Three keys Temple must address to beat Coastal Carolina and emerge from must-win territory

It’s only week three of the college football season, and Temple may already be in “must-win” territory.

The Owls looked lifeless in last week’s 38-11 loss to Navy. Temple’s defense seemingly lost all of its momentum and the offense could not get downfield until it was too late.

Now, Temple will face a two-win Coastal Carolina squad averaging more than 500 yards and 47 points. Though he believes he has a resilient group, Temple coach Stan Drayton believes his team need to prove they belong.

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“I’m not coaching a mentally soft football team,” Drayton said during his weekly media session on Sep. 9. “This is a very tough football team. They’ve just got to be able to play with the confidence that when they do their job they have the ability to make the play.”

That said, here are three things the Owls need to focus on against the Chanticleers on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field (2 p.m. ESPN+).

In both of his postgame press conferences, Drayton said he didn’t like the look in his players’ eyes. He didn’t think his team looked comfortable against Navy. The Owls went on to give up almost 300 yards on the ground. Temple also allowed a sack and six tackles for loss, managing just 116 yards of offense in the first half.

Temple cannot afford to let Coastal Carolina get comfortable. The Chanticleers rank eighth in the country in rushing yards.

“[Coastal Carolina is] playing fast, and there’s a triple-option element to what they do,” Drayton said. “They have speed and athleticism on the perimeter. [Running back Christian Washington] is the real deal. They have talent, and they play hard.”

Coastal Carolina’s offense has been relentless this season, and the Owls will have to match the Chanticleers’ pace as much as possible.

“When you are playing behind the scoreboard, playing behind schedule, it forces you to get into a totally different mindset than you initially prepared for,” Drayton said. “We were playing uphill pretty much all day. And obviously, we’ve got to get better with some of our perimeter game and blocking guys in space.”

The final score wasn’t pretty, but Temple’s defense held the nationally-ranked Sooners to 1-12 on third down. Then, things got uglier when the unit couldn’t stop Navy at all, as the Midshipmen finished 5-13 on third downs and 1-2 on fourth downs. Each of Navy’s multiple-play scoring drives featured a third-down conversion.

Temple could fare better against Coastal Carolina if it can hold the passing game in check. The Chanticleers have a strong rushing offense, but their passing attack hasn’t blown teams away. Quarterback Ethan Vasco threw for about 400 yards in the first two weeks, including just 160 last Saturday.

Temple’s secondary held Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold to just 160 yards but later struggled against Navy quarterback Blake Horvath. We’ll see which version of the Owls shows up on Saturday.

No player on Temple’s roster has a bigger spotlight than quarterback Forrest Brock, who catapulted to starter after sitting at third on the depth chart last season.

Brock has struggled as a starter, completing 42 attempts, earning more than 400 passing yards, and throwing one touchdown and four interceptions. Brock also took a big hit toward the end of the Owls’ week two matchup but remained in the game. Drayton said his starter will be a game-time decision.

Temple will need to support Brock against Coastal Carolina’s 3-4 defense, which is anchored by defensive lineman Will Whitson’s ability to “play anywhere,” Drayton said.

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“They’re long and lengthy, and they’re physical,” Drayton said. “The linebackers are very, very solid football players. They get their hats around the ball, and from the secondary, they support the run really well. They’re athletic enough to match the speed of a lot of different offenses that are out here.”

Brock has been a step back from quarterback E.J. Warner, but he’s also received little support. The Owls have earned just 105 yards on the ground all season, including a 35-yard performance against Navy. As a result, Temple has picked up just 29 first downs this season, which ranks among the 15 worst totals in the nation.

“This year, [we have] a very intentional unit that needs to focus from the very start of the game to the very last tick of the clock,” Drayton said. “We gotta really lock in, and we gotta become more disciplined on offense. Those are the common denominators that have carried from game one to game two.”