After an exciting win over the No. 12 Clemson Tigers and the field rushed full of stingers, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets look to keep the “buzz” going, as the Temple Owls roll into Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Georgia Tech needed a must-win game last weekend over the Tigers to prove whether the title “legit” was earned or not. It is safe to say that after that performance, that there is a good chance these Yellow Jackets aren’t a team to be taken lightly.
The Yellow Jackets last meeting with the Temple Owls was a game that in the eyes of Georgia Tech, needed to be forgotten. It was September 28th, 2019, where the Owls ran over the Yellow Jackets 24-2, under former Head Coach Geoff Collins.
This years matchup, set for September 20th, is to be played on the CW Network, as Georgia Tech looks to avoid a trap game and become 4-0.
The big question everyone is curious to know, will we see quarterback Haynes King play a few series or will it be another Gardner Webb situation, where it is all about Quarterback Aaron Philo. Which for this matchup, a quarterback who completed 21/28 passes for 373 yards with one passing touchdown and one interception against Gardner Webb, wouldn’t be a bad idea.
For the second straight weekend in a row, the five keys to victory remain the same.
- Establish the run game early
- BE AGGRESSIVE!
- Pressure the QB at all times
- Play clean on both sides of the ball
- WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE: (Georgia Tech did a fine job against Clemson and hopefully it’ll continue)
This will be the first time that head coach Brent Key will have to face the Owls, as the head man at Georgia Tech. But this team and staff are as focused as can be, even after such a program building win over the Clemson Tigers.
During Coach Key’s press conference this past week, the big question asked was how the players have refocused and moved on, after last weekends win and earning a top 20 ranking this past week. Coach Brent Key quoted, “Coach Saban use to tell us more people die on the way down from Mount Everest than on the way up and you can’t relax.”
It is safe to say that each game continues to get bigger to Georgia Tech, regardless of the opponent and records. Which has been the mindset for this team, under Key.
Looking ahead to Temple, the opponent for this weekend, the Owls went 1-6 in 2020, 3-9 from 2021-2024, and have lost to nine straight Power Five opponents. Their last power five win was against, you guessed it, Georgia Tech. One of the many painful losses in the Geoff Collins era.
Temple is coming off of its first loss of the 2025 season, as they were brutally demolished 42-3 against Oklahoma at home. The Owls look to stage an upset behind leading quarterback Evan Simon, whose nine touchdowns passes are tied for the most among FBS quarterbacks without an interception through three games.
Reverting back to the Yellow Jackets, another quote by Coach Key when asked about the teams success, “We’ve got to continue to stay the course and continue to improve every day. We’re happy to get a win last week, but at the same time, every week becomes more and more important.”
The vegas line for this game is Georgia Tech (-23.5) and the O/U is 52.5, which many will take the over on, you have to imagine. Georgia Tech has been the money-line favorite only one other time so far this season, a game they won. Temple lost the only game it has played, as the underdog this season.
Kickoff is set for September 20th at 4:30pm and set to be televised on the CW Network. Let’s see if Georgia Tech continues to roll or if the Owls can snag a big upset win at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
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