The 2018 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl will see the Temple Owls take on the Duke Blue Devils in a battle of AAC vs. ACC. The game will take place on Dec. 27. Here is the 2018 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl Preview.

Temple Owls (8-4)

Geoff Collins did a great job with this team, but he has moved on to Georgia Tech. The Owls beat Cincinnati, Houston and USF this season, who are all bowl-eligible this season. They lost to three bowl-eligible teams, but also lost to FCS-level Villanova.

The offense has scored a lot of points, as they averaged 35.6 points per game, ranking T-21st in the country. They rush for 164.5 yards per game (ranked 67th) and pass for 255.8 yards per game (ranked 40th).

Ryquell Armstead (Photo by pressofatlanticcity.com)

Anthony Russo has started most of the season at quarterback for the Owls, but is questionable for this game. If he can’t go, Frank Nutile will take the snaps. Russo has passed for 2,335 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 57.9% completion, while Nutile has thrown for 585 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions on 56% completion. Whoever plays quarterback will have a lot of targets, as five receivers have over 200 receiving yards this season. Ventell Bryant is the best of the bunch with 47 receptions for 659 yards and three touchdowns.

Running back Ryquell Armstead has been a workhorse running back for Temple this season. On the season he has 210 carries for 1,098 yards and 13 touchdowns, which makes him the best offensive player at Temple by far. He is questionable for this game with an ankle injury.

Temple allows 24.7 points per game, which ranks 46th in the country. They give up 190.3 yards on the ground (ranked 90th) and just 166.3 passing yards per game  (ranked seventh). Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin has been a big part of the good pass defense with 12 passes defended and two interceptions.

Duke Blue Devils (7-5)

David Cutcliffe has done a great job turning Duke into a team that makes bowls more often than not. This season they have victories over four bowl-eligible teams including Northwestern, Baylor, Georgia Tech and Miami. The good news is that they only lost to teams that were over .500.

The Blue Devils score 27.2 points per game, which makes them pretty average. Duke rushes for 162.7 yards (ranked 72nd) and passes for 229.9 yards per game (ranked 64th).

Daniel Jones (Photo by dailyprogress.com)

Quarterback Daniel Jones has been the leader of Duke for a few seasons now. In 2018 he has 2,251 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Jonathan Lloyd and T.J. Rahming give Jones two great targets. Rahming leads the team with 63 receptions for 571 yards and six touchdowns, while Lloyd isn’t far off with 46 receptions for 557 yards and five touchdowns.

Duke has two running backs who have played well this season. Brittain Brown has rushed for 350 yards and two touchdowns as the starting running back, but has missed time with a leg injury. Deon Jackson has done well in his absence with 850 yards and seven touchdowns.

The defense allows 27.4 points per game, ranked 70th in the country. They give up 222.3 rushing yards (ranked 116th) and 197.1 passing yards per game (ranked 34th). Linebacker Joe Giles-Harris has 81 total tackles in just nine games played, but is questionable for this game with an injury.

Prediction

With Temple being without their head coach and possibly their starting quarterback, Duke has the advantage. Daniel Jones will show why people think he is a good NFL Draft prospect in this game by making plays against a solid pass defense.

Duke Blue Devils 26 Temple Owls 18

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