Temple Football entered last week’s game against No. 15 Oklahoma in a true David vs. Goliath matchup. They failed to pull off the upset, enduring a 48-point loss in their season opener at the hand of the Sooners. Now the Owls must face their next test; a road conference game.
It has been more than 1,000 days since Temple picked up a win away from Lincoln Financial Field when they beat Akron on Sept. 11, 2021. Their last road conference win dates back even further, coming against UConn on Nov. 30, 2019.
The Owls will travel down Interstate 95 to face off against Navy in a rare early-season conference game. Temple stifled the Midshipmen’s triple option last season when they met at Lincoln Financial Field, leading to a 32-18 Owls victory on Nov. 4, 2023.
Now, the Midshipman boast a new-look offense that strays away from the scheme they’ve used for nearly two and a half decades. The Owls’ revamped defense was a ray of sunshine in the lopsided loss to Oklahoma last week and the unit will have to repeat that performance to escape Annapolis, Maryland, with a victory.
Here is everything you need to know before Temple kicks off tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
CAN’T SEE THE FORREST THROUGH THE TREES
After an offseason full of quarterback speculation, it was Forrest Brock who trotted onto the field at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. His first throw indicated how his night was going to fare, missing wide receiver Antonio Jones.
Brock’s night went from bad to worse, throwing two interceptions as the Owls put just three points on the scoreboard. Despite his measly 128 passing yards, head coach Stan Drayton never wavered in his decision to start the former JUCO transfer and has faith in his starter.
“I think his response has been phenomenal,” Drayton said. “He knows he’s better than that. He self-reflects and takes ownership of what he can do better and what he did wrong against Oklahoma. There was no real flinch or loss of confidence, even after some of the setbacks that he experienced in the course of the game.”
Now, Brock gets to bounce back in his second career start against a Midshipman defense that ranked among the middle of the pack in passing defense last season, giving up 225 yards per game. The Owls’ offense showed some form of life in the third quarter after being dead in the water for much of the game. If they can recreate those drives, Brock and company can surge against Navy.
The offense has been tailored to Brock’s strengths and that included the ability to use his legs. The Owls were able to use their playmakers to move the ball downfield, but they were stifled by their own errors.
Temple turned the ball over six times in the loss to the Sooners. If the self-inflicted wounds subside, Temple might be able to pick up its first AAC road win in 1,743 days.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Temple’s defense held its own in the loss against Oklahoma despite the scoreboard. The Owls allowed 441 yards per game last season but held the Sooners, who averaged 507 last year, to just 378 in the season opener. The Owls ability to restrict the Sooners’ offense was impressive given their defensive woes last season.
While the defense was praised, the linebacker core was a weak spot against the Sooners. Single-digit D.J. Woodbury Sr. and Tyquan King stood out in the loss, but it was still a step back from the duo of Jordan Magee and Yvandy Rigby the Owls had last season.
Navy’s offense will provide a challenge for the defensive unit, with a majority of their plays coming from triple-option looks. Temple’s linebackers were the achilles heel of the defense last week and will have to be the key contributors in order to take down the Midshipmen.
The Owls will be without defensive end Diwun Black for yet another game, but the defensive linemen still have the ability to recreate the same performance they had last year against Navy, where the Midshipmen were held to 144 yards on the ground.
TOO MANY OPTIONS
The Midshipmen enter week two on a high note after cruising by Bucknell in their opening game 49-21. Navy looked good on both sides of the ball in the win, but the main takeaway was the debut of their new offensive scheme.
New Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic made a change to Navy’s scheme after the program exclusively ran the triple option for many years. Cronic implemented a hybrid Wing-T offense that features the run game but has more of an emphasis on the passing game. Utilizing a heavy dose of backfield misdirection and more passing, the Midshipmen’s offense cruised.
Navy racked up 264 rushing yards and had three passing touchdowns against Bucknell. Still a majority run-heavy team, Navy continues to feature fullbacks Daba Fofana and Alex Tecza in the backfield, each of whom had a touchdown in week one. Quarterback Blake Horvath had two of the passing touchdowns and completed seven of his 12 passes overall.
“There’s going to be a huge component to a triple option,” Drayton said. “We see some dives, and we’re going to see some option play on the perimeter, and they set the pass up off of that. They were different a year ago.”
Navy boasts a strong defense with a handful of returning production from a defense that ranked third in the AAC in points allowed per game last season. Linebacker Colin Ramos leads the Navy defense again this season after racking up 110 tackles and the making all-AAC first-team last season.
SPOILER ALERT
Ryan Mack, Sports Editor – “Temple was able to stifle Navy’s triple option the last time these two teams faced off last year. The only problem is, that was last season. The fact the Midshipmen has a new offense doesn’t necessarily fare well for Temple. I think the Owls’ defense will be able to create problems for the Wing-T offense and live in the backfield. But I don’t have confidence that the offense will be able to capitalize and the Owls to its advantage and will come back to Philadelphia sitting at 0-2.”
Navy wins 17-14.
Colin Schofield, Assistant Sports Editor – “Coming off a tough loss, the Owls have to snap into conference mode much sooner than they are used to. Navy presents intriguing challenges on offense with their new system and could have some hidden tricks for Temple. While I liked what I saw from the Owls’ defense in week one, the offense struggled mightily and Navy is another very solid defense. I think it will be a close game, but I don’t see it falling in Temple’s favor.”
Navy wins 24-14.
Sienna Conaghan, Assistant Sports Editor – “After seeing Temple’s defense in the season opener, they have the potential to give Navy a hard time. However, I don’t know if the offense has figured out what they need to do to get past the defense and onto the scoreboard. I think the Owls still have a lot of things they need to fine tune before they are able to pick up a win.”
Navy wins 21-17.
Jaison Nieves, Sports Social Media Manager – “Temple’s defense last week showed that they are the dominant side of the ball and that by sheer tenacity alone have the potential to win games. While the offense may have struggled to get going, I think they do just enough to scrap by a win over the Midshipmen.”
Temple wins 20-10.
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