Despite promising efforts, Temple football falls short in home opener to Coastal Carolina

Temple had little to be excited about before its Week 3 matchup with Coastal Carolina. The Owls entered their first home game on Saturday without a win, their starting quarterback, and two starting offensive linemen, but they still looked more comfortable and confident than they had all season.

The Owls (0-3, 0-1 AAC) gained 314 yards of total offense, including 129 yards on the ground, and put themselves in position to win. However, after Temple made it to Coastal’s 40-yard line, backup quarterback Evan Simon threw the ball away on fourth down with 23 seconds left, ending Temple’s comeback effort and resulting in a 28-20 loss at Lincoln Financial Field.

Here are three key takeaways from Saturday’s matchup:

Temple coach Stan Drayton knew starting quarterback Forrest Brock would be out of action as soon as he took a hit at the end of Temple’s loss to Navy on Sept. 7. Simon found out he’d be the starter on Tuesday morning.

The veteran quarterback, who spent four seasons at Rutgers, led Temple’s offense to its best performance of the young season. Simon completed 17 of 25 attempts for 185 yards and threw two touchdowns and an interception.

He also might have inspired a quarterback battle over the next few weeks.

“[Simon] showed a lot of moxie out there,” Drayton said. “He’s a great leader. He’s calm out there, and that’s contagious among a young offensive line that we played with today. He’s definitely made it interesting today, that’s for sure.”

The Owls had not run for more than 100 yards this season before Saturday. However, the offensive line held up enough for three Temple rushers to finish with at least 15 yards, led by transfer Antwain Littleton’s 74 yards.

Simon completed passes to five different receivers, and three gained at least 30 yards. Dante Wright had 99 yards and a touchdown, including a 21-yard catch-and-run that kept the Owls alive with 51 seconds left.

However, the offense committed two fourth-down penalties in the fourth quarter, and Simon missed an open receiver on Temple’s final play.

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“We had a great play on,” Simon said. “First set look, it wasn’t ideal. It was one-and-done, really. They loaded the middle of the field, and it was a one-on-one play. [I] need a better throw.”

Drayton feels the unit took a step in the right direction, particularly on the offensive line, but he knows the team needs to do more in crucial situations.

“We were on schedule for the first time during the course of the season,” Drayton said. “This is our identity; we want to be a run-first team. This is an identity we will continue to build on. We’ve got to support it, though. I thought there were some opportunities to take shots down the field, and we didn’t.”

After giving up 297 rushing yards against Navy, the Owls faced the seventh-ranked rushing offense in the country Saturday. However, Temple held the Chanticleers (3-0) to more than 100 yards below their season average.

Coastal Carolina quarterback Ethan Vasko had 92 yards rushing and 103 in the air, but the Owls held Coastal to just seven second-half points to keep the comeback alive.

“[Stopping the run] was our biggest emphasis at practice,” said linebacker D.J. Woodbury. “All week, we emphasize stopping the run, tackling, and pursuing the ball. That was our biggest goal.”

Despite trailing, 21-3, with 8 minutes, 25 seconds left in the first half, Temple’s defense held Coastal Carolina without a score on four of its final five drives. But it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

The Owls will look for their first win of the season against Utah State on Sept. 21 (2 p.m. ESPN+).