The Owls Lose Second Game of the Season 38 – 11 to The Midshipmen
September 7, 2024 –
The Temple Owls continue to be on wrong end of some trends, continual from the past season and the present. Those tends are not what Temple wants and needs to reverse them in order to turn the season towards positive. Navy wins 38 – 11 in Annapolis, the league opener for both squads. For the Owls it is another league road loss that dates back to last season at Navy. What is more troubling that there are in season trouble signs that have shown themselves for the second straight game of the season.
“We need to figure out some things in terms of who are the right bodies in the game doing the right stuff all of the time,” said Temple Coach Stan Drayton. “Who are the most consistent players on the field who have the right intentions and the right mindset? We have to figure that out.”
Need to Generate Ground Offense
The Owls could not get anything going on offense especially from the run game. Much like in game one. Temple generated 312 yards of offense, but only 35 yards rushing. This forced 46 passing attempts compared to 20 plays via the ground game which yielded 1.8 yards per rush. For the season the Cherry and White have gained 104 yards rushing.
The passing game started to gain yardage with quarterback Forrest Brock, who played the entire game, throwing for 277 yards completing 30 of 46 passes including a scoring toss.
Finally, Temple broke through to score their first touchdown of the season on a 23-yard scoring reception by Dante Wright which capped an 11-play, 38-yard drive taking 4:53. The score came with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
On the Minus Side in Turnovers
Temple gave up the ball three times, two by interception and one lost fumble. Navy did not turn the ball over. In the category the Owls have given up the ball 9 times and have yet to take it away. The Midshipmen had a 14 – 0 edge in points off turnovers and there was the scoring opening safety by Navy. Three takeaways by the Midshipmen resulted in their starting a drive in Owls territory. This trend is the most troubling and needs to be reversed.
What the Numbers Say
The point differential this season is 89 – 14 downward.
Temple did not have an answer for Navy quarterback Blake Horvath who scored 3 touchdowns on the ground and one via the air. He gained 122 yards on 15 rushes while passing for 112 yards on 5 completions. The scoring toss went to Eli Heidenreich who caught 4 passes for 98 yards. Alex Tecza gained 92 yards rushing.
Navy ran for 297 net yards.
Wright was the favorite target for Brock. He caught a career-high 11 passes for 101 yards. Brock completed passes to 12 different Owls. D.J. Woodbury had a team-high 10 tackles.
Up Next
As The Cherry and White try to turn it around they will get the benefit of being home for their next game. Temple plays Coastal Carolina at the Linc on Saturday. Maybe home cooking will be what the Owls need? The similar trends from Oklahoma and Navy cannot continue. The team is relatively inexperienced, and playing games is the only remedy.
“We’re going through a real process here,” Drayton said. “I believe we have the right stuff in place and we need to put it to execution. We’ve got to find a way to be a more disciplined football team.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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