QB Evan Simon, defense star as Temple tops Tulsa for first conference win

Temple entered Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday afternoon looking to break a five-game losing streak in American Athletic Conference play. The Owls had endured a tough stretch, losing by a combined 55 points to No. 23 Army and No. 25 Navy, and managing only one nonconference victory earlier in the season.

But on Saturday, the Owls left the Linc with a 20-10 win against Tulsa on Homecoming Day.

Temple (2-5, 1-2 ACC) jumped out to a 17-point lead at the half, but the lead began to slip in the third quarter. Tulsa (2-5, 0-3) cut the deficit to seven, but Owls quarterback Evan Simon fueled a nine-play, 50-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter and Temple’s defense would do its part in securing the victory.

Here are three key takeaways from the Owls’ first conference win.

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After forcing just one turnover in the first five weeks, Temple’s defense finished Saturday with a fumble recovery and an interception. The unit held Tulsa to 245 total yards, including just 88 in the first half.

More importantly, the Owls held strong in the second half when their offense struggled.

“Our defense [stepped] up in the fourth quarter,” Simon said. “It helped us out a lot.”

The Golden Hurricane scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter but punted on five possessions and had two turnovers on downs. Tulsa ran just one play in Temple territory in the first half and eight in the fourth quarter.

The unit wasn’t without its flaws. Temple’s defense finished with seven penalties for 85 yards.

However, Owls redshirt senior Diwun Black’s two sacks, three tackles for loss, and fumble recovery anchored a unit that stopped the Golden Hurricane with three minutes left in the game. The Owls forced an incompletion on fourth-and-29 before the offense held the ball for the rest of the game.

“On the fourth-down stop, I knew I was getting chipped,” Black said. “Basically the whole second half, I was getting chipped, so I knew I had to widen out and beat the tackle and the running back on the chip block. He went up, and the [defensive] line made a great play.”

Simon was a game-time decision after suffering a right shoulder injury against Army in the Owls’ fifth game. On Saturday, he took every snap and looked poised, despite only practicing full speed during Friday’s walkthrough.

Simon finished with a season-high 297 yards on 30-of-46 passing with a touchdown and an interception. The fifth-year quarterback kept the offense moving in crucial drives, including in the fourth quarter that pushed the Owls’ lead to two scores.

“We played well today,” Simon said. “Obviously some good and some bad. Our execution today came from our preparation and practice this week and showed today.”

The Owls have struggled to put together four quarters of solid play. Despite its third-quarter performance, the team had arguably its best showing of the year.

Tulsa’s 245 yards of offense is the least amount of yardage Temple has allowed this year.

Temple’s offense had 155 of its 397 yards in the second half despite gaining just 66 in the third quarter. Running back Terrez Worthy led the rushing attack with 41 yards and a touchdown, sealing the win with two first-down runs in the final three minutes.

“We’re going to celebrate this win, but it’s been tough,” coach Stan Drayton said. “We’ve been down a tough road. We know this is going to be a short celebration, then we’ve got to get back to work.”

Next up, the Owls will travel to East Carolina (3-4, 1-2 AAC) on Saturday (2 p.m. ESPN+).

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