After Temple routed Utah State 45-29 on Sept. 21, it seemed like the team had turned a corner. They held an underwhelming 1-3 record but hung tough against Coastal Carolina a week prior and showed positive signs in their season opener against Oklahoma.
The Owls overcame a 14-point deficit against the Aggies and found its starting quarterback for the remainder of the season in Rutgers transfer Evan Simon.
Temple endured its fair share of bumps and struggles during the first two seasons of head coach Stan Drayton’s tenure, so the win against Utah State was a breath of fresh air. Before the season started, Drayton spoke at length about how his team wasn’t focused on proving the doubters wrong but instead wanted to prove themselves right.
“You can’t claim to be ‘Temple TUFF’ if you can’t take a hit in the mouth and turn around the next day and get up and get back in the fight,” Drayton said. “You’re fake if you don’t.”
Two months later, Temple’s week four win feels like a distant memory. The Owls won just two more games the rest of the season and eliminated any hope the team had to build off the early success. Temple gave up at least 50 points in two straight games capped off by an underwhelming 52-6 loss to Tulane on Nov. 9.
Temple beat Florida Atlantic the following week, but Drayton was fired less than 24 hours later, ending his nearly three-year tenure with a record of 9-25.
The Owls’ fortunes were the same when defensive coordinator Everett Withers took Drayton’s place. They closed the year out with a 3-9 record for a fourth consecutive year after a loss to North Texas to end the season. On Dec. 1, Temple hired former Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler to be its new head coach.
“I am beyond thrilled to be named Temple University’s next head football coach,” Keeler wrote in a statement after he was hired. “I would like to thank [Athletic Director] Arthur Johnson and President John Fry for this incredible opportunity. Their shared vision and enthusiasm for returning this program to greatness has been contagious. I’m eager to get to work to bring that vision to fruition for the Cherry and the White. It’s a perfect fit and it feels great to be coming back home!”
Expectations weren’t high for the program in 2024, but there is still much to dissect as the Owls prepare for Keeler’s first season. Here is where things stand entering another important offseason.
THE GOOD
Most of the positives on the offensive side of the ball came from Simon. He battled with fellow quarterback Forrest Brock for the starting quarterback job throughout training camp but Brock came out on top. Simon eventually stepped into the starting role against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 14 and never looked back.
Simon nearly brought the Owls back from a 14-point hole against the Chanticleers but a misplaced pass on the final drive of the game spoiled the comeback effort. However, the offense looked smoother and he took better control of the unit than Brock did in his two starts to open the season. Simon led the Owls to their first win of the season the following week against Utah State and things were looking up.
Simon remained the starter the rest of the season and finished with 15 touchdown passes and 2,032 yards through the air.
“[Simon is] exactly what we need right now,” Drayton said following the Owls’ win against Utah State.
Simon’s success came from his connection with his pass catchers, most notably wide receiver Dante Wright. After dealing with injuries in 2023, Wright put together a career year in his second season on North Broad. He had four straight games with 90 yards receiving or more and finished with 61 receptions and 792 yards.
Wright got injured against Tulsa on Oct. 18, but players like wide receiver Ashton Allen and tight end Landon Morris stepped up.
Morris, who missed all of last season due to the two-time transfer rule, showed flashes before Wright returned against FAU on Nov. 16. Wright recorded 14 catches, the second-most in a game in program history, and 147 receiving yards with a touchdown.
“Really just practice,” Wright said. “I just had a really good week in practice. Having Evan trust me the way he does, and just expecting the ball.”
On the defensive end, the linebacker core was able to take the reins as the heart of the defense. D.J. Woodbury Sr. seamlessly filled the hole left by culture builders Jordan Magee and Yvandy Rigby, who graduated and left for the NFL.
Woodbury, a single-digit captain, became a leader on defense and a player his teammates leaned on. Woodbury started the year on a roll and formed a tandem with ECU transfer linebacker Tyquan King. After being inserted into the starting lineup in week four, King transformed into one of the best linebackers in the AAC.
King became a tackling machine for the Owls, and finished the year with an AAC-leading 111 tackles. He became the first player since current NFL player Tyler Matakevich to reach 100 tackles, and Woodbury followed him with 103.
“When I first got here in the spring, I was put through three different spots,” King said. “Coach Woods just wanted to get a feel for me and see how I get acclimated into the system. Once I was able to hone in on one spot it allowed me to flourish, because I could focus on my job description.”
Defensive end Diwun Black missed the first four games of the season for undisclosed reasons but made an instant impact upon his return. He finished with four sacks on the year and was a force by constantly hurrying the quarterback. Against Tulsa, he forced a crucial fourth down stop in just his third game back.
THE BAD
Temple was constantly beaten up on both sides of the line, causing the offense to frequently depend on Simon to make plays. Running back Terrez Worthy became a fixture later in the year but finished with just 425 total yards on the ground.
Running backs Antwain Littleton and Joquez Smith were expected to be the main contributors in the backfield, but Littleton got hurt and Smith never produced. The Owls averaged 93 rushing yards per game, last in the AAC and 127th in the country.
The lack of rushing limited the offense, as Temple averaged just 306 total yards per game, ranking at the bottom of the conference again. It also led to Temple being unable to sustain drives, converting only 32% of its third downs.
“The most important thing for us is to keep their offense on the sideline,” Wither said. “How do you do that? Gotta keep drives alive. You can’t be second and 15. We got to be second to five, second and sevens and then third and twos.”
While they struggled to run the ball, Temple also struggled to stop the rush on defense. They were overmatched at the line of scrimmage and let up an average of 227 rushing yards per game, last in the AAC. The Owls let seven teams rush for 200 yards or more and had three teams run for at least 300 yards on them.
The front-line struggles took the heat off the secondary, but the back line had its fair share of issues as well. After looking like a strong point during the middle of the season, including a stretch of four interceptions in a four-week span, the defensive backs fell off of a cliff. It first started with a five-touchdown performance from ECU quarterback Katin Houser on Oct. 26 and continued throughout the remainder of the season.
The secondary was constantly tested in the back half of the season and regularly came out on the wrong side of the battle. Cornerbacks Ben Osueke and Torey Richardson were targeted and flagged multiple times against Tulsa and ECU. Safety Andreas Keaton, known for his plus tackling ability, was a liability in coverage and let up multiple big plays throughout the season.
“We play really well at times on defense and at times our offense kind of struggled,” Drayton said following the loss to Tulane. “In this last game, our offense kind of showed up. The last couple games, they showed up in spots and our defense has had a rough go.”
Temple was also hit with the injury bug in the middle of the season and some of its best players had to miss time. Just like last season, the offensive line was a revolving door with starters Wisdom Quarshie and Kevin Terry missing multiple weeks. Center Grayson Mains injured his leg against Tulsa and also missed the back half of the year.
Wright and Simon both spent time rehabbing injuries of their own, with Wright missing two games and Simon missing one. The offense took steps back when they were out.
WHAT’S NEXT?
It took just two weeks after Drayton’s dismissal for Johnson to find his replacement. Keeler, who previously coached at Sam Houston State, the University of Delaware and Rowan University, is the second-winningest active head coach in college football with 271 career wins.
“Coach Keeler has a track record of evaluating, recruiting, and developing student-athletes into championship-level young men,” Johnson wrote in the statement. “His leadership, experience, and the culture he establishes within programs are exactly what Temple football needs as we look to return to prominence in the competitive college football landscape. We are ecstatic to welcome K.C., his wife, Janice, and his entire family to Temple.”
Keeler has won two FCS national championships, one with Sam Houston State in 2020 and another in 2003 while he was coaching the University of Delaware. He has 17 FCS playoff appearances and coached Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco with the Blue Hens after Flacco transferred from the University of Pittsburgh.
“Coach Keeler took a chance on me 20 years ago and I’ll never forget that.” Flacco wrote in the statement. “I couldn’t be more excited for him and his family. If you’re an Owls fan, I’d be excited. He has been a winner everywhere he’s been.”
Keeler helped the Bearkats during their transition to the FBS level in 2023. In just their second season in the Conference USA, Sam Houston State posted a 9-3 record. The Emmaus, Pennsylvania, native could give the Owls an edge in the local recruiting field.
Now that Temple has tapped their next head coach, his first order of business is to reel in players from last year’s roster to return in 2025.
Team captains Wright, Woodbury and defensive tackle Latrell Jean will graduate and leave the program. Simon, who was a solid replacement for former quarterback E.J. Warner after he transferred to Rice, gave a cryptic response when asked about whether or not he would return to Temple next season.
“Someone just asked me ‘Are you staying? Are you going?’” Simon said. “I said, ‘People have asked me before. I try and push that away like not even worry about it.’ So that’s something that’s a family conversation, but that’s for another day.”
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