Not much to choose from a metrics standpoint in tomorrow’s FAU at Temple football game.

Plenty to choose from a coaching standpoint.

At one end of the ring, you have an AAC championship head coach in Tom Herman. In the other, you have someone who rose to success as a running back’s coach but no higher anywhere else.

The game between a pair of 2-7 teams (2 p.m., ESPN+) will come down to a question of coaching. Head coaching to be specific.

Temple’s been pretty stubborn in its approach all season.

On the offensive end, the Owls refuse to jumpstart a running game by using two tight ends and bringing more blockers to the point of attack than any defense can handle. Instead, the philosophy of OC Danny Langsdorf has remained stubborn: Use a short passing game to set up a running game.

The only problem with that is defenses don’t respect all of these ball fakes and RPOs without an established run game and you can’t establish the run game without utilizing at least two tight ends and maybe a fullback. That sense of urgency is heightened by the fact that there should be high winds the entire afternoon.

Tom Herman knows both of those facts. After nine games of watching Temple closely, we doubt that Stan Drayton does.

That’s not the only reason Temple, a two-point favorite, will probably lose.

On the other side of the ball, FAU is starting a new quarterback now that Marshall transfer Cam Fancher got injured.

Everett Withers’ philosophy on defense is to drop about 111 people into pass coverage and let the other quarterback run around and pick a receiver. (We’re exaggerating for effect, but we know that Withers, a former DB himself, would drop all 11 guys into pass coverage if he could.)

The way to attack a new starting quarterback is to blitz linebackers, particularly D.J. Woodbury, on third-and-long situations and Withers has an unreasonable reluctance to do that.

When at Temple, Bruce Arians said “the best pass coverage is to put the quarterback on his ass.” Arians should know. He was a starting quarterback at Virginia Tech only about nine years before he became Temple’s head coach.

You should know if Temple is going to win tomorrow by watching for two things.

One, a two-tight end offense that helps an immense talent like Torrez Worthy establish a running game. Two, a defense willing to send the house to sack the quarterback.

If you don’t see either by the end of the first quarter, Temple will lose.

That’s my guess because the Unholy Trinity of Stan Drayton, Danny Langsdorf and Withers has been way too stubborn in their approach while Herman can improvise and adjust.

It’s what championship coaches do and low-level assistant coaches don’t.

Late Saturday Night: Game Analysis

Monday: Debunking an NIL Theory