Quarterback

P.J. Walker

First-year quarterback P.J. Walker was inserted into the starting lineup to replace Connor Reilly, who was struggling and 0-4 as a starter.

Walker led the Owls to their first win of the season over the Army Black Nights last week and threw for over 200 yards, completed 62 percent of his passes and two touchdowns.

With Walker at the helm, the Owls offense has shown some serious improvement, but still is a serious work in progress.

His 197.8 QB rating from last week is something to build on for the Owls, but if the SMU defense can get a good pass rush, Walker may get rattled.

Running Back

Zaire Williams

The first-year running back for Temple, Zaire Williams, has come on strong the last two weeks for Temple.

Williams has rushed for 136 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns the last two weeks.

Against Cincinnati, Williams also showed why he’s a threat in the passing game, catching three passes for 51 yards.

Williams is a big part of the Owls’ 1-2 punch and has taken on more of a role as Walker took over at quarterback.

Running Back

Kenneth Harper

The junior from Florida has had an up-and-down year so far, rushing for 100 yards against Fordham, but just 28 against Louisville.

Harper is the Owls’ bigger back at 6-foot, 225 pounds and will be expected to have a big impact against SMU to take some of the pressure off of Walker.

If Harper can combine with Williams for a good game, Walker will just have to manage the game instead of win it for the Owls.

Linebacker

Tyler Matakevich

Sophomore linebacker Tyler Matakevich has been a tackling machine so far for the Owls, racking up 78 solo tackles along with seven tackles for loss and an interception.

While Matakevich has not had a sack, he flies around the field and disrupts plays for the Owls.

SMU’s blocking schemes will have to adjust to keep an eye on him in the running game because Matakevich is more than capable of stuffing plays at the line.

Defensive Lineman

Matt Ioannidis

Another sophomore is defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis who has had a solid year so far for Temple.

The 6-foot-4, 285 pound tackle has 16 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on the year.

His size inside helps Temple against the run, but the Owls ranked 102nd against the run.

If Ioannidis can break through the SMU offensive line though, the positive momentum that Traylon Shead has coming into this game from the Memphis game, will quickly go away.