1983 Major eastern college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Penn State411841
No. 16 West Virginia420930
No. 18 Pittsburgh211831
No. 19 Boston College $320930
Syracuse330650
Temple240470
Rutgers050380
Rankings from AP Poll
1983 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Miami (FL)   1110
Virginia Tech   920
No. 19 Boston College   930
No. 16 West Virginia   930
No. 20 East Carolina   830
No. 18 Pittsburgh   831
Florida State   840
Penn State   841
Southern Miss   740
Memphis State   641
Notre Dame   750
Syracuse   650
South Carolina   560
Cincinnati  461
Southwestern Louisiana   460
Temple   470
Tulane   470
Louisville   380
Navy   380
Rutgers   380
Army   290
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 Temple Owls football team was an American football team that represented Temple University as an independent during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its first season under head coach Bruce Arians, the team compiled a 4–7 record and was outscored by a total of 241 to 170.[1][2] The team played its home games at Veterans Stadium and Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

The team's statistical leaders included Tim Riordan with 1,732 passing yards, Paul Palmer with 628 rushing yards and 48 points scored, and Russell Carter with 482 receiving yards.[3]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 2SyracuseW 17–611,549[4]
September 10at PittsburghL 0–3545,713[5]
September 24Penn State
L 18–2335,760[6]
October 1Boston College
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
L 15–187,033[7]
October 8at CincinnatiL 16–3118,272[8]
October 15East Carolina
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
L 11–245,461[9]
October 22at DelawareW 23–1618,096[10]
October 28at No. 6 GeorgiaL 14–3181,822[11]
November 5at No. 17 West VirginiaL 9–2750,514[12]
November 12Louisville
  • Veterans Stadium
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 24–73,021[13]
November 19at RutgersW 24–2314,261[14]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. "1983 Temple Owls Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. "2019 Temple Owls Football Media Guide" (PDF). Temple University. p. 132. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  3. "1983 Temple Owls Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  4. "Temple stymies Syracuse". The Sacramento Bee. September 3, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Congemi drives Pitt by Temple". The Pittsburgh Press. September 11, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Finally, Penn St. 'gets one'". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 25, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Flutie 'pitches in' as Boston College turns back Temple". Courier-Post. October 2, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Cincinnati sends Temple reeling to fourth loss, 31–16". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 9, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Temple losing streak reaches five after 24–11 loss to East Carolina". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 16, 1983. Retrieved March 5, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Temple outlasts 'loose' Delaware 23–16". Sunday News Journal. October 23, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Temple hounds Bulldogs but takes 31–14 loss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 30, 1983. Retrieved November 4, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "West Virginia topples Temple, breaks two-game losing streak". Star Tribune. November 6, 1983. Retrieved January 29, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Louisville falls, 24–7, to Temple". The Patriot-News. November 13, 1983. Retrieved March 5, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Rutgers nipped by Temple, 24–23". The Home News. November 20, 1983. Retrieved March 5, 2021 via Newspapers.com.