On the first drive of Temple’s game against UConn on Saturday, the Owls had a prime opportunity to right the wrongs of their season. The defense was on its heels on a fourth-and-one with a chance to get the Huskies off the field. Quarterback Joe Fagnano handed the ball off to Cam Edwards who had the chains in sight.
Instead, cornerback Elijah Deravail stood him up and forced the turnover on downs. The stop set the tone for the game and echoed head coach Stan Drayton’s message about the defense.
“I think our defense did a great job keeping us in the game,” Drayton said. “The turnovers were good to see. Keeping us in the game. Offense came on a little late, but enough to give us a chance to win the ball game late. We didn’t get it done.”
Temple’s defense looked the best it has all season, holding one of the best rushing offenses in the country in check all game. The unit even forced three turnovers, but Temple (1-5, 0-2 American Athletic Conference) headed back to Philadelphia with a loss — this time for a new reason. Poor coaching decisions down the stretch cost the Owls their first road win since 2021 and erased the defense’s valiant effort.
While Temple stood tall against the rush, it was instantly overshadowed by how the game ended — a fumble on the goal line which was returned back for a touchdown as time expired. Drayton entered his press conference dejected after being on the receiving end of a 29-20 loss.
Now, Temple faceplants into its bye week sitting at a 1-5 record and off of its most heartbreaking loss in the Drayton era. But a crucial decision could be the reason Temple ended up in the predicament.
The Owls got the ball with just under four minutes to go in the game with a chance to win or send the game to overtime. Quarterback Forrest Brock made his return in relief of an injured Evan Simon and seemingly orchestrated a potential game-winning drive.
Brock was unable to get going for much of the game, being limited to throwing short passes. He threw 15 passes five yards or less, and looked uncomfortable to air the ball deep, yet used his legs to get Temple’s only offensive touchdown.
Temple tried to go for the win and Drayton decided to sub backup quarterback Tyler Douglas into the game. Douglas made guest appearances during the game but was handed the keys to be the late-game hero against the Huskies. The plan backfired as soon as it was set into motion.
A bad snap kicked off the disaster and Douglas coughed up the ball, which UConn defensive back Jordan Wright scooped up. Wright added insult to injury by returning the fumble 96 yards to score as time expired.
“I’m going to coach to win, because that’s the way my players want it,” Drayton said. “That’s what we want as a coaching staff. That’s what I want as a head football coach is to win ball games, I think our players have been through so much and they deserve that. I think it was absolutely the right call. I would do it again.”
The Owls’ defense, which held strong all game Saturday, had been gashed by the opposing team’s running backs this year, giving up 1395 yards on the ground — the second most in the country.
Temple’s game against UConn (4-2) gave all the signs that it was going to be another uphill battle. The Huskies went into Saturday’s matchup sixth in the country with 1223 rushing yards and looked primed to take full advantage of the Owls’ lack of run support.
But Temple stifled the Huskies’ potent rushing attack, holding their opponent to just 99 yards on the ground. UConn’s three-headed monster of running backs Durell Robinson, Mel Brown and Edwards barely made a peep all game.
The ending ruins what was an otherwise picture-perfect day from the defensive side of the ball. Temple’s defense had been under a microscope for weeks, giving up countless big plays during the first half of the season.
“It comes down to discipline and our eyes,” said defensive tackle Latrell Jean. “We just have to handle our assignment.”
However, the result falls back on Drayton, who kept Brock in a blowout against Navy which ended with him getting hurt. Drayton doubled down on his decision by keeping Simon in during the primetime loss last week against Army and he ended up injured.
“Those are our better players,” Drayton said at last week’s presser. “They’re in those positions for a reason. We got to play our best guys to give ourselves a chance to win.”
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