Owls Drop Third Straight, Bowl Eligibility at odds

PHILADELPHIA, PA- The chance for a bowl game is hanging by a thread for the Owls.

Temple drops the game to No. 24 Tulane by a score of 37-13, going from what seemed to be a bowl-eligible team to having just one more shot at it.

The Owls’ offense looked ugly, only managing to gain 167 total yards. The defense held up for a good bit, but ultimately wound up getting tired due to being on the field just about every 5 minutes.

Head coach KC Keeler said post-game that the Owls simply did not execute.

“It’s so frustrating…obviously, Tulane is a really good football team is a really good football team, but just, you know, our execution level versus their execution level, you know, it wasn’t the same.”

Most of the offense’s struggles came from the lack of a running game.

Lead running back Jay Ducker managed only 17 yards on seven carries, averaging 2.4 yards per carry.

As a team, the Owls had just 20 attempts for only 20 yards.

Through halftime, the defense was holding up relatively well. But with a lack of identity from the Temple offense, the defense found itself on the field for 34 minutes, allowing 20 points in the first half.

With the loss, the Owls have one more shot at bowl eligibility on Black Friday against North Texas, who will be fighting for a spot in the AAC Championship, likely against Tulane.

Due to the short week, Keeler mentioned how the team won’t have the normal 24 hours to move on, as it was right back to work.

“Got one more shot against another very good opponent in North Texas. And I told the guys normally have a 24-hour rule, that 24-hour rule doesn’t exist because it’s a short week.”

While not many things were going right, there was at least one bright side: Evan Simon now holds the single-season passing TD record for the Owls.

With his two passing touchdowns on Saturday, Simon moves past EJ Warner for the most in a season with 24 passing touchdowns on the year.

Unfortunately, senior day did not go as anyone wanted it to go. It was an especially tough day for the seniors who played their last game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Postgame, Simon and Allan Haye were visibly emotional about this game and its outcome.

“It’s tough. You know, obviously, a special day for us seniors, with all that we’ve been through at Temple and after what we’ve done so far this season,” said Simon. “It’s tough, but Allan is healthy, safe. I’m healthy and safe. But it’s tough.”

Haye was extremely grateful for the opportunity to play for Temple and at Lincoln Financial Field.

“Biggest thing is just respecting the game and going out there playing 100% just so we can pay tribute every day and every hour we spend training to get better and be the best we can be at this sport, and having a blessing to be able to play in a stadium like this.”

Just like Keeler, Simon mentioned how the Owls did not execute.

“And I’ll tell you, the plays we call are not hard. We did not execute at a high level.”

It was a tough day for the Owls, but it’s right back to work to prepare for North Texas.

The Owls drop to 5-6, after a 5-3 start, and are now 3-4 in the conference.

They’ll play their season finale and last shot at a bowl game, 36 miles outside of Dallas in Denton, against the 10-2 Mean Green. North Texas comes into the matchup with the best scoring offense in the NCAA, averaging just over 45 points per game.

That game will take place on Black Friday at 3:30, with North Texas having a shot to lock up a spot in the AAC Championship with a win.