teams to pull aside Temple LB Jordan Magee after the proceedings to get an extra workout for special teams skills. As a later-round or undrafted prospect, it’s good projective training for Magee.

The Lions do have an opening for a special teams specialist of a linebacker after letting veteran Anthony Pittman depart in free agency. Magee did show good athleticism and some coverage ability for Temple. At 228 pounds, Magee is light for a linebacker and would need to prove himself on kick and punt units to make the Lions.

Former Scarlet Knight Cam’Ron Stewart committed to Temple

On Saturday, former Rutgers defensive end Cam’Ron Stewart committed to Temple University.

On Saturday, former Rutgers defensive end Cam’Ron Stewart committed to Temple.

Stewart entered the transfer portal on December 30 and received multiple FBS offers (Akron and North Texas) before committing to Temple.

While playing with the Scarlet Knights, Stewart appeared in 12 games throughout his three seasons with Rutgers. The Shillington, Pennsylvania native only recorded four tackles from 2021 to 2022.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive lineman did not appear in any games in 2023. As a sophomore in 2022, Stewart made nine appearances for the Scarlet Knights and only three the year before. Stewart posted four tackles in the 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl versus No. 20 Wake Forest during his first season with Rutgers football.

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According to 247Sports, he was ranked the No. 22 recruit in Pennsylvania and the No. 80 defensive lineman nationally among his 2021 recruiting class.

Stewart played his high school ball at Governor Mifflin High School, where he helped guide the Mustangs to an 8-1 record and an appearance in the Pennsylvania 5A state semifinals in 2020.He finished his senior season with 39 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. For his efforts during his senior year, Stewart received First Team All-Berks football and Defensive Lineman of the Year by The Reading Eagle. 

 

 

Temple Transfer OL Victor Stoffel has Texas A&M in his top three schools

Temple Owl transfer Victor Stoffel has Texas A&M as one of his top schools to visit

The Mike Elko Era is in full swing and one of the more notable changes is how aggressive they have been in the transfer portal.

Now granted a lot of it has to do with needing to fill spots due to players entering the portal and committing to other schools since the coaching change. Going forward, he might not need to hit the portal as hard as he is now, but it’s still a stark difference from previous years.

One area of the team that could use some experience, depth, and competition is along the offensive line. They have already hosted a few with more coming down the pipeline including the 6’8″ tackle out of Temple, Victor Stoffel. Pete Nakos of On3 confirmed that Stoffel will be visiting Texas A&M along with Cal and UCF.

Stoffel not only would bring size but also a wealth of experience as this will be his sixth season playing college football and spent the last two as the starting right tackle. The Stockholm native closed out his year with the College Football Network Midseason All-AAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, All-American Honorable Mention, and All-ACC Honorable Mention.

If Elko and company can bring him in it will be a huge plus for the depth of the OL and give them a chance to experiment with getting the best five on the field to protect the QB.

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5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 schedule

Oklahoam received its first schedule as SEC members and here our five takeaways from the daunting slate.

It is here, and it is glorious. Wednesday was a busy day for Oklahoma as a program.

The Sooners landed a commitment from transfer running back Sam Franklin, prepping for the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] began and recruiting high school and [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] players was in high gear.

To end the night, the Sooners received a look at what Oklahoma will be going up against in their first year as SEC members. ESPN released the schedules for SEC teams, and Oklahoma now knows when and where it will play in its first SEC season.

Here’s a full look at the 2024 schedule and now we’ve got five instant takeaways from Oklahoma’s first SEC schedule.

Oklahoma Sooners 2024 football schedule

A look at the Oklahoma Sooners full schedule for 2024, their first in the SEC.

The SEC unveiled its schedule for the 2024 season, so now we know when the Sooners will play their new conference foes next season.

The schedule was always going to be daunting. You don’t move to the SEC without an understanding that you’re playing the best of the best nearly every week. But there are some positives in the Sooners’ schedule, such as the bye week before the Red River Showdown and another before the closing two-game stretch against Alabama and LSU.

The Sooners start with four consecutive games at home before going on the road to Auburn, Alabama, for their first SEC road game in their new conference.

Here’s a look at the Oklahoma Sooners’ full 2024 football schedule.

Temple vs. Rutgers: The five takeaways from Rutgers’ Week 2 victory

Rutgers defeated Temple, 36-7, to move to 2-0 for the 3rd consecutive season under Schiano. Here are the 5 takeaways from Rutgers’ victory.

On Saturday night, Rutgers football (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten) defeated the Temple Owls (1-1), 36-7, to move to 2-0 for the third consecutive season under head coach Greg Schiano.

Rutgers’ win was the second consecutive game in which the Scarlet Knights’ defense allowed just seven points. The Rutgers’ defense allowed 298 yards and forced one fumble and two interceptions in their second impressive performance.

On offense, Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt had his second solid performance with no turnovers. Wimsatt completed ten passes for 198 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, junior running back Kyle Monangai led the way for the Scarlet Knights, rushing for a career-high 165 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown.

Scroll below to find the five takeaways from Rutgers’ 36-7 victory over the Temple Owls.

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Temple vs. Rutgers: Five keys for Saturday night’s game

Rutgers gets ready to take on the Temple Owls in their week two matchup. Here are the five things to look for in their week two matchup.

Rutgers football got a big season-opening win on Sunday, taking down a Big Ten rival in Northwestern. Now they must get ready to take on the Temple on Saturday night.

Rutgers (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will host Temple (1-0) at SHI Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m.).

The Scarlet Knights are seeking to start 2-0 for the third straight season. Their matchup on Saturday will mark the 39th time Rutgers and Temple have faced each other. Rutgers leads the series 23-15 and won the last six meetings. The Scarlet Knights are 15-6 at home against the Owls, and Saturday’s game will be the third consecutive season the two teams have met on the gridiron.

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In 2022, the Scarlet Knights picked up a road win when they narrowly defeated Temple 16-14. Can the Scarlet Knights defend their home turf and beat the Owls for the seventh consecutive time?

Scroll down for five things to look for in Rutgers’ Week 2 matchup against the Temple Owls.

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Oklahoma adds two nonconference opponents to the 2024 schedule

The 2024 non-conference schedule is set as the Sooners will play Houston and Maine.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] have secured its final two nonconference opponents for 2024. They will take on the [autotag]Houston Cougars[/autotag] to fulfill the SEC’s Power Five requirement and the [autotag]Maine Black Bears[/autotag] of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

University of Oklahoma Vice President and Director of Athletics [autotag]Joe Castiglione[/autotag] announced these two additions to the schedule on Friday.

Oklahoma will host both teams in Norman giving them seven home games for just the seventh time in program history.

The game against Houston is scheduled for Sept. 7, 2024, and is part of a home-and-home series, with OU expected to play at Houston on Sept. 16, 2028. However, the date for the game against Maine will be determined once the Sooners’ SEC schedule is finalized.

”We’re excited to add Houston and Maine to our 2024 schedule” Castiglione said. “We always strive to schedule non-conference opponents in a manner that positions us for success and creates a fun environment for fans. It was always going to be a challenge to find two programs at this late stage that had open dates, but we’re happy with the result of that process and are thrilled to give our fans seven home games in 2024. A big thank-you to Houston athletics director Chris Pezman and Maine AD Jude Killy for their cooperation, and, in Maine’s case, its willingness to be flexible on a game date.”

The Sooners have never faced the Black Bears. They’re 3-1 all-time against Houston.

Both of these games will join the [autotag]Temple Owls[/autotag] and [autotag]Tulane Green Wave[/autotag] on Oklahoma’s nonconference schedule for 2024.

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What could the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2024 schedule look like in the SEC?

With the SEC deciding on an eight-game conference schedule for 2024, here’s how the Oklahoma Sooners schedule could look in their first year in the SEC.

At their spring meetings in Destin, Florida, the SEC decided to continue their use of an eight-game schedule for the 2024 season. It was one of the bigger debates at hand for a conference that’s been at the forefront of college football for some time.

Settling on an eight-game schedule, the SEC put in several provisions for how the league members should schedule nonconference games. Namely, each team would schedule at least one Power Five team. That could prove problematic for the Sooners.

Oklahoma has just two nonconference games scheduled for the 2024 season. The Sooners will play Temple and Tulane. Georgia would have been on the slate, but after Oklahoma and Texas announced they would join the SEC, the conference directed Georgia to cancel its nonconference game with the Sooners.

So that leaves a hole in the schedule. Because the Sooners have just two nonconference games scheduled, they’ll have to find two more games. Perusing future nonconference schedules, we found a pair of games that could make a lot of sense if Joe Castiglione can work his athletic director magic to make it happen.

Here’s a look at what the Sooners’ 2024 schedule could look like when it gets released on July 14 on the SEC network.