Oklahoma-Temple GameDay Preview: Under the Radar

These Sooners could fly under the radar in No. 13 Oklahoma’s first road matchup of the year against the Temple Owls.

Oklahoma defensive backs Courtland Guillory and Reggie Powers III celebrate in the Sooners' win over Illinois State. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

CBs Courtland Guillory, Devon Jordan

Oklahoma's Courtland Guillory celebrates after making a play against Michigan. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma’s cornerbacks might be in the spotlight this week — or, maybe they won’t. Temple’s high-flying offense has put up huge numbers through two games, outscoring its opponents 97-17. Quarterback Evan Simon has 422 yards passing with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. TE Peter Clarke leads the team with 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns. WRs JoJo Bermudez has 111 yards and a TD, and Xavier Irvin has 78 yards on three catches last week alone. But here’s the punchline: those were against UMass and Howard, a brand new FBS opponent and an FCS opponent. That was Temple’s first back-to-back wins since 2021. Still … with Eli Bowen still out and Gentry Williams likely not playing this week, OU’s backup corners could be feeling the heat. Guillory is a true freshman and Jordan is a redshirt freshman, and it’s entirely likely that first-year coach K.C. Keeler comes up with a plan to target the Sooners’ inexperienced corners. 

— John E. Hoover

S Peyton Bowen

Oklahoma safety Peyton Bowen makes a tackle against Illinois State. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Finally healthy again, safety Peyton Bowen has put together his strongest two games as a member of Oklahoma’s defense. But as a freshman, he made an immediate impact on special teams with a pair of punt blocks. He also forced a fumble in 2023, but Bowen was unable to force a turnover last year while battling a lower-body injury. The Sooners have yet to force a turnover in 2025, though that’s hardly indicative of poor play. Oklahoma overwhelmed Illinois State and mostly contained Michigan, but Temple coach K.C. Keeler is prepared to air it out on Saturday. With the Sooners’ pass rush closing in, there will be plenty of opportunities to pick off Temple quarterback Evan Simon, and in turn, Bowen will have a chance to haul in the first takeaway of 2025.

— Ryan Chapman 

DE Taylor Wein

Oklahoma defensive end Taylor Wein (44) rolls through drills at one of the Sooners' fall camp practices. | DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Redshirt sophomore defensive end Taylor Wein has been a key playmaker in the Sooners’ first two games of 2025. In OU’s opener against Illinois State, Wein logged his first-career sack and recorded one other tackle. Against Michigan in Week 2, Wein assisted on three tackles. Prior to 2025, Wein had notched only two tackles over 13 games in the past two seasons. If Oklahoma can attain a large lead by halftime, R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr. will likely sit out for the latter parts of the game. That would give Wein and guys like Danny Okoye, Adepoju Adebawore and Wyatt Gilmore to show the depth within the defensive end room.

— Carson Field

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Read More Oklahoma vs. Temple

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• Oklahoma-Temple Preview: Sooners On SI Staff Picks
• Oklahoma Must Keep Focus to Flip Road Outcomes Under Venables
• Can Sooners Keep Up First-Half Dominance? Ryan Aber's Three Bold Predictions for Oklahoma-Temple

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WR Ivan Carreon

Oklahoma receiver Ivan Carreon makes a play during the Sooners' spring game. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The vast majority of the snaps at wide receiver have been taken by the Sooners’ top trio of Deion Burks, Keontez Lewis and Isaiah Sategna III. Those three have accounted for nearly 94% of the snaps by Oklahoma receivers through two games. Carreon hasn’t been in that core group, seeing just eight snaps of action through two games. But there’s reason to believe that could change. First, the Sooners need to continue to build depth at the position, helping to prevent a drastic slide if injuries start to happen amongst the group. While John Mateer has built plenty of chemistry with the primary group, that needs to be nurtured with others as well. At 6-foot-6, Carreon’s size puts him in position to be a difference-maker there and he received rave reviews, particularly late in preseason camp, for his improvement since last season — when he had 10 catches for 89 yards as a freshman. Especially if OU can build a lead early, expect to see Carreon getting some reps in this one.

— Ryan Aber

The Head Coach

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables speaks to the refs during the Sooners' contest with Michigan. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Pain is the world's greatest adhesive," Venables said last week following Oklahoma's 24-13 win over Michigan. While that is certainly a rallying quote, Oklahoma fans would prefer less pain whenever Venables' Sooners achieve success. In Venables' three seasons as head coach, big wins have been few and far between. What has remained consistent — and therefore what must change if Oklahoma is to reach some lofty goals this year — is the plummet back down to earth following a big win. Before cries of, "It's only Temple," come out, remember the team's performance against an average UCF squad following the Venables era-defining win over Texas in 2023. We can find out a lot even in games where OU is a decisive favorite. If the Sooners take care of business, chalk that up as a win for the head coach.

— Brady Trantham