Gameday preview: UMass
Following a close defeat at the hands of Rutgers last week, Temple wraps up its three-game homestand and nonconference play on Saturday, as the Owls welcome the 1-2 UMass Minutemen to Lincoln Financial Field for a 2 pm kickoff on ESPN+.
This will only be the third all-time meeting between the two programs. Temple leads the series 2-0, with both wins coming in the last seven years. Temple won 25-23 in Foxboro in 2015 and in the most recent matchup, the Owls beat UMass 29-21 at the Linc in 2017.
UMass is trying to end some forgettable streaks. The Minutemen have not had a winning season since a 6-5 2010 campaign. They also have not had a season with more than one win since the 2018 season, in which they had four wins. This will be the second American Athletic Conference team the Minutemen have faced this year, as they went to New Orleans in week one and lost to Tulane, 42-10.
Don Brown is in his second stint as the head coach at UMass. He was the head coach there from 2004 to 2008. His record in his first stint was 43-19, including taking them to the FCS championship in 2006 and the quarterfinal in 2007. After UMass, he was the defensive coordinator at Michigan from 2016 to 2020 and the defensive coordinator last year at Arizona. He also interviewed for the vacant Temple head coaching position back in 2018 before the job went to - albeit briefly - then-Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON OFFENSE
True freshman E.J.Warner should be making his second career start coming off a solid game last week. He went 19 of 32 passing for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception that Rutgers defensive back Shaquan Loyal returned for the Scarlet Knights’ only touchdown.. Warner will look to continue to make the right reads this week and take another step in his progression as Temple’s starter.
Backup Quincy Patterson had chances to run the ball, both in the red zone and short-down situations, including running a one-yard score in the first quarter for Temple’s first touchdown. Expect to see him be a factor in the running game again for the Owls, especially if redshirt sophomore Darvon Hubbard and redshirt junior Jakari Norwood miss this week’s game as well due to injury.
With Hubbard and Norwood out of action last week, the run game was between Edward Saydee and Trey Blair. Saydee was given the majority of the workload last week with 16 carries for 27 yards. After having no carries against Lafayette, Blair had six carries for 25 yards. In total, the Owls managed just 49 yards on 30 carries, an unsightly average of just 1.6 yards per carry. That will obviously need to improve if they want to take the pressure off of the true freshman quarterback this week. In his weekly Monday press conference, first-year Temple head coach Stan Drayton said his running backs need to do a better job of running past contact.
Georgia Tech transfer Adonicas Sanders led Temple’s receivers with eight catches for 90 yards. The prior two weeks he only had five catches for 45 yards, so it was promising to see him be a factor in the offense. While graduate receiver Jose Barbon wasn’t a factor this past week, he still remains a viable target for Warner. Expect him to have more than two catches against UMass.
For the second consecutive week, tight end Jordan Smith found a real connection with Warner. Following a two-catch for 26 yards and a touchdown game against Lafayette, he had four catches for 79 yards with a touchdown. Without David Martin-Robinson to start the season, even though James Della Pesca is listed as the starter on the depth chart, Smith has been the only tight end to catch a ball this season. No matter when Martin-Robinson comes back, Warner’s connection with Smith is something that’s continuing to grow.
Temple was missing its single digit and leader on the front line in right tackle Adam Klein on Saturday. He was injured in the fourth quarter of the Lafayette game and his status is unknown for UMass. But in his spot, redshirt freshman James Faminu played well enough to keep Warner relatively clean. The Owls did not allow a sack last week, something Drayton attributed to both the line and Warner’s ability to make quick reads and not hold on to the ball. Faminu’s flexibility playing both left guard and right tackle this season has been crucial for both him getting on the field and the necessity of it for the team. If Klein can’t suit up on Saturday, Faminu would be the likely starter again at right tackle.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON DEFENSE
UMass’s biggest strength is its run game. The Minutemen average 188 yards per game, led by starting quarterback Gino Campiotti, who has rushed for 195 yards with a rushing touchdown this year. Drayton said UMass runs the ball about 72% of the time, and they also only average 56.7 yards through the air this season. So for the third consecutive game, the Owls will face an opponent with a run-first offense, so they will need to continue their success in stopping the run to win this game.
Temple’s front three had a solid game this past week. While they did not get any sacks against Rutgers, they held the Scarlet Knights to 142 yards on 41 attempts, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Instead of tailbacks like Kyle Monangai and Al-Shadee Salaam, it instead was tight end and wildcat quarterback Johnny Langan who hurt the Owls most, gaining 79 yards on nine carries, including all of the work on the last series that closed out the game.
The standout on Temple’s defensive line last week was redshirt junior Jerquavion Mahone, who led the group with four tackles, including one tackle for a loss. They will need to be disciplined with their eyes, as UMass runs a lot of run-pass options, and Campiotti might be their most dangerous runner.
Temple’s linebackers have been the most consistent position group through the first three weeks. Redshirt junior Layton Jordan had two sacks against Rutgers after having 2.5 sacks against Lafayette. Although it’s early in the season, Jordan’s 4.5 sacks have him tied for fourth nationally in that category.. His second sack last Saturday forced Rutgers out of field goal range, which led them to punt the ball to Temple with a little more than six minutes to go only up two instead of five. Jordan and redshirt freshman Balansama Kamara were tied for second on the team with six tackles each. Jordan Magee, Kobe Wilson and Muheem McCargo had five each, with Jacob Hollins having four. With UMass being a run-first team, the linebackers will be a major factor in the run game once again.
Temple’s secondary had its strongest game of the season last week, as Rutgers struggled to get the ball down the field. Rutgers quarterbacks combined for 10 of 17 passing for just 59 yards. Single-digit and redshirt freshman cornerback Jalen McMurray led the secondary with seven tackles and a forced fumble, and when the ball was thrown in his direction, he helped keep receivers like Aron Cruickshank in check. Other than Cruickshank’s harmless five catches for 18 yards, no other Rutgers receiver had more than one catch on the day. Temple defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot is still looking for more consistency at the other cornerback spot, where Dominick Hill, Cameron Ruiz and Elijah Clark have had their opportunities.
Simply put, UMass just doesn’t throw the ball much - 47 times this season, to be exact - and Cameron Sullivan-Brown (five catches, 63 yards) is the only UMass receiver to have scored a touchdown through three games. Unless the Minutemen drastically alter their gameplan, this doesn’t figure to be a week in which Temple’s secondary will be tested through the air.
WHEN TEMPLE IS ON SPECIAL TEAMS
For the second time this season, Owls sophomore kicker Rory Bell did not get an opportunity to attempt a field goal. He missed his only attempt of the season, a 45-yard try, two weeks ago against Lafayette. Australian senior Mackenzie Morgan has remained solid at punter, as in week three he had four punts for 150 yards with a 37.5 average per punt.
Temple has still not flashed at all this season in the return game. While Rutgers punted five times, Jose Barbon didn’t return any of them. Malik Cooper and American Athletic Conference week two special teams player of the week De’Von Fox - thanks to his three blocked punts against Lafayette - also did not do much with their kickoff return opportunities. Fox logged a 20-yard return, and Cooper had 38 yards on two kickoff returns. Although Temple is favored in this game and may not be relying on great kickoff returns to win it, getting something going in this phase of the game will be important for the Owls with conference play just two weeks away.
KEY MATCHUPS
UMass quarterback Gino Campiotti vs. Temple’s linebackers
Campiotti is UMass’ leading rusher with 195 yards, so his mobility might be the most important aspect of an otherwise struggling offense. This means that the Owls’ linebackers will need to be focused every play on who has the football and to sniff out those plays.
UMass cornerback Josh Wallace vs Temple wide receivers Jose Barbon and Adonicas Sanders
Barbon is coming off his quietest game of the young season with just two catches for nine yards. He still leads the Owls in receiving with 15 catches for 172 yards. Wallace is the Minutemen’s strongest cornerback with an interception and three pass breakups, and is second on the team with 14 tackles. This will be a matchup to watch, as Temple could look to get Barbon in the game as quickly as possible. It’s too early to know if Wallace will be matched up solely on Barbon or if he’ll move around and share responsibilities on Sandrs, too. Either way, if Temple’s receivers win this matchup, it will be a long day for the UMass defense.
UMass Offensive Coordinator Steve Casula vs. Temple Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf
Wilmington, Delaware native Steve Casula might need to get creative in scheming against a Temple front seven that continues to improve, particularly the linebackers. Temple has been solid in stopping the run in allowing just 86.7 yards on the ground per game. Langsdorf, meanwhile, needs to take some pressure off Warner. Temple’s inability to run the ball contributed to its offensive struggles last week. And although Warner has shown a proficiency to stay in the pocket and make throws under pressure, he can’t continue to live that way all season. Putting Warner in short-down situations will be crucial for making the offense work.