Amir Tyler, Will Kwenkeu offer a look at Temple's future
Temple’s season ended to the tune of a 38-14 home loss on Senior Day to Navy Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. After a 1-6 conference-only season in 2020, the Owls went 3-9 overall and 1-7 in American Athletic Conference play this fall.
Although the team didn’t gain the win and finished a forgettable campaign with a seven-game losing streak, sixth-year seniors like Will Kwenkeu and Amir Tyler didn’t let a loss ruin their Senior Day.
The two are part of the group third-year head coach Rod Carey said held the team together during this turbulent season.
“Our team stayed together and that was them,” Carey said.
With the NCAA granting an extra season of eligibility to players following the difficulties brought on by the COVID pandemic last year, Kwenkeu was able to remain with the Temple program for six years. He arrived on North Broad Street in 2016, one year before he became an American citizen in 2017.
“[There’s just an] overwhelming amount of emotions,” Kwenkeu said. “I’m excited about the next chapter, but still taking in the past six years. … I’m just thankful.”
During his six years, Kwenkeu became Temple’s all-time leader in games played, a feat he said he wasn’t even aiming for. While he started his postgame media availability at a loss for words and feeling a range of emotions, as he said, Tyler hadn’t felt them yet.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Tyler said. “It’s probably going to hit me tomorrow when I go to [Edberg-Olson Hall] to get my stuff.”
Tyler’s time with reporters following Saturday’s game was primarily spent discussing the season as a whole and the future of the Temple football program. He mainly talked about the culture of the team amidst the recent mistreatment allegations made by former Owls running back Iverson Clement, and he also talked about the players who will have to take the lead next season.
Tyler described the conversations that surrounded the accusations made by Clement as “entertaining to the media or the players that don’t get that much playing time.”
He also said he loved Carey’s staff and that they pushed him to be a good player. When talking about players that have issues with Carey and his staff, Tyler said, “Whatever they had is with them. … I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Tyler also mentioned that the next crop of Temple players have to continue the culture that has been established on 10th and Diamond.
“[They have to] keep this tradition alive,” Tyler said. “That Temple TUFF [mentality] that [Matt] Rhule and [Geoff] Collins led here.”
One player in particular Tyler is looking at is safety M.J. Griffin, the guy who filled in for Tyler whenever he missed time this season.
“That’s somebody I can definitely say can take that next step,” Tyler said, “seeing the same things that I did and seeing the same things that he did. And he did them better than me.”
Kwenkeu pointed to the maturity and selflessness of the team needing to improve, describing “individualism” as a problem.
“[It’s going to take] everyone buying in and a huge shift of mindset in the way we approach things as a team,” Kwenkeu said.
When speaking of maturity, he mentioned the next group of seniors needing to grow up, using cornerback Ty Mason as an example.
“For me, Ty has always been like a little brother, but he’s a senior… at least in the classroom,” Kwenkeu said.
Kwenkeu added that “changing those little details of everyday life will ultimately lead to that shift of mindset.”
For Kwenkeu, it’s on to the next destination. For Temple, it’s on to next season.