7/30/2023 football Edit

Behind Enemy Lines: Temple Owls Football Edition

Craig Epstein • TheKnightReport

Staff Writer

With the 2023 Rutgers Football season right around the corner, we here at The Knight Report have decided to go around to each of the beat writers from the Scarlet Knights upcoming opponents this season to learn more about each team ahead of the first kickoff to the season.

With that being said, let's continue with our Temple preview as TKR spoke with OwlScoop.com's Kyle Gauss to learn more about the Owls.

--------------------------------------------------------------

ICYMI: Northwestern

Not a The Knight Report subscriber? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community. Already INSIDE? Join the conversation on The ROUND TABLE FORUM!

What are Temple’s expectations going into the season?

I think the expectations are to continue to progress in the rebuild. Even though Temple went just 3-9 last season, the Owls were a considerably better team in the second half of the year than they were in the first half. A team that was shut out in its season opener against Duke averaged 34.8 points per game over the final four games of the season. Quarterback EJ Warner, who garnered a handful of Freshman All-American selections and the conference's Rookie of the Year award, is back after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and giving Temple fans a sense of hope on offense. On defense, Temple returns Jalen McMurray, who also saw his name on some Freshman All-American teams, as well as the majority of a pass rush that finished No. 8 in the nation in sacks. Basically, Temple has a number of significant pieces returning to headline Stan Drayton's second season. But in the end, wins and losses are all that matter. I think the hope is that the Owls are competing for a bowl bid. Another three or four-win season would be a disappointment.

What would you say Temple’s greatest strength and weakness is?

On paper, I think Temple has one of if not the, strongest tight ends room in its conference this year. David Martin-Robinson is a sixth-year senior that averaged 67 receiving yards a game in November while Jordan Smith, who caught four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers last season, is also back after a breakout junior season. Martin-Robinson is more of a traditional tight end while Smith is a converted wideout that provides more of a big-play threat. Regardless of who is catching the ball, however, Temple will utilize its tight end a lot in the offense this year. Weakness-wise, I think Temple is still trying to figure out its offensive line. The Owls allowed very few sacks last year but that was more of a result of Warner's quick progression than it was the offensive line's prowess. The offensive line struggled all year with creating holes in the run game. Temple also lost two long-term starters, Adam Klein and Isaac Moore, to graduation so it could take a while for the OL to fully take shape. Drayton and his staff did bring in a handful of JUCO offensive linemen to help ease the transition but I'd still consider that room a weakness until proven otherwise.

What is the biggest difference between last year’s Temple team and this one?

It sounds weird considering that Temple's team lost seven of its last eight games last year but there are a lot of proven commodities returning this season that were question marks entering last year's campaign. Last year at this same time, Temple fans were wondering where the pass rush was going to come from and if D'wan Mathis was going to finally live up to his recruiting prowess at quarterback. Warner obviously took over the quarterback job for Mathis but 2022 also saw guys like Layton Jordan come out of nowhere to rack up nine sacks and 18.5 TFL. So even though the team as a whole struggled last year, there are now more guys on the roster now that you can point to and feel good about that spot on the depth chart. I also don't think you can underestimate how much another year in the system helps guys. Last season, Warner showed up in the summer and was starting FBS football games 2.5 months later. This offseason, offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf doesn't have to spend as much time getting Warner and the rest of the offense on the same page.

Who do you think is poised for a breakthrough season?

I think two of the biggest additions that Temple made this offseason came from Colorado State in the form of wideout Dante Wright and safety Tywan Francis. Wright didn't catch a ball for the Rams in 2022 but before that was one of the more dynamic players in the Mountain West Conference, as he surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark six times between 2019 and 2021. Being able to bring in a veteran guy with that type of production was big for this offense. Francis, meanwhile, has a similar story in that he was a proven starter in 2021 that decided to enter the transfer portal midway through the 2022 season. He'll likely slide into a starting safety spot right away for the Owls.

What would mark a successful season for Temple?

This program went to five straight bowls from 2015-19 and hasn't been back to the postseason since. Guys like Barbon, Moore, Klein, and Adonicas Sanders left via graduation but other than Darian Varner, who went to Wisconsin, the Owls weren't really hurt that much by the transfer portal this offseason. There's enough talent with the returning pieces, along with the addition of some key transfer portal pieces like Wright, Francis, Diwun Black, and Kamar Wilcoxson for the Owls to compete for a bowl bid. Going 3-9 or 4-8 this season would raise some serious questions about the future.

What is your season-long prediction for Temple?

I know it's a copout but it just feels way too early to give an actual record prediction. I do think Temple, like last year, will be better as the season progresses. I think there are anywhere from six to eight truly winnable games on the schedule, including the last four after Temple's bye week, which should set the Owls up to potentially be in the bowl conversation.