Temple drops the ball on a chance to earn a second-straight win in road loss to East Carolina

Entering Saturday’s game against East Carolina, Temple had high aspirations of doing two things it had yet to accomplish under head coach Stan Drayton — win back-to-back games and a game on the road.

However, the Owls couldn’t keep up with the Pirates and fell, 56-34, in what seemed like a prime opportunity to end Drayton’s long-standing road losing streak.

Additionally, the loss also virtually ended the team’s already slim bowl-game hopes, a streak that will extend to five years with one more loss this season.

Temple (2-6, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) had seemingly put themselves in a strong position to end both of those droughts with just seconds remaining in the first half, but ECU (4-4, 2-2) quarterback Katin Houser hit wide receiver Chase Sowell for a 45-yard touchdown with just eight seconds remaining in the half. The touchdown sent the Owls into the half down, 27-21.

A rough second half saw Temple’s deficit extend to 28 in the blink of an eye because of a spongy defensive front and an inefficient offense.

Here are three key takeaways from the Owls’ sixth loss of the season:

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Temple’s defense had arguably its best performance of the season in last week’s 20-10 win against Tulsa. The Owls held Golden Hurricane quarterbacks to just 170 total passing yards. Against ECU, Temple allowed 185 in the first half alone.

Pirates quarterback Katin Houser also threw a career-high four touchdown passes in the first half.

On the first offensive play of the second half, Pirates running back Rajjai Harris broke off a 55-yard run, then followed with a four-yard touchdown run for a 35-21 lead.

Harris finished with 130 yards on just 11 carries, while five different Pirates receivers recorded a touchdown on the afternoon.

» READ MORE: Former USC track star Ashton Allen took a ‘leap of faith.’ Now, his speed could be an asset for Temple football.

With star wide receiver Dante Wright inactive, Temple made it a priority to spread the ball around from the jump. Tight ends Daniel Evert and Landon Morris have flashed in recent weeks, but it was former NCAA track star Ashton Allen who stood out against ECU.

Allen finished with four catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns — one from 60 yards and another from 27. The scores were Allen’s first in a Temple uniform since transferring from USC during the offseason.

Wright, who is near the top of the AAC in yards and receptions, , did not play against ECU after being listed as questionable all week during practice. Even when Wright returns to the field, Temple will need Allen to continue to be a reliable second option to stay competitive down the stretch.

Running back Terrez Worthy had a season-high 20 carries, finishing with 88 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.

The JUCO transfer continues to make an impact, coming off a near 100-yard day against UConn on Oct. 5. He entered the game averaging 6.2 yards per carry, establishing himself as one of the leaders in the Owls’ rushing room.

After another bye week, Temple will travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane (6-2, 4-0 AAC) on Nov. 9.