Temple suffers a 23-3 rout at the Linc against No. 22 Cincinnati

Without a pair of key offensive pieces, Temple was unable to keep it close against No. 22 Cincinnati and found itself on the latter end of a 23-3 final.

A win next week would clinch a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship for Cincinnati (9-2, 6-1 AAC). Temple (3-8, 1-6), however, is playing for pride. After throwing for 486 yards against Houston, freshman E.J. Warner was limited to 167 yards on 21-of-36 passing and two interceptions against the Bearcats. The quarterback was without wide receivers Adonicas Sanders and Amad Anderson Jr. as Sanders nursed an injury and Anderson served a one-game team suspension.

The Bearcats aren’t the same team that made the College Football Playoff last year and finished just shy of the CFP in 2020, but they still are a nationally ranked program. On Saturday, the differences between rebuilding Temple and Cincinnati were evident.

“Got to give credit to Cincinnati,” said Temple head coach Stan Drayton. “They’re a nationally ranked football team for a reason. ... We’re talking about a team that was in the [College Football Playoff] last year.”

Ben Bryant, Cincinnati’s starting quarterback, left the game in the second quarter with an injury, but not before completing 9 of 18 passes for 130 yards. Evan Prater took his place, throwing for 127 yards on 12-of-17 passing.

Temple was led by wide receiver Jordan Smith, who had five catches for 40 yards. That would’ve been good enough for fourth-best on Cincinnati’s sideline.

» READ MORE: E.J. Warner continues to show he could be the long-term answer at quarterback for Temple

After a quiet previous three weeks, Owls outside linebacker Layton Jordan had a much-needed resurgence in the absence of defensive lineman Darian Varner. Jordan, who finished with 2½ sacks, jumped past Varner as sack leader and tied Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. for second in the AAC in sacks with nine.

He also tied Navy linebacker John Marshall for second in the AAC in tackles for loss with 18½ by adding 3½ against the Bearcats. When not in the midst of a three-game slump, Jordan has displayed the ability to rush quarterbacks from both the strong and weak sides.

“The whole mantra for our defense is negative plays,” Drayton said. “Any time we get a combination of those, we’re celebrating those for sure.”

Temple’s performances against South Florida and Houston were fool’s gold. Those defenses rank 11th and ninth, respectively, in total defense in the AAC. After averaging 45 points and 415 passing yards in those games, the Owls were held to 202 total yards against the Bearcats.

Warner hadn’t thrown an interception since his two-interception performance against Navy (4-7, 4-4 AAC) — which helped Cincinnati with a win against Central Florida (8-3, 5-2 AAC) on Saturday morning — but threw two against the Bearcats.

After rushing for 265 yards against the Bulls, Edward Saydee has combined for 39 in the two games since and lost a fumble on Saturday. Wide receiver Zae Baines also lost a fumble and had a drop in the game. Transfer Darvon Hubbard has outgained Saydee with 56 yards since the game against South Florida.

“The stats are telling,” Drayton said. “Looking at four turnovers … looking at the time of possession … we’re not going to beat a good team with numbers like that.”

East Carolina (6-5, 3-4 AAC) will be the Owls’ final opponent of the season for Senior Day next Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. (1 p.m., ESPN+).