Rutgers football vs Temple: How to watch, what to know as Scarlet Knights look to go to 2-0
PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football escaped Lincoln Financial Field last season with a two-point win over Temple, but Greg Schiano isn’t hiding the fact that the game could’ve gone very differently for his team.
“They are a much improved football team you can see, and they should have beat us last year,” Schiano said Tuesday. “We were fortunate to get out of the stadium with a victory."
So Rutgers isn’t taking Temple lightly. Far from it.
The Scarlet Knights are hoping to move to 2-0 with a win over the Owls Saturday at SHI Stadium after beating Northwestern in the season-opener with an efficient offense and dominant defense.
Still, Schiano believes his team has plenty of improvements to make.
“The old adage, the biggest improvement you make is between game one and game two, that's always been said in coaching,” Schiano said. “I sure hope it is this week because we have a lot to get better at.”
Temple has a good quarterback in E.J. Warner, the son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. E.J. went 28-of-49 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns in Temple’s season-opening 24-21 win over Akron.
“He is a very good player,” Schiano said.
The Owls’ offense got a boost in the offseason with the addition of Colorado State transfer Dante Wright, who had seven catches for 71 yards against Akron.
Defensively, Schiano highlighted linebacker Layton Jordan, who had nine sacks last season and has forced six fumbles in his career, as well as safety Tywan Francis, another Colorado State transfer who had five tackles and an interception against Akron.
“He showed up in a lot of different ways,” Schiano said. “I think they are strong up the middle.”
So while Temple might not be a Big Ten or Power 5 opponent, Rutgers is expecting a tough test from the Owls.
What channel is the Rutgers game on?
The Rutgers game against Temple is on Big Ten Network. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Joe Beninati will be on play-by-play alongside Brock Vereen with Tamara Brown on the sidelines.
Watch Rutgers football: Watch Rutgers vs. Temple live with FUBO (free trial)
How can I watch the Rutgers-Temple game without cable? Is Rutgers vs. Temple streaming?
The Scarlet Knights' matchup against the Owls will be available on any platform that offers Big Ten Network such as YouTubeTV, Hulu Live and Fubo TV, which offers a free trial.
Rutgers vs. Temple will also be live on the FOX Sports app.
Radio: The game can be heard on the RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network (WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM, FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5 FM/1450 AM, SiriusXM 134 or 196, SXM app, Audacy app, Scarlet Knights app). Chris Carlin will be on play-by-play alongside analysts Eric LeGrand and Mike Teel with Anthony Fucilli on the sideline.
Weather: Forecasts are calling for cloudy skies with a temperature of 68 degrees for Saturday night in Piscataway with a 40-percent chance of late-night thunderstorms.
Point spread: Rutgers is a 9-point favorite, according to BetMGM.
Series history: Rutgers leads the all-time series with Temple, 23-15. The teams played last season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with the Scarlet Knights winning, 16-14. Rutgers blew the Owls out two seasons ago, 61-14, in the 2021 season-opener at SHI Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights have only played three FBS teams more than Temple: Army (44), Syracuse (44) and West Virginia (39).
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If you go…
Blackout: Rutgers is encouraging fans to wear black and arrive early for a pre-game performance from the band and a light show during the team's walk-out. All students in attendance and the first 3,000 fans will receive free blackout t-shirts.
Mobile-only ticketing: Rutgers utilizes mobile ticketing for entry to SHI Stadium. Tickets can be added to an Apple Wallet or Google Pay app. Fans will also receive mobile parking passes that are used the same way as mobile tickets. Rutgers encourages fans to download tickets and parking passes prior to arriving at SHI Stadium.
The Rutgers Boardwalk: This is a feature that Rutgers began last season. The Rutgers Boardwalk will open at 3:30 p.m. on Scarlet Knight Way and will feature food trucks, free rides and live entertainment, prizes, mini golf and a petting zoo among other activities. The Miller Lite Beer Garden for fans 21 and over will be at Athlete’s Glen across from the stadium.
The Scarlet Walk: Fans can watch the team enter SHI Stadium during the Scarlet Walk, which will begin at approximately 5 p.m.
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Three questions facing Rutgers
1. Will defensive end Wesley Bailey play?
Bailey suffered an injury in the first half against Northwestern and didn’t return to the game. Schiano said Tuesday that he “believes he’s going to be OK.”
“He was limited today,” Schiano said. “Again, we’re on a short week. This should really be the day they have off, getting a lot of treatment and then get it cranked up for tomorrow. We have kind of just backed things up for the injured guys but we can't back it up for the guys that are good to go. I believe he'll be able to go.”
2. Will Rutgers stick with the same offensive line?
The Scarlet Knights went with a bit of a surprise by starting Gus Zilinskas at center over Ireland Brown, last season’s starter. Schiano said he that gave Rutgers the best chance to win. Left tackle Hollin Pierce, left guard Curtis Dunlap, right guard Kobe Asamoah and right tackle Tyler Needham were the other four starters, with Mike Ciaffoni, Kamar Missouri, Taj White and Bryan Felter also rotating through.
Part of the rotations were forced because of the conditions and trying to keep players fresh, but it remains to be seen whether Rutgers makes any changes against Temple. The line did play better, though Schiano said after the game that it does need to improve for Rutgers to play the style of football it wants to.
3. Will Rutgers have reinforcements at running back?
Sam Brown and Aaron Young both didn’t play – Brown could’ve played “in a pinch,” Schiano said. Young had gotten banged up in the week before the game and was ruled out. Kyle Monangai and Ja’shon Benjamin stepped up and played well with their expanded workload, but it would certainly help the Scarlet Knights’ offense to have both Brown and Young, their most versatile player, healthy and able to play.
It’s too early to say whether that will be the case.
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How to watch Rutgers football: TV, radio for game vs Temple
