Here’s what we know about the 2014 Temple Owls: Nothing.
Okay, that’s not entirely accurate. I just wanted to be dramatic. We do know a little, but we don’t really know that much.
We know the Owls won four of their first five games. Temple erupted out of the gate to beat Vanderbilt in a defensive clinic when its defense caused seven turnovers and made the Commodores look like the pre-Jordan Toon Squad. Then it lost its home opener to Navy because the defense was overwhelmed by the Midshipmen’s option offense and run game. It then crushed Delaware State in a 59-0 game where even the Owls’ mascot snuck onto the field and went 4-for-5 for 25 yards and nobody noticed. It followed that up with a beating on UConn that led me to get overexcited and claim Temple’s defense as the best on this side of Westeros.
Meanwhile, the Owls seemed to have a bye week in between all of these games as if they needed the extra preparation time. And then things changed.
They say owls are nocturnal, right? Well, dawn started to crack around the Tulsa game. These Owls certainly looked like they were asleep. Temple squeaked out a 35-24 win in which the offense struggled more than we had seen yet this season and couldn’t stay on the field (1-of-12 on third down, a running theme this season that hasn’t been addressed); the defense didn’t cause a turnover for the first time all season but they played just good enough, and not to mention, Tulsa racked up over 100 penalty yards in the game.
Then came the Houston game. Houston’s robust defense was just too much for the young Owls. Again, Temple couldn’t stay on the field: Just 17 minutes of possession to Houston’s 42. P.J. Walker had the worst game of his career: 12-for-29 for 259 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
But worst of all was his goal-line fumble on what should have been a game-tying drive that included a 74-yard screen pass to Jahad Thomas. On such a seemingly promising drive, Walker hacked up the ball just inches from the goal-line in a Twilight-Zone-style plot twist: the momentum of the game swung like a tetherball. After that fumble, the Owls couldn’t stop the Cougars running game and never closed in again, losing 31-10.
That fumble might not have only swung the momentum of the game, but of the entire season as well. Temple is now two games into a seven-games-in-eight-weeks stretch that includes consecutive games against UCF, ECU, Memphis, Penn State, and Cincinnati; and then the season finale against Tulane.
With that schedule, it’s certainly possible that Temple loses out. It’s also certainly possible that everything we thought about Temple after the UConn game was wrong; that its success was just a product of weak opponents, lucky breaks, and conveniently placed bye weeks. And it’s certainly possible that we know nothing about the 2014 Temple Owls.
Offense: B-
Everything centers around P.J. Walker, the sophomore quarterback who took over midway through the season last year and had relatively enormous success. His numbers across the board are down this year. Sunglasses aren’t quite required to see his glaring pass accuracy problem, but they wouldn’t hurt: He’s completed only 58 percent of his passes (60 percent last year) and has already thrown seven interceptions this season.
At the same time, he’s a playmaker, a home run hitter, a slam dunk, a slap shot, hole-in-one hitter, 7-10 split spare-er, and whatever other cliche that essentially means he’s liable to produce few highlight plays per game. For every overthrown ball and interception, Walker completes a pretty pass on the run or scrambles for 35 yards (he’s third on the team in rushing).
Speaking of rushing, Jahad Thomas was given a chance to take over as the feature back and… has run away with it (ha ha). The shifty sophomore is sporting a 6.7 yards per carry clip and has been given the starting role. He wasn’t even on the radar during the pre-season when we expected a three headed system of Kenny Harper, Zaire Williams, and Jamie Gilmore, but the converted defensive back has thrived.
Temple’s biggest problem has been third-down conversions. Here are its conversion rates for every game this season:
| @ Vanderbilt | 2-for-17 |
| Navy | 6-for-18 |
| Delaware State | 3-for-7 |
| @ UConn | 4-for-12 |
| Tulsa | 1-for-12 |
| @ Houston | 2-for-11 |
It will be interesting to see how they address it. One part of the problem is their lack of production from the tight end position. Starter Wanemi Omuso has just three receptions and is a blocking tight end. Florida transfer Colin Thompson has battled a foot injury this season and has just two receptions for no yards.
Defense: A
Temple’s biggest weakness last year is their biggest strength this year. I’ve written extensively on how Rhule overhauled the putrid secondary and reloaded the pass rush. They’re one of the most efficient defenses in the country and are a turnover machine.
But their weakness is against the run, which, combined with Walker’s shaky passing, makes it tough for Temple to play from behind. They weren’t able to stop Navy’s heavy run and couldn’t get off the field against Houston (both losses).
Overall, the difference between last year’s defense and this year’s defense is black and white, and is the reason they’ve won as many games as they have.
Special Teams: B
Temple has been solid on special teams, but hasn’t found a surefire solution at kicker. One of the more embarrassing stats from last season was that Temple’s rotation of kickers made just three field goals in nine attempts all season. This year, their two kickers have combined to convert a respectable 8-of-11.
Khalif Herban was named one of the mid-season all-AAC players at returner, but has since lost his job due to costly fumbles. Taking over for him is John Christopher, or as I like to call him, Inspector Gadget (it’ll catch on, give it some time).
Overall: B+
Rhule did a phenomenal job fixing every major problem from last year. But there are some road blocks. The Owls need to play better from behind, and that starts with the run defense and ends with PJ Walker’s pass accuracy. Still, the future remains brighter than it’s been in years for Temple.
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