Temple enters with a ton of confidence heading into a short week against Army

Temple has found a new level of confidence heading into Week 5 of the college football season.

All it took was a win.

On Saturday, the Owls played their best game of the season against Utah State. Quarterback Evan Simon threw for 271 yards on 17-of-27 passing with five touchdowns in just his second start.

Temple’s defense held the Aggies to eight second-half points, which allowed the offense to rattle off 24 straight points in its first win of the year. Now Temple (1-3, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) has a tougher challenge in its second AAC game of the season. The Owls will face undefeated Army (3-0, 2-0) on Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field (7 p.m., ESPN).

Here are three keys the Owls need to address to find their first conference win of the year:

» READ MORE: Stan Drayton hasn’t named starting quarterback despite Temple’s success under Evan Simon

Temple put together a strong second half against Utah State. However, the Owls have been outscored, 99-30, in the first half this season. That includes their 17 points in the opening half last week.

After the Utah State game, coach Stan Drayton mentioned the importance of getting off to a fast start. The Owls went down, 14-0, early and punted the ball on their first four drives.

“Utah State did a very nice job of winning the field position battle early,” Drayton said. “We were playing backed-up football for a while there. Those are tough scenarios; it’s very hard to score points.”

In its first season in the AAC, Army has outscored its opponents, 63-14, in the first half and has the second-best average time of possession in the country at nearly 37 minutes per game. The Golden Knights also have the second-best rushing offense in the nation at 356 yards per contest.

» READ MORE: Temple’s Maddux Trujillo named AAC special teams player of the week after kicking 64-yard field goal

The Black Knights have completed just 15 passes this season but still average the fourth-highest total of yards per game in the AAC. It’s a dynamic formula, one that Drayton admitted has its complexities.

“You see the true elements of the triple-option there,” Drayton said. “There’s flexbone formations; there’s motions. There’s a lot of eye candy that goes on.”

The Black Knights have found success, especially in their annual matchup at Lincoln Financial Field against Navy. The last time they played at the Linc, in 2022, they pulled off a 20-17 overtime victory.

This year might be more of the same. Army quarterback Bryson Daily is No. 11 in the country with 113.3 rushing yards per game. His offense features five rushers with more than 50 yards for the season and three who average more than 50 yards per game.

Another interesting stat: This season, Army has averaged about 10 more plays than its opponents.

Temple had zero turnovers last week for the first time this season. The Owls also earned their first turnover of the year when cornerback Torey Richardson snagged a crucial interception with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left.

The Owls must replicate that performance against the Black Knights. Army has recorded five interceptions in three games and designed its scheme to force the opposing quarterback to throw. If Temple’s defense can cause turnovers, it will help the offense remain on schedule and take the pressure off a quarterback who is new to starting and a banged-up offensive line.

“It’s not a whole lot of places to go with the football,” Drayton said. “It’s going to be a great game that way. We just have to catch-play on contact, run-play on contact, and try to stay on schedule.”