Temple entered its game against UTSA with the program undergoing massive changes. Former head coach Stan Drayton was let go following the Owls’ 18-15 win against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 16 and defensive coordinator Everett Withers took control as interim head coach.
First up for Withers in the post-Drayton era: UTSA, who had scored more than 40 points in each of its last three games. The Owls’ defense had struggled all season and had a tall task against the high-octane Roadrunners offense.
The high-powered Roadrunners offense was on full display in the first half as they racked up 28 points and 360 yards. The offensive explosion was highlighted by a 97-yard kick return touchdown from wide receiver Chris Carpenter. The Owls’ offense did their best to keep up, but it was not enough as they dropped their first game without Drayton.
Temple (3-8, 2-5 American Athletic Conference) lost to UTSA (6-5, 4-3 AAC) 51-27 Friday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Temple was outgained by nearly 300 yards but kept pace with the Roadrunners until the fourth quarter.
After scoring on their first drive for the first time all season last week against FAU, Temple reverted to its old ways and went three and out while only gaining one yard on Friday.
The Roadrunners start was the complete opposite. They marched down the field in two minutes to take a 7-0 lead. Temple’s rush defense struggles continued again, even with linebackers coach Chris Woods leading the defense. UTSA running back Robert Henry Jr. scored a 40-yard rushing touchdown to finish the opening drive.
From there, the Owls’ defense began to redeem itself. Temple forced a turnover on downs on the next UTSA drive followed by a punt after that. Temple finally got on the board on its third drive of the game when the Owls drove into field goal range and kicker Maddux Trujillo converted a 37-yard attempt.
UTSA promptly responded in the second quarter when quarterback Owen McCown took a keeper 75 yards to the endzone to extend the Roadrunners’ lead to 14-3. McCown came into the game as the AAC’s third leading passer with 2,961 yards, but hurt the Owls with his legs.
The Owls’ defense once again bounced back as linebacker D.J. Woodbury Sr. picked off McCown on the next UTSA drive. Quarterback Evan Simon engineered a scoring drive off the turnover, capping it off with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Dante Wright to cut the Owls’ deficit to 14-10.
The good vibes were short-lived as on the ensuing kickoff, Carpenter took it 97 yards back for a Roadrunners touchdown. The onslaught continued on the UTSA drive. Henry rushed 88 yards deep into Temple territory and finished the drive off with an eight-yard rushing touchdown to extend the UTSA lead to 28-10.
Simon maneuvered a perfect two-minute drill as he drove the Owls 75 yards down the field. Running back Antwain Littleton punched in a touchdown from four yards out to trim Temple’s deficit to 28-17 heading into the locker room.
The offensive fireworks continued as the second half got underway. UTSA drove down the field on its opening drive, but Temple’s defense limited them to a field goal. Midway through the third quarter, Simon launched a ball downfield to Wright who hauled in the pass for a 61-yard score to cut the UTSA lead to 31-24.
The Owls had been trailing all game but had a chance to tie the game after forcing a UTSA punt late in the third quarter. However, Simon was intercepted along the sideline to begin Temple’s offensive drive. UTSA responded by scoring in two plays to sap Temple’s momentum and extend its lead to 38-24.
Once the fourth quarter rolled around the Owls had run out of gas. Temple only managed to gain 79 yards in the quarter while UTSA put the game out of reach with a touchdown and a pair of field goals. The Roadrunners finished the game with 530 total yards, with 310 coming on the ground. Wright had another big game, finishing with 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The Owls will return home for their final game of the season against North Texas (5-5, 2-4 AAC) on Nov. 30 at noon.
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