Gameday preview: North Texas
Temple lost its first matchup with new American Athletic Conference opponent UTSA 49-34 last Saturday, falling to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. The Owls will now turn their attention to North Texas on Saturday, where they’ll face the Mean Green for the first time in program history.
Kickoff at DATCU Stadium is set for noon on ESPNU.
Against the Roadrunners, sophomore quarterback E.J. Warner had his best game of the season. He completed 42-of-65 passes for 472 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions and a quarterback rating of 75.1. He did fumble in the first half after getting sacked, and that turnover allowed UTSA to quickly find the end zone after a 6-yard scoring run by Robert Henry.
Temple’s running backs struggled once again, rushing for just 70 yards and zero touchdowns on 29 attempts. Freshman Joquez Smith, who leads the team with 244 rushing yards, fumbled on the second drive of the game, and UTSA capitalized with a 3-play, 53-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard rushing touchdown by Kevorian Barnes.
North Texas is 2-3 on the season and coming off a 27-24 loss at Navy in which the Mean Green surrendered eight sacks in their conference opener.
If the Owls can come away with a victory over the Mean Green, it would be just the second conference win for second-year head coach Stan Drayton.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON OFFENSE
The Owls had one of their better offensive performances of the season against UTSA, compiling 542 total yards on their way to 34 points.
Despite the high yardage and scoring output, Temple committed two costly turnovers, as previously mentioned. Both were fumbles that led to two UTSA touchdowns, giving them 14 easy points after each extra point was made. Considering the Owls lost by 15 points, the two turnovers pretty much decided the game.
Warner finally looked like his old self. His 472-yard performance marked his third career 400-plus-yard passing game, which is a program record, and his five passing touchdowns tied a career-high.
Temple’s offensive line last Saturday consisted of true freshman Luke Watson at left tackle, junior Bryce Thoman at left guard, redshirt-senior Richard Rodriguez at center, graduate student Wisdom Quarshie at right guard and fellow grad student Victor Stoffel at right tackle. As a unit, they allowed 12 quarterback pressures and three quarterback hits. Stoffel allowed the strip sack of Warner by UTSA linebacker Jimmori Robinson.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver John Adams, who joined the program in 2021 as a walk-on out of South Jersey’s Deptford High School, had a breakout game against UTSA, catching 10 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. Graduate single-digit tight end David Martin-Robinson also dominated, compiling eight receptions for 112 yards and a career-high two touchdowns.
On Saturday, Warner will be facing a North Texas defense that ranks 65th in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game (224.4.) Warner will look to feed both Adams and Martin-Robinson against North Texas, but it won't be a given considering the Mean Green have four interceptions and 13 pass deflections. The four interceptions have all come from a different player - safety Phil Hill, linebacker Jaylen Smith, cornerback John Davis and safety Evan Jackson.
The unit on the Owls that is struggling the most this season is the running backs. They were only able to gain 70 yards against a UTSA defense that was allowing 172.25 rushing yards per game coming in. If they can’t get untracked against North Texas, then there’s nowhere else to turn. The Mean Green are the unfortunate owners of the worst rushing defense among all FBS programs, having allowed nearly 260 yards per game on the ground, along with 15 total rushing touchdowns this season.
Of course, Temple needs its offensive line to step up, set good blocks and create holes, but Smith, Darvon Hubbard and Edward Saydee could get their fair share of good opportunities Saturday.
North Texas has five players on its defense with more than20 total tackles - safety Logan Wilson (33), linebacker Jordan Brown (31), linebacker Ethan Wesloski (29), linebacker Kevin Wood (27) and safety Patrick Smith (22.)
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON DEFENSE
The Owls’ defense has allowed at least 40 points in each of the last three games, and Temple is currently tied for 115th in the FBS in points allowed per game with 34. The Owls may struggle once again on Saturday considering the Mean Green are averaging 33.8 points per game, good for 36th in the FBS.
On Saturday, the Owls will be forced to contain junior quarterback Chandler Rogers. A 6-foot, 195-pound Louisiana-Monroe transfer, Rogers has completed 83-of-130 passes for 1,112 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception. He's also carried the ball 38 times for 136 yards and three touchdowns. He, like Harris of UTSA, is a true dual-threat quarterback.
Rogers’ favorite target is redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin, a cousin of former Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. The 5-foot-11, 183-pounder from Kirkwood, Missouri has 19 receptions for 424 yards and six touchdowns. His six touchdowns are tied for fourth in all of the FBS. Junior wide receiver Damon Ward, who has four touchdowns this season, is also a player to watch.
Temple’s secondary, which consists of single-digits Jalen McMurray at cornerback and Alex Odom at safety, as well as Dominick Hill (who switched from corner to safety last week) and Tywan Francis - who leads the team in total tackles with 47 - will certainly have its hands full. The Owls’ defense hasn’t forced a turnover in four games, the longest drought in the program’s history. Getting one Saturday would go a long way toward grabbing a road win.
Temple’s decimated defensive line that’s missing three key players in Demerick Morris, Allan Haye and K.J. Miles will continue to be a questionable matchup for the rest of the season, especially this Saturday. Out of 130 FBS teams, North Texas’ rushing offense is 32nd in rushing yards per game (190.4), while Temple’s rushing defense is 124th in rushing yards allowed per game (204.5).
North Texas has four players with at least 100 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown - running backs Ayo Adeyi (417 and three), Oscar Adaway III (151 and one), Isaiah Johnson (150 and 2) and the quarterback, Rogers (136 and three). Adeyi, the best of the bunch, tallied 125 yards and a touchdown at Navy last week, and he’s averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
Due to the injuries on the line, the Owls are linebacker-heavy, banking on players like single-digit Jordan Magee, Jacob Hollins, Tra Thomas, Corey Yeoman and Layton Jordan playing their best. Linebacker Yvandy Rigby, who hasn’t played since a brief appearance at Tulsa two weeks ago, is still considered day-to-day, but Drayton said the staff is more optimistic of his return this weekend.
“North Texas is going to bring great team speed,” Drayton said. “They've got two really quick, fast receivers that are a real threat. They have a running back that I think is really really good…The team speed is what stands out. Those receivers, that running back and that quarterback with the ability to get the ball to those guys is going to be a very good challenge for us.”
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON SPECIAL TEAMS
While Temple placekicker Camden Price missed his only field goal attempt last week, a makeable, 41-yard attempt that came with 10 seconds remaining in the first half, fifth-year placekicker Noah Rauschenberg has been reliable for North Texas. The Baylor transfer is 8-for-10 on field goal attempts and is a perfect 19-for-19 on extra points.
North Texas’ main kick returner is wide receiver Kaylon Horton. On the season, he's returned 15 kickoffs for 311 yards with a long of 31 yards. While those aren’t eye-popping numbers, Temple’s coverage units will have to be mindful of him.