We are four days away from Temple taking on Penn State at Lincoln Financial Field and Temple is looking to make a statement this year after improving to a 6-6 record. Third year head coach Matt Rhule has turned this program around completely and they’re looking to do big things in 2015.
Temple pretty much had a chance to win every game they played last year, but let many of them slip away due to many different reasons. The Owls had one of the best defenses in the country last year and are returning all of their starters from last year. Though the defense was pretty great last year and forced a to of turnovers, they had a lot of problems on third down and not being able to get off the field. The defense also had trouble stopping the run and it was one of the main reasons why they lost to Penn State last year. However, the offense was probably the biggest problem because of how inconsistent it was and it’s lack of effectiveness put a lot of pressure on the defense, who almost had to be perfect. Part of the ineffectiveness was due to the kicking game, which has really gone down hill since the departure of Brandon McManus.
Here’s what you can expect on both sides of the ball in 2015.
Offense:
The lack of consistentcy from the offense was a big problem last year and the offense pretty much went as PJ Walker did. Walker’s decision making needs to be smarter and limiting the turnovers is a must. Temple lost a couple of key pieces on offense, most notably running back Kenneth Harper and leading wide receiver from last year Jalen Fitzpatrick. The loss of Fitzpatrick isn’t as big as it could have been with the return of Robby Anderson, who caught 44 balls for 791 yards, and nine touchdowns in 2013. Temple has also added Pittsburgh transfer and South Jersey native Adonis Jennings, who is another tall wide receiver and him along with Anderson should be able to test the Penn State secondary. We also cannot forget about John Christopher, who will have a bigger role out of the slot this year and should find some openings to make plays. There shouldn’t be immense pressure on the passing game because Coach Matt Rhule has emphasized he wants to get back to the physical ground and pound game that brought the Owls success in the past. Temple certainly has a capable player in junior running back Jahad Thomas, who has the ability to run wild once he gets into a rhythm and he is coming off a season where he put up 1,000 all-purpose yards. Temple could also mix in redshirt-fresham David Hood along with 3 other freshman in the run game, but we will see who Rhule decides to utilize. If Thomas can be effective then Temple can utilize play-action pass plays and open it up for PJ Walker and his receivers. The offensive line should be solid this year anchored by senior center Kyle Friend, who has started 33 consecutive games and was second team All-Conference last year. The main thing for the offense is to be more consistent and limit the turnovers.
Defense:
Temple’s defense last year was the strongest part of their game and the Owls will be returning all eleven starters on defense that ranked fourth in all of the FBS in scoring defense in 2014. The defense will be anchored by first team All-Conference senior linebacker and NCAA active leader in tackles, Tyler Matakevich. The front seven for the Temple will be a quarterback’s worst nightmare with Lombardi Award watch finalist Praise Martin-Oguike coming off the edge along with senior Matt Ioannidis at defensive tackle, Nate D. Smith off the other edge and redshirt-junior linebacker Avery Williams, who’s poised for a big year. The secondary is led by senior Tavon Young and sophomore Sean Chandler, who gave quarterbacks headaches. Redshirt-senior Will Hayes and senior Alex Wells, who missed some time last year will be big parts of secondary that is already extremely talented. The main things for the defense is to more effectively clamped down on the run and get off the field on third down so they will not be overworked as often.
Special Teams:
One of the reasons why the offense couldn’t put points on the board was because the Owls couldn’t consistently make field goals and they actually missed eight last year, which left a total of 24 points on the board. Austin Jones kicked the majority of the field goals and nobody will be taking his place this year unless Jones starts missing a ton of them. Rhule also said Jones will most likely handle the kickoff duties as well and Alex Starzyk will still being handling the punting duties. Jahad Thomas will most likely be the guy handling kick returns and punt returns for the Owls.
Temple was picked to finish third in American Athletic Conference East division, but don’t be surprised if they come in first. The Owls will not be satisfied with just being competitive in every game, they’re going in there to win this year and it’s not going to matter who stands in their way. Coach Matt Rhule will have this team running on all cylinders and they will be the team others will not want to play. The Owls will go 9-3 this year with their three losses coming at the hands of Notre Dame, UCF, and SMU. The bottom line is 6-6 was a great improvement last year, but in 2015, the Owls need to show the nation they have turned a corner and mean business.
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