Tywan Francis was named one of two honorary single-digits ahead of Temple’s season opener against Akron in what was the Colorado State transfer safety's first game in Cherry and White.

This was something Francis did not take for granted.

“The single-digit was very very big for me and the team,” Francis told reporters after the game. “Single digits mean so much to the culture, and to the football family. It was an honor for me to wear it tonight. I just had to go out there and do what I planned on doing throughout the week.”

Francis did not miss a beat in his first game with the Owls, as he was comfortable communicating with teammates and played with an even-keel demeanor from the start. The New Orleans native was a pivotal part of the Owls’ success defensively in the second half, as he was all over the field making plays.

The safety finished the game tied for second on the team with linebacker Jordan Magee at five total tackles. Francis also added one tackle for loss, one pass breakup, and, most importantly, the game-clinching interception with just more than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

That game-clinging interception, which came off of Akron quarterback DJ Irons, also happened to be the first interception of Francis’ collegiate career, one that saw him accumulate 176 tackles at Colorado State before coming to Temple this winter.

"We practice these calls week in and week out,” Francis said about his comfortability in his first game at Temple. “I just tried to go into this game with a cool head and tried to keep my guys cool as well.”

According to Temple coach Stan Drayton, the plan is to continue to award honorary single digits for each game going forward. Drayton plans to use it to help the players stay competitive and also reward players who earn it in practice and show that they have leadership qualities.

“It’s guys who represent our culture, who are practicing their butt off, and they're taking leadership and ownership not just of the system and the gameplan, but of the team,” Drayton said. “I got to be honest with you, there’s more that are warrant of that.”

Francis received high praise throughout the summer from teammates and coaches since arriving in Philadelphia. That praise continued following his game-changing performance in Temple’s season-opening win against Akron.

“He comes in every day with the same mentality,” linebacker Yvandy Rigby said. “He comes in practices hard, works hard, and motivates guys. That’s exactly what a single-digit embodies.”

Following Francis’ stellar performance, Drayton wasn’t surprised, it all but confirmed his reasoning for awarding him the honorary single-digit.

“I saw a tough football player,” Drayton said about Francis’ play against Akron. “[I saw] various things from him, a lot of tackles, [he was] around the ball a lot, it was just a matter of time he was going to get one."

“We see that everyday in practice from Tywan, which is why he was an honorary single-digit for this game," Drayton added. "He and Tra Thomas [are] just two guys who were examples of being a leader during the course of practice. The locker room got really chippy this week…and those two guys just really stepped up in a leadership role, and it was well deserved.”