The story throughout the five days leading up to Temple's nationally-televised game against SMU was the status of sophomore quarterback E.J. Warner, who missed last week's game against North Texas in concussion protocol.
It ended poorly Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field once Warner came out for pregame warmups dressed up in street clothes.
For the second straight week, backup quarterback Quincy Patterson started the game. And for the second time in as many weeks, Temple’s offense completely unraveled.
And the defense did, too.
The Owls were completely outclassed in a 55-0 loss to the Mustangs before a crowd that was generously announced at 11,232 fans. Temple, which dropped to 2-6 overall and 0-4 in American Athletic Conference play, limped into the game after losing to North Texas 45-14 the week prior and had given up at least 40 points in four straight games. That trend continued, as the Owls had no answers for SMU quarterback Preston Stone, who went 23 of 36 passing for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
Temple forced and recovered a fumble on the first drive of the game, breaking its streak of five consecutive games without forcing a turnover, and then forced a punt on the following series. The Owls’ offense, however, could not convert either stop into points, an indicator of things to come on a night when Temple mustered an anemic 131 yards of total offense.
The trend continued, and the Owls found themselves down 24-0 at halftime, having been outgained by 337 to 84 in total yardage through the first two quarters.
The return of wide receiver Ian Stewart did not make much of a difference at all on a night when Patterson once again struggled. On this occasion, he finished just 6 of 14 for 47 yards in the first half and was benched in favor of junior college transfer Forrest Brock after halftime. Brock, in his Division I debut, was not much better, completing 7 of 15 passes for 60 yards and an interception.
Both quarterbacks rarely had a clean pocket and faced consistent pressure for much of the night.
“Initially, I think we started good,” right tackle Victor Stoffel said. “I think as the game went on, we just started going down. It doesn't matter if you are the youngest player or not. If you’re in the starting lineup, you have to perform. And as the leader, I have to do better in leading those guys.”
Quarterback change
With Warner watching from the sideline for the second consecutive week, Temple knew its offense would have to be near perfect against SMU, which improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The Mustangs were sporting the American’s best pass defense, having allowed only 183 passing yards per game. And their rushing defense had been solid, too, holding opposing teams to just 3.0 yards per carry and just four rushing touchdowns, tied for the best in the conference with Tulane.
The plan was for the offense to get the run game open early, but absolutely nothing opened up for Temple all night. Dante Atton punted eight times, and the Owls went a miserable 0-for-12 on third downs.
The lack of first-half success prompted head coach Stan Drayton to go with Brock, who signed Temple back in May out of Santa Monica Community College.
“We got behind in the scoreboard, and I saw Quincy kind of struggle to complete some passes in the first half,” Drayton said “Forrest kind of had a good week of practice that way, and we thought he threw the ball around pretty good, so we were just trying to find a way to get something going.”
With Brock under center, the Owls had their best drive of the game on the third series of the third quarter when they got as far as the SMU 11-yard line. But Brock took a sack and an eight-yard loss on third down, and placekicker Camden Price missed a 37-yard field goal.
Struggles in the secondary
Since a 41-9 win over FCS program Norfolk State back on Sept. 16, Temple’s defense has now allowed 40 points or more in the five games that have followed.
“We’re not generating the pass rush, so they were able to get some explosive [plays] down the field and we’re struggling to get off blocks in the run game,” Drayton said. “Still another poor display of tackling that went on out there today.”
The Owls were on the receiving end of their multiple self-inflicted wounds, which constantly came back to bite them. Cornerback Jalen McMurray was the main culprit, getting called for pass interference twice on drives that ended with SMU touchdowns. And defensive coordinator Everett Withers’ unit had no answer for the deep ball, getting burned on multiple occasions with the Mustangs having seven pass plays where they gained more than 15 yards through the air.
Even when SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee put his backups in, they continued to have their way, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter after most starters were pulled from the game.
“We just gotta be better,” Temple linebacker Jordan Magee said. “My linebacker coach (Chris Woods) says wrap, squeeze, drive for five, and I feel like we work on the tracking aspect a lot.”
What’s next
At 2-6, Temple would have to win its last four games to make a bowl game, something that of course seems highly unlikely with the way the Owls are playing. Temple gets a much needed bye week before its Nov. 4 game against Navy at the Linc.
Temple has now dropped five straight games by a combined score of 238 to 81.
“The truth of the matter is we’ve got to get some guys back,” Drayton said of the team’s injuries. “We’re a beat up football team, and I've got to be very, very smart in how I get our guys back.
"One thing I will say is that we will address the issues that are taking place on the football field from an execution standpoint, and the one thing I love about this football team is that I know they are not going to give up on a fight and nor am I. We’re not gonna hang our heads down.”
