Temple still looking for the magic formula to beat Rutgers following 36-7 road rout
For the third straight season, Temple football has found itself on the losing end against Rutgers.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Three up, three down.
For the third straight season, Temple has found itself on the losing end against Rutgers. This time, it was a 36-7 loss in which it looked completely overmatched.
Temple’s offense featured a multitude three-and-outs as well as disappointing turnovers on downs. Owls quarterback E.J. Warner finished the evening 20 of 48 for 230 yards and a touchdown — alongside a costly pair of fourth-quarter interceptions.
Additionally, Temple was plagued by penalties, including two illegal substitutions on defense and multiple drive-killing penalties on offense.
“I never felt like we were in a rhythm during the course of the game,” Temple coach Stan Drayton said. “We got the ball in the red zone, come away with zero points. Didn’t stop the run, and if you can’t stop Rutgers’ run game, you’ve got your hands full for the rest of the game. They can control the clock, and they’ve got very physical runners, and there was times where I thought we did a good against the run. There’s times where we did not. Most of the time we did not.”
What we saw
From its first drive of the game, Rutgers moved the ball with relative ease, quickly getting inside the Owls’ 25-yard line. But after a screen play to Isaiah Washington that looked like it could go to the distance, Temple cornerback Ben Osueke forced a fumble that was recovered by Yvandy Rigby.
Temple did not take advantage of the momentum, and Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt made them pay with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Ja’shon Benjamin. Temple blitzed on the side of the wheel route, which led to blown coverage. Rutgers dominated the first quarter with 149 yards to the Owls’ 26.
“There’s no answer in particular,” Warner said of the team’s slow starts. “Just starting slow is killing us in the end. We’ve got to find a way to get better just coming out fast straight out of the locker room. I think that will help us in the long run.”
Following a holding penalty that backed up the Scarlet Knights deep in their own territory, Wimsatt connected on a 61-yard pass to JaQuae Jackson, but Temple held them to a field goal.
Temple found the end zone for the first time in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard pass to Dante Wright. Wright’s first Temple touchdown arrived on a seven-play, 71-yard drive that took two minutes.
Rutgers responded on the next drive as Kyle Monangai ran in a 1-yard touchdown to cap a three-minute, 75-yard drive. Monangai finished with a career-high 165 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Rutgers put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Samuel Brown V and a 5-yard scamper from Al-Shadee Salaam.
Breakthrough play
Temple’s first drive of the second half showed promise. Warner finally looked composed and threw several timely passes, including a 21-yard crossing route to Wright and a 21-yard fade route down the right sideline to Zae Baines which set them up at the Rutgers 4-yard line.
Temple then unsuccessfully tried to run the ball three times. On fourth down at the Rutgers 3-yard line, Warner threw a ball to the right corner of the end zone toward running back Edward Saydee. It appeared Rutgers cornerback Flip Dixon made contact too early on Saydee, and the side judge threw a flag.
A pass interference call would have given Temple the ball at the 1-yard line with a fresh set of downs. But after a long discussion between the officials, they called off the penalty, and the play resulted in an Owls turnover on downs.
Next up
The Owls will return to Lincoln Financial Field next Saturday against Norfolk State (2 p.m., ESPN+). The Spartans are 1-1 following a Week 1 loss to Division II Virginia State at home but will head to Philly coming off a road win at Hampton.