The overarching buzzword this week for Temple football? Run.
The Owls will have their hands full on Saturday against Texas-San Antonio, trying to improve its run game while slowing down one of the shiftiest QBs in college football.
Temple’s recent 48-26 loss to Tulsa marked a slow start to conference play.
The Owls (2-3, 0-1 American) have a chance to redeem themselves as they welcome Texas-San Antonio to Lincoln Financial Field as their homecoming opponent on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).
UTSA (1-3, 0-0) is coming off a bye week with Temple its first conference test of the season. The Roadrunners are looking to also rebound from a 45-14 loss to No. 20 Tennessee.
Catch the roadrunner
The popular Looney Tunes cartoon character Wile E. Coyote is infamous for always failing to catch his nemesis the Road Runner due to his speed, elusiveness, and intelligence.
Much like the cartoon character, UTSA quarterback Frank Harris possesses a similar skill set.
Harris is an extremely fast quarterback and he uses that speed effectively in both the pass and run game. Earlier this year, ESPN listed Harris as one of the top 100 players in college football.
“He’s probably the fastest quarterback we’ve faced,” said head coach Stan Drayton in his Monday press conference. “He can really roll. He’s a dual threat for real.”
Last season, Harris passed for 4,063 yards and 32 touchdowns to go along with 602 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
Harris reportedly suffered a toe injury against Texas State and has missed the last two games, but UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor expects Harris to make his return against the Owls.
Despite the injury, Harris still has the ability to hurt defenses through the air and on the ground. The Owls must do what Wile E. Coyote could never do — catch this Roadrunner.
Speaking of the run game...
Temple’s 290 yards on the ground against Norfolk State looks more like an outlier every week. The Owls have struggled to consistently run the ball in their other four games, amassing only 184 yards.
“It’s just not good enough,” Drayton said regarding the run game.
Unlike its last two opponents, UTSA struggles against the run, allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game in the AAC with 172.3.
It is well-documented how important the running game is to the success of the offense, so the running game has to find a way to capitalize on UTSA’s vulnerable run defense. Running back Joquez Smith said being able to break tackles and finish off runs is the only way to do just that.
Owls need to own third down
Third down is the ”money down” in football. Overall team success can depend on converting and defending it.
UTSA is one of the best third-down teams in the conference, ranking third in conversion percentage (43.8) and fourth in opponent conversion (34.4).
The ability to stay on the field doesn’t bode well for Temple, as the Owls allow an opponent conversion rate of 43.3%.