American Athletic Conference school Temple will be looking to close its season with a victory in the Independence Bowl against Duke, but the Owls will be without head coach Geoff Collins as he left for another job. Temple is a slight NCAAF Betting underdog against the Blue Devils from the ACC.

How to Bet Temple vs Duke 2018 Independence Bowl Odds & Preview

😏@qharris18 ➡️ Daniel Helm on a jump pass ➡️ W at Miami ➡️ Play No. 2 pic.twitter.com/y1WpUxACFG

— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) 26 de diciembre de 2018

• When: Saturday, 1:30 PM ET
• Where: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.
• TV: ESPN
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• Radio: ESPN Radio
• 2018 Independence Bowl Odds: Temple -3 (Total 54.5)

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• Wind: 9 mph S

 

Why Bet on Temple?

Temple assistant head coach/tight-ends and special-teams coach Ed Foley will have the rare distinction of serving as an interim coach for the second time after former Owls coach Geoff Collins left for Georgia Tech. Foley was Temple’s interim coach after Matt Rhule left for Baylor in December 2016; the Owls lost to Wake Forest 34-26 in the Military Bowl.   The Owls closed the regular season strong in winning three straight and six of seven – they clobbered UConn 57-7 in the finale. The Owls scored on seven of their eight first-half possessions and led 40-7 after two quarters. They never took their foot off the gas pedal and finished with 516 total yards. At one point during the second quarter, UConn threw an interception and fumbled three times on consecutive offensive plays.

After taking over as the starter, QB Antony Russo led the team to a 7-2 record and hung an average of 36 points and 435.7 yards per game. The defense ranked in the Top 10 in the country in touchdowns (7, 1st), takeaways (28, 3rd), fumble recoveries (13, 3rd), passing efficiency (103.06, 5th), yards per play (4.49, 7th), and passing yards per game (166.3, 8th). Only four teams in FBS have forced more than Temple’s 64 three-and-outs: #1 Alabama (72), #2 Clemson (70), Utah State (67), and Cincinnati (67). The Owls have forced a three-and-out on 38.6% of their defensive drives.

Temple also has the most dynamic returner in the country. WR Isaiah Wright, the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year, became the first Temple player to return both a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in consecutive seasons.

Collectively, the Temple senior class has become the winningest class in school history with 35 wins. They are the only senior class to play in four bowl games, which is half the amount that Temple has played in over the school’s 120 football seasons.

This is Temple’s eighth bowl appearance. They won the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl 28-3 over Florida International.

Why Bet on Duke?

The Blue Devils sure didn’t close the season strong, losing 35-6 at Clemson and, truly shockingly, 59-7 at home to Wake Forest. For Wake Forest, the 59-7 result was the largest margin of victory over an ACC opponent in program history. For Duke, the defeat was the program’s most lopsided in coach David Cutcliffe’s 11 seasons in charge.

But, that’s in the past now. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones has generated some buzz as a potential NFL first-round draft choice if he forgoes his final college season. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,251 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Jones (17 & 7) is one of three QBs in the ACC to have 17+ TD passes coupled with seven or fewer INTs, joining Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (24 & 4) and Syracuse’s Eric Dungey (17 & 7).

Over the last five weeks of the regular season, RB Deon Jackson totaled 961 all-purpose yards on 94 touches, good for an average of 10.22 yards per handle. Jackson enters the bowl season ranking third in the ACC in all-purpose yards per game (124.6).

Led by repeat first-team selection LB Joe GilesHarris, six Blue Devils earned All-ACC honors. Giles-Harris became the first Duke LB to earn multiple first-team All-ACC accolades since Mike Junkin in 1985-86. Giles-Harris is one of five players in Duke history to register 300+ tackles and 30.0+ TFL in a career.

The Blue Devils will make their 14th bowl game appearance and hold an all-time record of 5-8 including a 2-3 ledger under Cutcliffe. Duke will play in a bowl game for the sixth time in the last seven seasons (2012-18). In the 99 seasons prior to 2012, the Blue Devils played in eight bowls. Cutcliffe is a member of the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor after posting victories as Mississippi’s coach in 1998, 1999 and 2002.

The Blue Devils are 27-30-5 against current members of the American Athletic Conference.

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Latest Temple vs Duke 2018 Independence Bowl Betting Trends

• Blue Devils are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games
• Blue Devils are 7-2 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
• Owls are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games
• Owls are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up win
• Temple is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Temple’s last 6 games
• Duke is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Duke’s last 23 games

Expert Prediction

Recent play matters – take Temple.