Temple's defense had a hand in beating Memphis

While the numbers don’t necessarily look like anything impressive on the stat sheet, Temple’s defense made more than enough plays to help the Owls upset Memphis Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

Temple’s defense came into Week 5 as the top-ranked total passing defense in the country against a Memphis team averaging 390 passing yards per game.

Relying on the passing defense again, the Owls held freshman quarterback Seth Henigan to 24 of 40 passing and 85 yards below his season average.

“He’s a freshman, so we had to startle him in the pocket,” said linebacker Yvandy Rigby, who was responsible for a sack, an additional hit on Henigan, and a pass breakup after being moved to the starting BUBO position Saturday.

The Owls had three total sacks on the day for a loss of 16 yards. They also added three total hits, five pass breakups, and two recovered fumbles.

Cornerback Keyshawn Paul, who forced and recovered a fumble on running back Brandon Thomas in the second quarter, said “every little thing counts.” That proved to be true in the fourth quarter when Memphis utility man Kylan Watkins fumbled at the goal line without any Temple defenders touching him.

What proved to be the most important sequence for the defense came in the second quarter. The Owls, down 17-0, were able to make three consecutive stops, including Paul’s forced fumble, allowing D’Wan Mathis and the offense to score 17 unanswered points going into the half.

When asked about the defense’s mindset being down 17-0, Rigby said, “Our approach to that situation was to keep our head up and understand that there was a whole game to go. They were going to have to see us every down”

Rigby was right. The game ultimately came down to an onside kick for Memphis to keep its hopes alive, but wide receiver Jose Barbon recovered it to seal the win and lift Temple’s record to 3-2.

Playing a crucial part in executing the first half comeback was the secondary’s focus on all-conference wide receiver Calvin Austin.

“We felt good about the different things we had set up to take him away,” said head coach Rod Carey.

Similar to the strategy the Owls used to contain Boston College’s Zay Flowers, Temple defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles’ unit spent most of the day double-teaming Austin, holding him to 20 yards on just two catches in the first half.

It wasn’t until the second half that Austin added an additional six catches for 84 more yards. One thing that carried over into the second half was Temple’s ability to keep Austin out of the end zone, holding him scoreless all afternoon.

While Temple’s passing defense is stout, the run defense was allowing 173 yards per game. Memphis running back Brandon Thomas came into the week as the sixth-best rusher in the nation, serving as another test for Knowles’ front seven.

Saturday, Thomas saw limited action. After leaving the game in the first quarter, Thomas didn’t take the field again until the third quarter. The freshman only had four carries on the day, none of them coming in the fourth quarter.

However, junior Rodriguez Clark made the most of his opportunities with 94 yards and a touchdown on eighteen carries. In all, the Tigers ran for 175 yards, two more than Temple’s average allowed.

Now, on a short week, Temple will be facing its biggest test of the season when it faces No. 5 Cincinnati on the road Friday night in a 7 p.m. nationally-televised game on ESPN. The Bearcats' offense is led by quarterback Desmond Ridder, who 19 of 32 passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Cincinnati's 24-13 win at No. 9 Notre Dame Saturday.

Ridder has passed for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns against just two interceptions this season.

“Today’s society is such a highlight-film society that we see a highlight and our mind is made up about someone or something right then and there either good or bad. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for people to improve, and I think what you’ve seen on film from Ridder is he’s playing at a high, high, high level, and that’s because he’s working really hard at his craft," Carey said Monday when asked about Ridder. "He was a good player. Now, he’s getting into that rarefied air of great player.”