Temple Football head coach Stan Drayton has been assigned a near impossible mission heading into his third season at the helm. The Owls open up their season Friday night traveling down south to take on No. 16 Oklahoma.
Temple heads into its first game with more questions than answers. Drayton has remained coy on who his starting quarterback will be and the Owls brought in new players, most of whom will see the field Friday.
“It’s us, that’s it,” Drayton said. “Everything else we can’t control, but what we can control is what happens in this building. How we go about our preparation, how we approach the game, our mindset leading up to the game, it’s really all about us.”
Do the Owls actually have a chance to keep the game competitive or possibly upset the Sooners for one of the biggest upsets in program history? Here is everything you need to know ahead of Temple’s week one matchup against Oklahoma.
NEW TEAM, NEW SCHEME
Temple defensive coordinator Everrett Withers joined the Owls during spring camp last season, inheriting a roster that finished first in the American Athletic Conference in sacks the year prior.
The Owls couldn’t replicate the same success in 2023, with just 22 sacks — good enough for 10th in the AAC. Withers changed the scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3 this offseason and the early returns have been positive during fall camp.
“I’m coming from places where we get vertical, we go penetrate the backfield,” said defensive tackle Allan Haye. “Getting back playing like that is fun, because last year’s defense was my first time playing in a 3-4.”
The lack of a consistent pass rush left the secondary exposed and the group was torched toward the end of 2023. The new defense allows Temple to attack the quarterback, something they were unable to do last season.
Defensive end Tra Thomas will now be able to wreak havoc rushing the passer this season following the scheme change. The Owls will need that boost — and more — on the defensive side of the ball to complete the upset Friday night.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
All eyes will be on whoever starts at quarterback Friday night, which Drayton said wouldn’t be announced until game day. The Owls bolstered the rest of their offense during the offseason in hopes of mitigating their signal caller downgrade.
The run game is expected to be a feature of the offense this season and Temple brought in the pieces to make it happen. Antwain Littleton traveled up I-95 from Maryland after being a rotation running back for the Terrapins. Littleton is a big power back who is expected to add a dimension to the run game that the Owls have lacked the last few seasons.
The Owls’ backfield will also feature returners Joquez Smith and E.J. Wilson with each back offering a different running style.
“They bring their own thing to the table when it comes to the game,” Littleton said. “I’m the power. You got E.J. [Wilson], he’s mostly all around, he can get jiggy a little bit. You have Joquez, he’s short and compact. He can kill you with speed, make moves with it up at the second level that I haven’t seen from a young guy.”
Temple’s run game last season was lackluster, which was due in part to a revolving door on the offensive line. The Owls addressed the issue in the offseason, with South Carolina transfer Grayson Mains expected to start at center and the rest of the line returning from injury.
If Temple wants to hang with Oklahoma’s high-powered offense, the run game has to be a prominent factor to take some of the load off the quarterback.
ON OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is coming off a 10-3 season that ended with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. The Sooners lost starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the transfer portal in the offseason, but have former top recruit Jackson Arnold ready to take the reins of the offense.
The Sooners return leading rusher Gavin Sawchuk and four of their top five receivers from 2023. Oklahoma is known for its high-powered offense, ranking sixth in the country last season in scoring. Even with a revamped defense, slowing down Oklahoma is going to be a tall task for Temple.
Defensively, the Sooners are just as talented. They return their leading tackler Danny Stutsman, sack leader Ethan Downs and leader in interceptions Billy Bowman Jr. The Sooners aren’t traditionally known for having a top-tier defense, but they ranked top 50 in the country last season in scoring defense.
SPOILER ALERT
Ryan Mack, Sports Editor – “The Owls got better this offseason at many different groups. However, they didn’t improve at the most important position; quarterback. No matter who starts between Evan Simon or Forrest Brock, I don’t think they have what it takes to pick up a win.”
Oklahoma wins 56-3.
Colin Schofield, Assistant Sports Editor – “This matchup is about as difficult of a matchup as the Owls could have to open the season. With so many new faces and questions about the quarterback, it might take some time for everything to gel together. I don’t envision Temple being able to keep up with the Sooners.”
Oklahoma wins 54-10.
Sienna Conoghan, Assistant Sports Editor – “With so many new Owls this year, this is an unfortunate game to start the season. Temple has shown much improvement from last season but the offseason was just not long enough for the Owls to get their footing. I don’t see an outcome where Temple comes on top.”
Oklahoma wins 56-6.
Jaison Nieves, Sports Social Media Manager- “As much as the Owls have worked to improve their various groups, they are simply just outmatched by the Sooners in every sense of the word. No matter who will be under center to start, they will have a difficult time traveling to Norman and pulling off the massive upset.”
Oklahoma wins 45-6.
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