How to watch UConn football vs. Temple

STORRS – On several occasions the night before a game, UConn football head coach Jim Mora, a veteran public speaker, asked Gordon Sammis to address the team.

“He has a really good way about him that draws players in and holds their attention,” Mora said.

Sammis arrived at UConn during Mora's first year as offensive line coach and quickly established a mindset and culture within his group that was visible to the entire team. When he speaks, he talks about “mindset points” to focus on each week, tells stories that stick and often draws analogies to boxing, said tight end Alex Honig.

“He just always impressed me. He’s very intelligent,” said Mora, who promoted Sammis to offensive coordinator before this season. “You look at him and how his team played – the offensive line, when I came here, was actually one of our weaknesses and has become one of our strengths. Of course that depends on the players, but also on how he trained the players and how they reacted to his coaching. So you think, 'Wow, he can do that with this group, can he do that with the whole group?'”

So far, the answer to this question has been revealed in the field.

UConn's offense under Sammis is running in a way it hasn't in the last decade and a half.

The Huskies enter week five against Temple (ranked 102nd in the FBS in total defense) with three monster wins and a 158-34 lead at home. The offense, which involves two very different quarterbacks due to injury, ranks 26th nationally in total yards per game (465.4), with 244.6 on the ground (11th in the FBS) and 220, 8 can be run through the air (No. 77).

Overall, the offensive unit under Sammis ranks 24th with 37.2 points per game. The last time UConn averaged over 30 points in a season was 2009, when the Huskies beat South Carolina 8-5 in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.

“He’s great,” Honig said. “I love playing for (coach Sammis) because you know what you’re going to get from him. He is very direct with you, but is also a lot of fun in meetings. You know that he will be there when it's time to go to work and that he won't interrupt you. Especially during practice, we do what we have to do and he doesn't worry about repetitions. We want to be perfect on offense and he gets us, we strive for excellence.

“He's really a guy that makes him easy to play for, just because he's so passionate about it.”

Temple's road problems

Temple, ranked 126th out of 134 FBS programs by CBS Sports and a 17-point underdog entering Saturday, has not won a road game since Sept. 11, 2021 against Akron.

The Owls played their first two games of the season on the road against Oklahoma and Navy and neither loss was close. They defeated Utah State 45-29 in the middle of a three-game homestand that featured losses to Coastal Carolina and Army.

Keep an eye on…

UConn QB Joe Fagnano: If Nick Evers is healthy and ready to go, he will start. If not, which seems the more likely option, although he was able to return to training this week after his head injury, Fagnano has shown he will be ready. The Huskies' backup has thrown for 727 yards and 10 touchdowns, with just one interception, while completing 57.9% of his passes.

Temple LB Tyquan King: King is a West Haven native and was one of the most influential players on Temple's defensive unit. He's second on the team with 38, 17 solo tackles and leads the Owls with two sacks this year. King attended Dillon High in South Carolina and spent two years at North Carolina A&T and one year at East Carolina before joining the Owls.

Temple's QB situation: Coach Stan Drayton began the season with R-Jr. Forrest Brock at QB, but Brock injured his wrist in week two at Navy. Classmate Evan Simon started the next three games and threw five touchdowns in the win over Utah State, but injured his shoulder after being sacked seven times against Army last week. Both QBs are reportedly not at 100%, but it appears that Brock (59.2%, 405 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT) could be the healthiest option to start Saturday.

Temple and Run: While every game against Army or Navy's triple option skews the stats (Temple allowed a combined 714 rushing yards in those games), the Owls' defense has allowed at least 180 yards on the ground in each of their games so far. Offensively, Temple ranks 123rd in rushing offense behind an O-line that has allowed 17 sacks and 30 tackles for loss this season.

What you should know

Website: Rentschler Field in East Hartford

Line: UConn through 17

Time: 3:30 p.m

TV: CBS Sports Network – Jordan Kent, Adam Breneman, Keiana Martin

Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9

On-line: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino

Record 2024: UConn: 3-2, Temple: 1-4

Series: Temple leads, 14-6.

Last meeting: November 30, 2019 – Temple 49, UConn 17 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia

Reading before the game: