During his Monday media availability, Temple head coach Stan Drayton told reporters quarterback Forrest Brock was “day-to-day.” Brock took a hard hit to the wrist near the end of Temple’s loss to Navy on Sep. 7, but he told reporters he felt “fine” during his postgame press conference.
Brock dressed for warmups, but he did not take any reps, sparking speculation that a quarterback change was imminent. The Owls’ offense got the ball first against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, and Rutgers transfer Evan Simon made his first appearance for Temple under center.
“[Drayton] kind of hinted at it Monday morning,” Simon said. “Then Tuesday morning, it was the first thing I found out.”
Simon got the offensive engine revving, but it was not enough. The Owls fell to Coastal Carolina 28-20 at Lincoln Financial Field, marking their first 0-3 start since 2013.
Simon started his Temple career solidly, driving into field goal range on the opening possession and getting a chance at the Owls’ first lead of the season. Then, kicker Maddux Trujillo missed a 54-yard field goal wide left, and the Chanticleers (3-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) drove right down and scored.
Trujillo later redeemed himself with a 54-yard make two drives later, but the Owls (0-3, 0-1 AAC) committed turnovers before and after his make. First, Simon threw a pass that deflected off a pass rusher and into the arms of safety Xamarion Gordon for a pick-six. Later, running back E.J. Wilson had the ball stripped deep in Temple territory, setting up another Coastal Carolina score
“We have to limit the turnovers,” said running back Antwain Littleton. “Once we do that, we can find out who we are and what our identity really is.”
Temple found itself down 21-3 with eight minutes left in the first half. Somehow, the offense managed to flip the script, driving 75 yards on eight plays before Simon found wide receiver John Adams for a 15-yard score. Simon went 5-for-5 with 68 yards passing on the possession, and the Owls entered the locker room down 21-10 but with new life.
The Owls forced a three-and-out to start the second half and scored again when Simon hit wide receiver Dante Wright on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line. The Chanticleers answered with a touchdown of their own, and Temple kicked another field goal to make it 28-20 entering the fourth quarter.
Both defenses took over in the final period, but the Owls’ unit had the advantage late as they earned a fourth-down stop to get the ball on their own 39-yard line with three minutes remaining.
Temple got to Coastal Carolina’s 36-yard line but couldn’t get closer. Simon was sacked for a six-yard loss on second down, completed a two-yard checkdown on 3rd-and-16, and threw the ball out of bounds on fourth down, ending Temple’s comeback.
“I think [Simon] kind of lost track of the scenario, and I'm not so sure if he knew it was fourth down,” Drayton said. “We had a post throw that was open. If he just took his time to set his feet and get his eyes around to it, then it’s a completion.”
Temple's defense held its own for most of the game, keeping an opponent under 300 yards and 40 points for its first time all season. The Chanticleers still did damage on the ground, but Temple’s improvement on defense was stark.
Temple will face Utah State on Sep. 21 at 2 p.m. The Owls will try to snap their losing streak, which sits at six straight defeats dating back to last year’s win against Navy on Nov. 4.
You can hear Drayton’s thoughts about the game here. Simon, Wright and Littleton represented the offense postgame, and linebacker D.J. Woodbury and safety Andreas Keaton represented the defense.
Below are some key takeaways from Saturday's matchup.
SIMON SAYS ‘I’M THE STARTER’
Despite Brock’s struggles, Drayton remained committed to his original starter, playing him for every snap of the Owls’ blowout losses.
However, Drayton said he knew Brock wouldn’t play against Coastal Carolina as soon as the Navy game ended. Simon had a full week of first-team reps and came into the game ready to play.
Simon looked far more confident than Brock from his first snap. The Rutgers transfer looked comfortable in the pocket, even when Temple went down 21-3. Once Temple managed to get things going, that comfortability intensified. Simon picked apart the Chanticleers’ defense over the middle and didn’t force anything.
He took just two sacks, and his one interception was the result of an “unlucky” tip drill, he said. Overall, Simon ended his first start at Temple going 17-for-25 with 185 yards, two touchdown passes and one interception.
Brock is day-to-day heading into week four, Drayton said. The third-year head coach is still confident in Brock, but the Owls may revisit their quarterback battle before facing Utah State.
“[Simon] showed a lot of moxie out there,” Drayton said. “He’s a great leader. He’s calm out there, and that’s contagious among a young offensive line that we played with today. He’s definitely made it interesting today, that’s for sure.”
NEW-LOOK OFFENSE IMPROVES
The quarterback room wasn’t the only unit affected by injuries. Temple’s offensive line already missed Luke Watson, who went down before the first game of the year, and lost two more key pieces throughout the week.
Left tackle Kevin Terry rolled his left ankle on his way to class Friday and wore a boot on the sidelines, and right guard Wisdom Quarshie was out with an injury he suffered at Navy, Drayton said. Diego Barajas and Eric King started in their places, and guard Jackson Pruitt took James Faminu’s spot at left guard.
With a new-look line and quarterback, Temple’s offense finally began to get the wheels turning, and the run game became the biggest beneficiary.
Temple entered the game with 104 rushing yards on the season and only mustered 35 yards last weekend. Littleton surpassed that total on a 37-yard run during Temple’s third drive. The Maryland transfer picked up 74 yards on the ground and averaged more than five yards per carry.
The Owls finished the game with 129 rushing yards and 314 total yards, outgaining the Chanticleers by 27.
“We were on schedule for the first time. We want to be run-first, and we have the backs that can do it,” Drayton said. “Eric King and Jackson Pruitt stepped up. This is an identity we can improve upon, but we have to support it.”
However, Temple could not stay away from those good old self-inflicted wounds. The Owls could not come back from their two first-half turnovers and two fourth-quarter penalties. They’ve now turned the ball over 11 times through the first three games, one of the worst marks in the country.
Wilson got caught holding on a fourth-and-7 with seven minutes remaining, pushing Temple back 10 yards and forcing a punt. Later, right tackle Melvin Siani jumped on a fourth-and-1 with 51 seconds left. The Owls still managed to convert despite the penalty.
The offense finally showed some life behind Simon and a new line, but the mistakes remained apparent enough to keep Temple from pulling out its first win of the season.
