Navy’s Triple Option Offense Proved Too Much for Owls
Written by: Adrian Maghacot
Photo by: Capital Gazette
In Temple’s first overtime game in four years, the Owls fell short in a 27-20 loss to Navy (3-5, 1-3 AAC).
Temple is coming off a 27-16 loss to Tulsa where they gave up 299 rushing yards. The Owls then were tasked against Navy, the fourth-best rushing offense in the nation and a team that pioneered the triple option.
There were a few shakeups the Owls had to overcome leading up to the game.
Temple wide receivers Adonicas Sanders and D’Wan Mathis and offensive linemen Adam Klein, James Faminu, and Richard Rodriguez were not available to play.
Rodriguez was involved in a hit-and-run on Temple’s campus on Thursday night and expected to miss a significant amount of time.
Yesterday, Temple University announced that head coach Stan Drayton wouldn’t be traveling with the team after suffering a viral infection. Everett Withers, Temple football’s Chief of Staff, took play-calling duties for the game.
“Coach Drayton is in much better condition,” Withers said. “He will be able to be at practice on Sunday.”
Withers served as the head coach for a few college programs and ended with a 32-41 record. Most of his success occurred when he was a defensive backs coach, where he led the Tennessee Titans to the ninth-best passing defense in 2003.
He was also the defensive coordinator at UNC, ranked as the sixth-best overall defense in 2009.
Temple won the opening toss and elected to receive first possession, but they did not take advantage of it after three straight incompletions from quarterback EJ Warner. This is the third time this season Navy did not give up points in the first drive.
Navy scored the first points of the game when kicker Daniel Davies nailed a 31-yard field goal. It was the first time this season the team scored on their first possession
After a third and out from Navy, the team punted the ball to Temple utility man Amad Anderson Jr. He then muffed the punt after being tackled by Mbiti Williams Jr.
A few plays later, fullback Daba Fafona rushed for a 15-yard touchdown to put Navy up 10-0 after the successful extra point,
A play after the kickoff, Warner was intercepted by Navy cornerback Elias Larry. Four plays later, Davies hit another field goal for 36 yards, extending the Navy lead to 13 to end the first quarter.
During the touchdown drive, Navy’s starting quarterback Tai Lavatai suffered an injury, and Xavier Arline took his place for the rest of the game.
Halfway into the second quarter, Temple punter Mackenzie Morgan kicked the ball low into another Temple player beyond the line of scrimmage, which was an illegal touching penalty and resulted in a 1-yard punt.
Luckily for the Owls, no damage was done on the special teams mistake.
“The game plan was to start fast, but we did not,” Withers said. “So I think that constitutes not starting fast.”
With three minutes left in the first half, Temple kicker Camden Price got the Owls on the board with a 38-yard field goal.
In the third play of the second half, Arline attempted to move out of the pocket, but fumbled the ball. Temple outside linebacker Layton Jordan recovered the ball in the endzone for a touchdown. After a Price extra point, Temple trailed Navy by only three.
That touchdown marked Jordan’s third touchdown this season, the most by any defensive player in a season in Temple football history.
With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Navy fullback Anton Hall Jr. rushed up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown. Navy extended its lead back to 10 after an extra point from Davies.
Just when Navy was ready to close the show, Warner found wide receiver Zae Baines, who ran all the way to the 48-yard line. A play later, running back Edward Saydee got the ball and leaped over a Navy player for another first down.
Warner then slinged the ball to Anderson for a 20-yard touchdown on a 3rd and 16, which put the Owls behind three after another successful Price extra point.
Temple forced a Navy punt with seven minutes left in the game, but Warner was sacked a combined 18 yards and forced to punt the ball back.
However, the Owls came up with a huge fourth down stop with a little over two minutes left. Warner found Anderson again for a one-handed catch to get into the red zone. A few plays later, Price makes his second field goal from the 22-yard line to make it a tie game with a minute left.
With Navy failing to score before time expired, the game shifted to overtime. It was the first overtime for the Owls since 2018, which ended as a win against Cincinnati.
To start overtime, Arline avoided many Owls to get into the endzone for a 23-yard rushing touchdown.
With a fourth down on the line, Warner lobbed the ball in the endzone, but Navy cornerback Deshaun Peele intercepted the ball to end the game.
“We had a concept in the back of the endzone we felt we liked and EJ liked,” Withers said. “EJ really wanted to throw it.”
Temple (2-6, 0-4 AAC) will return home and play USF (1-7, 0-4 AAC) at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, November 5th, at 2:00 PM on ESPN+.
