Temple says it’s still in the fight after getting ‘hit in the mouth’ by Tulane. Next up, FAU

With its bowl game hopes officially dashed, Temple’s focus shifts to matching its win total from the previous two seasons under coach Stan Drayton as they prepare to host Florida Atlantic on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

The Owls (2-7, 1-4 American Athletic Conference) have not picked up a win since their 20-10 victory against Tulsa on Oct. 19. They are coming off their worst season performance in a 52-6 loss to No. 25 Tulane. The Owls didn’t get on the scoreboard until running back Terrez Worthy ran for a 75-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

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“You can’t claim to be ‘Temple TUFF’ if you can’t take a hit in the mouth and turn around the next day and get up and get back in the fight,” Drayton said. “You’re fake if you don’t. We took a hit in the mouth.”

If a few small things went differently in tight losses earlier this season against Coastal Carolina and Connecticut, Temple could be playing meaningful football in November for the first time since Drayton was hired. Instead, the team is looking for something to build on heading into 2025.

Here is what the Owls need to do to pull out a win against a beatable FAU (2-7, 0-5).

Terrez Worthy, like he’s been for much of the season, was the Owls’ lone bright spot against Tulane last week. He has become the team’s best running back after opening the season buried on the depth chart behind Antwain Littleton, Tyrei Washington, and E.J. Wilson.

Worthy, who transferred from Lackawanna College, a JUCO program, in the offseason, has scored three touchdowns and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Littleton and Wilson are both averaging less than four yards per attempt, and Washington has hardly been used since Worthy’s outburst.

“That kid does not quit,” Drayton said about Worthy. “As bad as [the Tulane game] looked, I had to really look hard at the game film to see if anybody was quitting and he did not. On that touchdown run, it was well blocked, and [Worthy] was able to get explosive on the edge.”

Worthy will need to be involved early and often if the Owls hope to pick up their third win of the season this week.

Ever since he took the starting job in Week 3, quarterback Evan Simon has turned around the Owls’ offense. The Rutgers transfer hasn’t led the team to wins, but he has recorded a very respectable 13 touchdowns and just six interceptions this season. Simon has moved the offense downfield better than fellow quarterback Forrest Brock has in his three starts.

Simon had his worst game of the season against Tulane, completing 11 of 22 passes for a season-low 56 yards. He has been banged up with various injuries in recent weeks, but if Simon can perform how he did in the first half of the season, Temple has a strong chance at pulling out a win.

Simon should have wide receiver Dante Wright back after being out for over a month. Wright recorded 517 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the first six games of the season but has missed the last three with an undisclosed injury.

Temple’s defense was its bright spot for most of the season. But in the last two games, it has given up a combined 108 points — 52 to Tulane and 56 to East Carolina.

The Owls have allowed recent opponents to gash them on the ground. Green Wave running back Mahki Hughes finished with 153 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Ty Thompson also ran for 75 yards and a touchdown and Tulane’s other backs combined for an additional 99 yards on the ground.

Temple struggled to stop the run early in the season but excelled against UConn, who entered its game against the Owls as one of the nation’s best-rushing offenses. Temple also successfully stifled Tulsa on Oct. 19.

“We have to execute better,” said defensive tackle Latrell Jean. “We have to execute our calls better, that’s really what it is. It’s just consistency. We stopped UConn and then we stopped Tulsa but then we went to ECU and didn’t stop ECU. We have to stay consistent when it comes to stopping the run.”

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