Two Losing Streaks Meet in Philadelphia With Temple's New Quarterback in Focus

Two teams in the middle of losing runs meet Thursday at 7:30 PM ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Rice arrives with seven straight losses overall, the longer skid. Temple has lost four straight overall and four straight at home. The teams have not met in the last 400 days, so the case rests on current form and how each offense is built, with Temple's quarterback change the most notable wrinkle.

Temple changed passers between its last two games. Jaxon Smolik led the team with 26 pass attempts against Navy Midshipmen on 2026-11-07, after Ajani Sheppard led it with 20 attempts against East Carolina Pirates on 2026-10-31. Smolik led the team in attempts in only one of its last three games, so his track record is short and the offense Temple shows Thursday is not well established.

Rice's profile looks different. Gael Ochoa is the quarterback, but he had just 13 attempts against North Texas Mean Green on 2026-11-07 and has led the team in attempts in two of its last three games, a low-volume passing role. The ground game carries the workload: Tyvonn Byars has 39 carries over the last three games and D'Andre Hardeman Jr. has 29. Jordan Clark leads the wide receivers with only 5 receptions over that span, so Rice's passing production is thinly spread.

Temple's skill group is more distributed through the air. Colin Chase has 12 receptions over the last three games, Jayce Freeman has 9, tight end Peter Clarke has 6 and JoJo Bermudez has 5. On the ground, Keveun Mason has 27 carries, with Samuel Brown V at 10. Temple has more pass-catchers producing than Rice, while Rice's lead back has a heavier recent carry count than Temple's. Neither team has a reported injury, so these usage patterns should hold.

Rice's last three games have all gone over the total. That describes what has happened, and it sits awkwardly beside a run-first, low-attempt passing profile. It is not a forecast for Thursday. The forecast is 50°F with a 4 mph WSW wind and partly cloudy skies, conditions that should not interfere much with passing or kicking.

Overall, this is a game without a strong story. Both teams are slumping, both quarterback samples are small, and there is no head-to-head history to lean on. Temple's broader receiving group against Rice's run-centred approach is the clearest contrast, but it rests on three games of usage, and Rice's longer losing streak is a description of the past rather than evidence about Thursday.