After a lackluster first half, graduate running back Edward Saydee put his leadership on display in a two-touchdown second half in Temple's win over Akron on Saturday.

Saydee, who became the first Temple running back to earn a single-digit since Ryquell Armstead in 2018, struggled to find success on the ground in the Owls’ 24-21 season-opening win. Despite getting the start against the Zips, Saydee entered halftime with just two rushing yards. And while Saydee finished the game with a meager 18 rushing yards, he managed to acatch five passes for 37 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s always got a little bit of speed,” sophomore quarterback E.J. Warner, who was on the throwing end of Saydee’s two touchdowns, said. “I just have to get the ball in his hands and let him do his job.”

Second-year Temple coach Stan Drayton said the running backs are the group that need to improve the most heading into Week 2. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Saydee knows the entire running backs group can be better but, as the leader of the group, it starts with him.

“I would just say it's us,” Saydee said. “I feel like I could have played better. Especially in the run game. I feel like I could’ve been more physical. Throughout the first half, I feel like we were trying to get our feet wet but we should be past that by now. We’re definitely looking forward to the second game so we can show what we can do.”

Drayton said he laid into the team pretty hard at halftime with the hope of lighting a fire under his squad. The intensity worked for Saydee, who found the endzone twice in the final 30 minutes. Saydee also caught a crucial third-down pass that allowed the Owls to maintain momentum against the Zips.

As the lone single digit of the running back unit, Saydee is the unquestioned leader of the group and it’s a job he takes very seriously.

“When I know that the energy is down, I feel like it’s time for me and the other single-digits to step up,” Saydee said. “Show our face, show our energy and spread it out through the team. I feel like we weren’t doing that in the first quarter to be honest. Going into the second quarter and the second half, we picked it up...I feel like we can definitely build off of that.”

In addition to Saydee's 18 yards, Temple's ground game saw Darvon Hubbard finish with 35 yards and Florida International transfer EJ Wilson end up with 15 yards. As a whole, the Owls finished with just 61 rushing yards, which continued a streak of four straight games without surpassing the 100-yard mark as a team.

Saydee and the rest of the running backs will get another opportunity to prove themselves when they travel to Piscataway, NJ on Sept. 9 to take on Rutgers, a program which narrowly escaped with a 16-14 win over Temple in 2022. Rutgers beat Northwestern, 24-7, on Sunday.