Drayton returns for Temple; next up is a game against South Florida
The coach was ill and yet his team nearly managed a win -- something he hopes to build on now.
Stan Drayton was back in the building for Temple (2-6, 0-4 American Athletic Conference) on Monday after missing all of last week with a viral infection. In his absence, chief of staff Everett Withers led Temple to its most competitive game in five weeks in a 27-20 overtime loss against Navy.
Drayton was bedridden at that time, barely able to communicate with the staff. His weekly scouting routine was mostly abandoned because of the illness. The first-year coach’s first conversation with his team on game day came via a halftime phone call. The time away from his program gave Drayton some perspective about life and added confidence in his staff.
“Me not having an opportunity to be a part of that process with them during that time was tough to really embrace,” Drayton said. “I thought [the staff] did a really good job of working through while I was allowed to kind of take care of myself.”
The Owls were without offensive linemen James Faminu, Adam Klein, and Richard Rodriguez in the game, leading to Temple starting its eighth line combination in eight games this season. Klein and Faminu were nursing lower-body injuries suffered against Tulsa while Rodriguez is in concussion protocol following a traffic accident on Thursday night.
» READ MORE: Temple’s pass rush a bright spot in its latest loss
Wide receiver Adonicas Sanders was also out on Saturday due to a knee sprain that caused him to miss the entire second half of Temple’s game against Tulsa the week before.
Drayton said Rodriguez will likely miss Saturday’s game against South Florida while Faminu, Klein and Sanders will be game-time decisions.
For weeks, Temple’s defense has struggled to play a full four quarters of football. By the middle of the third quarter of games, the Owls tend to tire out and allow big rushing gains. Against Navy, Temple was finally able to stop the run, holding the triple-option offense to 3.2 yards per carry on 70 attempts. However, the Owls’ bad habit of missing assignments reappeared at the worst possible time as Temple allowed a rushing touchdown in overtime.
» READ MORE: Temple drops its fourth straight in overtime loss to Navy
“Hey, it happened in overtime, not in regulation this time,” Drayton said jokingly. “Our kids are trying. That’s all I can say. … They look at you and they honestly don’t know why they did what they did.”
Now, the Owls prepare for a South Florida (1-7, 0-4) team that averages five yards per carry and has 17 rushing touchdowns this season.
Remaining on Temple’s schedule are USF, Houston (5-3, 3-1), Cincinnati (6-2, 3-1), and East Carolina (6-3, 3-2). USF could be Temple’s best chance at another win this season.
“[Xavier Weaver] is a legit receiver,” Drayton said, previewing the Bulls. “[Jimmy Horn Jr.,] the slot receiver, I’m going to tell you that kid can play anywhere. He is legit. Then they have [running back Brian Battie, who is] pretty explosive, very elusive.”
Temple is clearly in a rebuilding phase, and a victory Saturday would tie the team’s 2021 win total. However, the team cannot afford to lose to a USF program that has won only four games in coach Jeff Scott’s three-year tenure.
The game will kick off at Lincoln Financial Field at 2 p.m.