Temple’s backfield finally broke through. Will it sustain that success on the ground?

Reinvigorated by running back Edward Saydee, Temple’s bottom-ranked backfield battered South Florida on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Saydee, who produced a combined 334 yards and three touchdowns, took advantage of a reeling Bulls defense in the 54-28 rout. His career-high 265 yards on the ground ranked as the fifth-best rushing performance in program history.

“This has been another growth that took place for this young man today, but again, it’s been a constant build with him,” first-year coach Stan Drayton said at Saturday’s postgame press conference. “It really has. He just had an outbreak day.

“And I am sure Saydee will be able to tell you that a lot of his success comes from those wide receivers blocking on the perimeter, tight ends blocking on the perimeter, guys straining on the backside trying to get safeties.”

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Saydee was consistent throughout the day, averaging 11 yards per touch and sprinting for a 75-yard touchdown on Temple’s first drive of the second half. He added a 40-yard touchdown on the following possession to give the Owls (3-6, 1-4 American Athletic Conference) a 31-20 lead.

“I know I had to do my job,” Saydee said. “Just stay composed and trust my offensive line, who was doing a hell of a job the whole time.”

Poor offensive line and running back play had become a staple for Temple, with those shortcomings contributing to each loss this fall. Nine offensive line combinations and no consistent running back option created inconsistencies.

Those issues plagued an offense that could not put together positive performances, but the combined effort of those two position groups on Saturday provided an encouraging picture moving forward.

Offensive line coach Chris Wiesehan, who coached under former Temple coaches Matt Rhule and Geoff Collins from 2014-18, returned to the Owls in the midst of a rebuilding job. The offensive line room has faced tough circumstances, but Wiesehan has gained the respect of his players.

“He’s been great,” center Adam Klein said. “I can speak for Issac [Moore] on the same thing. We both love Coach Wiesehan. We were so excited when he came back, and we just knew what he could bring to the table because he knows football so well.”

The Owls’ outburst was impressive, but long-term concerns about the offense remain unanswered. Temple’s first AAC win is important for morale, but it should be taken with a grain of salt. The Owls’ success is more of an indictment of South Florida (1-8, 0-5).

USF announced Sunday that it had fired third-year coach Jeff Scott, who finished 4-26 in his tenure.

Through their first eight games, the Owls averaged less than 3 yards per carry and struggled to control games up front. Their average increased to 9.2 yards per touch as the Bulls failed to clog up the run.

Temple will face AAC opponents with more talent on defense starting with Houston (5-4, 3-2) on the road Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN+). And the Owls have to replicate some of Saturday’s results to prove it was more than an aberration. Drayton is not surprised the offense gained 621 yards. From his perspective, this team demonstrated this type of potential throughout this season.

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Drayton is not surprised the offense gained 621 yards. From his perspective, this team demonstrated this type of potential throughout this season.

“There’s been flashes all year,” Drayton said. “If we [are] able to run the football consistently, if we’re able to make those tough catches, if we’re able to just connect receiver to quarterback on a more consistent basis, we can be a pretty good offense. And it just so happened to click today.”

There are no indications that the Owls can sustain a potent rushing attack at the moment. However, similar performances could bode well for quarterback E.J. Warner, who completed 27 of 36 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns.

Warner has struggled at times because of his supporting cast. The Owls relied on him to be the focal point of the operation, but improved play around him would be a step forward.

“The pass game opened up and it all started up front in the run game,” Warner said. “Once you run the ball well and run for as many yards as we did, it makes things easier on the back end because they just can’t tee off on us.”