Temple allowed a staggering 417 rushing yards in a 42-14 loss to Army last Thursday that dropped the Owls to a 1-4 record.
Defensive coordinator Everett Withers’ defense had no answers for Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (152 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns,) running back Kanye Udoh (128 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown) and slotback Noah Short, who opened the scoring for Army on a 61-yard touchdown run.
After operating on a short week ahead of Army, the Owls will have eight days to prepare for Saturday’s road game at UConn, and they’re using them to turn the page.
“It was a good chance to reset our bodies for a couple of days,” Temple defensive tackle Demerick Morris said. “Get our bodies back coming off the short week and a late night game. So it feels pretty good to get back to a regular week of practice, a regular week of schedules, meetings, film and practice. So it’s really good to be back on a basic routine.”
That work in practice, however, has not been showing up on the field on game day, and Morris attributes that lack of success to their lack of fundamentals, technique, body positioning, angles, and trust when tackling. Army broke several tackles last week, and the Owls paid for it on the scoreboard.
If the same mistakes persist, Saturday will be another long day for Temple, which will be facing the nation’s 11th-best rushing offense, sparked by a trio of Huskies backs in Durrell Robinson, Mel Brown and Cam Edwards.
UConn quarterback Nick Evers left last Saturday’s game against Buffalo with a head injury, his second of the season. Huskies head coach Jim Mora said after last Saturday’s win that the staff planned to be careful with Evers regarding his return to the field in future weeks. His backup, Joe Fagnano, played well in relief, throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns.
Mora told reporters Tuesday, however, that Evers practiced and “looks good.” Fagnano, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior, is generally more of a pocket passer, while Evers is more of a threat to run.
Temple is preparing as if both are going to play.
“It’s really just understanding who we’re playing and what their strengths and weaknesses are,” Morris said. “That's the point of the defense, to figure out what the offense’s weakness is and to attack it. I feel like both of the quarterbacks are good guys. They're both good players that can play football and get the ball out, and they're athletic. So one thing we have to do is go out there and perform and also just do our job to a T.”
Evert offers Owls a helping hand at tight end
Freshman tight end Daniel Evert injured his hand twice during spring practice and, as a result, wasn't able to practice during the first two weeks of preseason camp. Then he got a club put on his hand that protected his injury and allowed him to practice. He got the club taken off after Temple’s loss to Coastal Carolina on Sept. 14 and the ensuing results haven’t been too bad.
Three catches, two touchdowns. Evert’s first career college catch went for a 16-yard touchdown in Temple’s win over Utah State, and his 54-yard scoring catch last week got the Owls back within 14 before Army pulled away.
All in all, it’s been an exciting start for Evert, who came to Temple from Bavaria, Germany by way of the NFL Academy. A part of the Owls’ 2024 recruiting class, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Evert enrolled at Temple back in January in time to participate in spring ball.
“It felt amazing,” Evert said when asked about how it felt to score his first two collegiate touchdowns over the last two weeks. “But if you play football, that's kind of what you want to do – score touchdowns and help your team win.”
Evert first attended high school at Albrecht-Altdorfer Gymnasium. Like several others before him, Evert found his way to America with the help of Brandon Collier and PPI Recruits. Collier, a former defensive tackle at UMass, played in Europe out of college, signed briefly with the Eagles before winding up in the CFL and then back in Europe.
“Together, with coach Josh [Alaeze] (in Germany) who helped me prepare, they opened up opportunities for me and gave me a chance to come to a college campus in America in the summertime,” Evert said of his coaches abroad, “and that's when I got my offer from Temple.”
Deciding to sign with Temple was an easy choice, Evert said, because he liked head coach Stan Drayton and tight ends coach Adam Scheier. He was also aware of other international players on the Owls’ roster, including fellow tight end and London native Peter Clarke, so he felt comfortable being around players that are in his shoes.
Being so far away from home has been tough, but Evert gets to talk to his family regularly.
“I miss my family, I miss my parents, I miss my brothers, and I miss my cousins,” Evert said. “But I Facetime them and try to call them every day, which is difficult with the time difference. But even if it’s just a five-to-10-minute call, I try to call them every day.”
UConn’s linebackers will be a test for Evert and Clarke, as Evert looks to extend his touchdown streak to three games in what he hopes will be the Owls’ second win of the season.
“They are a pretty interesting defense that does a lot of different things with number 58 (linebacker Donovan Branch) and number 19 (linebacker Langston Hardy),” Evert said. “So we’re just preparing and watching film.”
