A Step in the Right Direction: Reviewing Temple Football’s 2025 Season

With the College Football Championship just a couple of days away, and the non-playoff bowl games wrapping up, it really makes you think if Temple could have done it this season. Playoffs may be far-fetched, but they weren’t far from a bowl game.

A season full of ups and downs saw the Owls fall short of a bowl game with a season-ending loss against ranked North Texas.

From a hot start to a cold finish, this season was still a step in the right direction for the Owls.

Games 1-4

The Owls kicked off the season in Amherst against the UMass Minutemen.

It was the first game under new head coach KC Keeler, who joined the Owls after 10 years at Sam Houston State.

Week one was nothing short of dominance, as Temple dominated UMass en route to a 42-10 win. Quarterback Evan Simon tied a school record for most passing touchdowns in a single game with six.

It was the program’s first road win since 2021, and the losing streak spanned 20 games, which was the longest in FBS. Just like that, the KC Keeler era was off to a good start.

The Owls flew back home and faced off against FCS Howard University back at the Linc, which went just as most FBS-FCS matchups go. A blowout from the FBS team.

The Owls didn’t have to do much to score, as Simon only had to throw the ball 10 times, but still totaled three touchdowns, before backup quarterback Gevani McCoy came in and went 6/6 with a TD.

Temple’s run game got going this game, led by Sam Houston transfer Jay Ducker, with Temple finishing with 50 total carries for 329 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a 55-7 final, and the Owls were suddenly 2-0. They had one of the top-scoring offenses in the whole FBS after two weeks, and Simon was near the top in QB Rating.

Now came the two hardest opponents the Owls would face all year.

#13 Oklahoma and #18 Georgia Tech in back-to-back weeks.

To keep it short, it was ugly. They went 0-2 and lost by a combined score of 87-27. While there was plenty of promise, there were still signs that there was a long way to go.

Record after four games: 2-2

Games 5-8

This was easily the best portion of the season and was so close to being perfect.

After a much-needed bye week coming home from Atlanta, the Owls kicked off conference play against UTSA back at home.

After an ugly first half against the Roadrunners, where the Owls found themselves down 14-3, they came back from that locker room with a fire in them, as they outscored UTSA 24-7 in the second half.

The following week, on a gloomy day, the Owls welcomed Navy into Philly for the homecoming game. With an official attendance of nearly 30,000, it was the Owls’ biggest game of the year. A chance to upset an undefeated academy team in conference play with the fans behind them.

Unfortunately, this game came down to one point, with the score a heartbreaking 32-31, due to a late touchdown by Navy quarterback Blake Horvath.

It was then time for a roadtrip, as they played away at Charlotte and Tulsa back to back weeks.

The Owls stormed into Charlotte and blew out the 49ers, 49-14, to tack on another conference win.

But the following game was more challenging, where the game went into overtime for the Owls to pull out a close win, 38-37, against the Golden Hurricanes.

The Owls were sitting pretty near the top of the American with a 3-1 conference record after eight games.

Record after eight games: 5-3

Games 9-12

The last third of the season is one that Temple fans would like to forget.

It kicked off at home against ECU, where the Owls couldn’t keep up with the Pirates. It ended in a brutal 45-14 loss.

Temple went up north to West Point to face off against Army. This game was a drag to say the least. A long, drawn-out defensive battle with no offense. The Owls had now dropped back-to-back games for the first time since weeks three and four.

After a bye, the Owls were back home one last time for senior night against Tulane. Despite it being a night to honor the seniors, it still ended roughly, with a 37-13 loss. On the bright side for this game, Simon broke the record for most passing TDs in a season for the Owls.

Finally, it was the 12th game of the season out in Denton, Texas, to face off against the top offense in the FBS. It was the Owls’ last shot at bowl eligibility.

But it ended in a blowout, and just like that, the Owls’ season was over. They needed one win in the last four games and couldn’t get it done.

Final record: 5-7

Despite the rough end to the season, it was still a step in the right direction for the Owls, as 5-7 was their best record since 2019. From 2020-2024, the Owls never surpassed 3 wins.

Around mid-season, the Owls’ injuries started to pile up, which helped contribute to the struggle in the last third of the season. Temple’s offense struggled to maintain the early consistency it had once had, leading its defense to constantly try to do its best to keep things close.

In the first year under Keeler, the Owls as a team had a new culture and identity. After three straight seasons of just three wins, the Owls and Temple fans had come to expect that this was the ceiling for the program.

Keeler has given a new jolt to not just the team but Temples Footballs fanbase.

What to expect next season?

Next season’s outcome, naturally, is hard to predict.

The team’s key contributors were seniors, which means that it’s going to be a nearly completely new core.

But on the brightside, Keeler was getting it done in recruiting.

On National Early Signing Day, the Owls signed 33 recruits, the biggest in program history.

The recruiting class is highlighted by DL Jude Okeleke, who is ranked as the #83 DL in the nation.

Temple also signed three quarterbacks: Brody Norman, Lamar Best, and Brady Palmer.

The Owls’ 2026 recruiting class is ranked 62nd by ESPN and 60th by 247Sports and sits as the top-ranked recruiting class in America via 247Sports.

The Owls have also wasted no time using the transfer portal.

As of January 12, the Owls have gotten 10 players coming from P4 schools, four of them coming from Penn State, with three-star tight end Joey Schlaffer highlighting the transfer class.

Temple’s transfer class ranks fourth in the American and 72nd in the nation.

So next season should be the same, maybe better than this year’s. We’ll have a much better idea once the transfer portal wraps up, spring practices start.