Temple Owls remain confident that they’re better than 0-3 start depicts

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

After falling into a 21-3 hole in Week 3 against Coastal Carolina, the Owls rallied but still came up short, 28-20. However, there still seems to be plenty 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. “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 American Athletic Conference slate looms. The Owls have one more shot to clean things up against Utah State on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+) before their AAC opener on Sept. 26 against Army.

Here are three things the Owls need to focus on against the Aggies (1-2) on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Temple finally found rushing success against Coastal Carolina after combining for just 104 yards against Oklahoma and Navy. Antwain Littleton led the way with 74 yards — the most by an Owls rusher so far this season. E.J. Wilson and Joquez Smith averaged more than 4 yards per carry.

Temple has rarely run the ball effectively under Drayton, a former running backs coach at Texas. Last season, the team finished last in the AAC in rushing yards and touchdowns and was off to a similarly poor start before it faced the Chanticleers.

Utah State enters as the second-worst rushing defense in the Mountain West, allowing 202.3 yards 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 downfield and opening up the passing game later.

“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. The Owls recorded three sacks against the toughest offensive line they will face all year, and Latrell Jean, Cam’Ron Stewart, Demerick Morris, and Tyquan King got in the backfield.

But the Owls haven’t followed up with the same success since against Coastal Carolina and Navy. Temple was one of the most prolific pass rush teams in the conference in 2022 under former defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot but hasn’t replicated that success since he left for a job with the Eagles.

Utah State features yet another offense that relies heavily on the read option. Quarterback Bryson Barnes has rushed for 116 yards (5.5 per carry). The Owls struggled to contain Coastal quarterback Ethan Vasko on read options last week.

It could be a 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 hasn’t scored first since its 34-24 loss to Alabama-Birmingham last season. After falling behind, 21-3, last week, Temple cut its deficit to eight early in the fourth quarter but couldn’t score again after Maddux Trujillo’s field goal at the 12:58 mark.

Quarterback Evan Simon seemed to orchestrate a solid drive on the Owls’ opening possession against Coastal. They racked up 27 rushing yards, picked up three first downs, and crossed midfield for the first time on an opening drive all season. But the drive fizzled, and Trujillo missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. Coastal then marched down the field and took a 7-0 lead.

Utah State is beatable. The Aggies were routed, 48-0, by No. 11 Southern Cal two weeks ago and allowed Robert Morris, an FCS team 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 possible.

“[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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