Temple remains forever the optimist that it’s better than what a winless start to the season depicts

For the first time since 2013, Temple is in a 0-3 hole to start its football season.

The Owls rallied late to erase a 21-3 deficit in its week 3 matchup against Coastal Carolina last Saturday but still came up short in the 28-20 loss. However, there still seems to be a fairly large amount of optimism.

“There are plenty of opportunities that we put ourselves into that gave us an opportunity to win that football game,” said head coach Stan Drayton after the loss to Coastal Carolina. “I thought we showed some grit and overcame some things during the course of the game. Our mindset was right.”

The improvements are nice, but Temple will need to start coming out on top, especially as the kickoff to the American Athletic Conference looms. They will have one more shot to clean things up against Utah State on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+) before the conference schedule begins next week.

Here are three things the Owls need to focus utilize more of on Saturday inside Lincoln Financial Field.

Temple finally found success running the football against Coastal Carolina last week after combining for just 104 yards in their first two games against Oklahoma and Navy. Running back Antwain Littleton led the way with 74 yards — the most in a game by an Owls rusher so far this season. E.J. Wilson and Joquez Smith also averaged more than four yards per carry during the game.

Temple has rarely run the ball effectively under Drayton, a former running backs coach at the University of Texas. Last season, the team finished last in the AAC in rushing yards and touchdowns and was off to a similarly poor start prior to last week’s game against the Chanticleers.

Utah State enters the game as the second-worst rushing defense in the Mountain West conference, giving up more than 200 yards on the ground per game. Regardless of who is under center for the Owls on Saturday, getting in a groove on the ground early will be essential to moving the ball downfield and opening up the passing game later in the contest.

“We went into [the Coastal Carolina game] saying we need to establish the run and we did that,” Drayton said. “It wasn’t always perfect and a lot of times the bad makes those guys right, and that’s complementary football, that’s what it is. But all in all, those guys did a really solid job and we’re going to need that.”

Temple’s pass rush got off to a stellar start against Oklahoma in its season opener. They recorded three sacks against the toughest offensive line they will face all year, and transfers Latrell Jean, Cam’Ron Stewart and Tyquan King were all able to get in the backfield and record sacks.

But the Owls haven’t followed up with the same success since, recording just one sack against Coastal Carolina and none against Navy. Temple was one of the most prolific pass rush teams in the conference in 2022 under former defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot, but have not been able to replicate that success since he left for a job with the Philadelphia Eagles before last season.

Utah State will be the consecutive offense that relies heavily on the read option. Quarterback Bryson Barnes, a Utah transfer, has rushed for 116 yards, averaging 5.5 per carry, through three games. The Owls struggled mightily to contain Coastal quarterback Ethan Vasko on read options last week.

It could be yet another long day for the Owls’ defense if they can’t keep the opposing passer in the pocket for a third straight week.

“[Barnes] is a guy that fits that system,” Drayton said. “He can pull the ball down and run. He can kill you with the run, he can kill you with his feet. He’s also going to take shots. If our defensive backs are not in position, we’ll have our hands full.”

» READ MORE: Stan Drayton opens up about Temple quarterback competition: ‘We are going to play the guy that’s ready’

Temple has not been the first team on the scoreboard since its 34-24 loss to Alabama-Birmingham last season. The Owls have routinely fallen behind and been forced to dig themselves out of holes before the first half even comes to a close.

Last week, Temple erased a 21-3 deficit and had an opportunity to tie the game at 28 on its final drive but came up just short. If the Owls had gotten off to a faster start, an 18-point comeback would not have been necessary and the team could have focused on running plays at its own tempo.

It seemed like quarterback Evan Simon orchestrated a solid drive in the Owls’ opening possession last week. They racked up 27 yards on the ground, picked up three first downs, and passed midfield for the first time on an opening drive all season. But the drive fizzled out and Owls kicker Maddux Trujillo missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. Coastal then marched down the field and took a 7-0 lead.

Utah State is a beatable team. They were routed 48-0 by No. 11 USC two weeks ago and allowed Robert Morris, an FCS opponent that won four games last season, to score two touchdowns. If Temple gets off on the right foot, its first win of the season is a real possibility.

“[Utah State] keeps playing hard,” Drayton said. “They present some issues on their defense with the way they pressure. So we do have to get prepared with our pressure packages. And they run their offense very fast. This is probably the fastest tempo that we’ve seen since I’ve been here. We don’t have a whole lot of time to dialogue, and that’s going to be a challenge.

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