As bowl season rolls into its second week, the Miltary Bowl opens its 10th chapter from Annapolis. North Carolina enters the game at 6-6, winning each of its last two games to become bowl eligible. Temple began the season 5-1 before sputtering a little bit to the finish line, coming away with a solid 8-4 record in a tough American conference. The Tar Heels look to avoid a fourth straight bowl game loss, while the Owls look to capture their second bowl game victory in three years. With a noon kickoff on a Friday, many people will be taking a glance at their phones during work to see if their first bet of the day will be a good one.
How they got here: North Carolina Tar Heels
Year one under Mack Brown started with a bang, with UNC starting 2-0 with wins over rival South Carolina and ACC foe Miami. Even after losses to Wake Forest and App State, the Tar Heels played Clemson close, losing 21-20 after a missed two-point conversion attempt. Sitting at 4-6 down the stretch run, UNC blew out Mercer and NC State to secure six wins and a bowl appearance. The Tar Heels are the epitome of mediocrity. 6-6 overall record, 4-4 in ACC play. They will have to be more impressive than some of those brutal losses they took in the middle of their schedule.
UNC has a surprisingly high-powered offense (14th in the nation) led by stellar freshman QB Sam Howell. The ACC rookie of the year posted 3,347 yards passing, good for 16th in the country. He was also 4th in passing touchdowns with 35, leading all freshmen. He’s coming off of his best game yet, going 23-33 for 401 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-10 blowout over rival NC State.
For how good Howell is, the Tar Heels also feature a solid run game. The three-headed monster of Michael Carter (919 yards), Javonte Williams (848 yards) and Antonio Williams (306 yards) lead a UNC offense that averages 184 yards rushing a game.
On defense, the Tar Heels have a solid unit that allows 24.6 points per game. This defense starts with the linebacking core of Chazz Surratt and Jeremiah Gemmel, two of the surest tacklers in the country. The Tar Heels average an interception per game and are led by Myles Wolfolk with three.
How they got here: Temple Owls
Temple has a first-year head coach of their own in Rod Carey after now Miami head coach Manny Diaz backed out of his contract. Carey led Temple to two wins over Top 25 teams, including a 30-28 victory over AAC champion Memphis. This is the fifth straight bowl game Temple has reached, but they have only won one during the stretch. This senior class has a chance to become the first in Temple history to win two bowl games.
Temple’s offense does not jump off the page, but starting RB Re’Mahn Davis does. The freshman has gone for 900 yards even thus far, and 100 more on Friday would secure a 1,000-yard season. QB Anthony Russo has been pretty up and down this season, only completing passes at a 59% clip. He does have two very solid weapons in Jaden Blue (975 yards, four TD) and Branden Mack (886 yards, seven TD).
Temple rides and dies with its defense. Although they have struggled against the run at times, their pass defense has been especially strong. They also get to the quarterback at a high rate, with four players having four or more sacks. The Owls are led by DE Quincy Roche who has 13 sacks on the year, ranking fourth in the country. This is a hard-nosed unit that will give North Carolina fits all afternoon long.
Player to watch: North Carolina
The UNC offense will need big plays against a stout Temple secondary. That starts with WR Dyami Brown, who averages 20.6 yards per catch. His 947 yards receiving is tied for first on the team and his 11 touchdowns lead the Tar Heels offense. This offense will rely on the hands of Brown.
Player to watch: Temple
Temple will win or lose this game based on the play of their quarterback, the aforementioned Anthony Russo. At 6 foot 4, 235 pounds he has the build to be a great quarterback. But he has been far too inconsistent this year, his second as starting quarterback. The Owls will need Russo to step it up in a big way on Friday.
Gambling pick (UNC -6, O/U 53.5)
Grab Temple as soon as you can. Six points are too much for a team that I don’t even think is the better one here. Many people love the Tar Heels, probably because they haven’t seen them play since the Clemson game. UNC has the offense to win a bowl game, but Temple is the perfect counter to them. As for the over/under that should be close. I like Temple to win outright, 27-24, putting us at 51 points. I’d lean under, but I can’t fault anyone for liking the over. To me, defenses will win the day.