Temple runs out of steam late in 28-20 loss to Coastal Carolina
Temple runs out of steam late in 28-20 loss to Coastal Carolina
For the third straight game, Temple Football (0-3, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) entered its locker room without a win. The Owls’ defense had no answer for the Chanticleers’ rushing offense, as Coastal Carolina rushed for 184 total yards.
Temple’s improved offensive production was still not enough as Coastal Carolina (3-0, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) inched out a 28-20 win.
Late in the third quarter, Chanticleers’ quarterback Ethan Vasko took control of the game with his mobility. The dual-threat quarterback maneuvered his way through the Owls’ defense, rushing for 35 yards on three carries. Coastal Carolina secured the win with a five-yard rushing touchdown by running back Christian Washington, which extended its lead to 28-17. Vasko finished the game with 92 rushing yards.
Temple quarterback Evan Simon made his first career start in a Temple uniform and could not find his footing early in the game. On Temple’s second drive, Simon’s pass was tipped by defensive end Deamontea Diggs and intercepted by safety Xamarion Gordon, who ran 29 yards for a touchdown to extend the Chanticleers’ lead to 14-0 in the first quarter.
“You know, [Simon] played well,” said Temple head coach Stan Drayton. “He showed a lot of moxie out there, and he’s a great leader.”
The Owls’ offense did their best to establish the run on their first drive. Running backs E.J. Wilson and Antwain Littleton combined for a total of 20 rushing yards, but Coastal Carolina tightened up its defense and forced Temple to send out kicker Maddux Trujillo, who missed a 54-yard field goal.
The Chanticleers tried to take advantage of their momentum. Washington opened up the scoring when he sliced his way through the defense for a 15-yard rushing touchdown to put his team up 7-0 with 4:14 left in the first quarter, accumulating 35 rushing yards on his team’s opening drive.
Early on in the second quarter, after a 54-yard field goal by Trujillo cut into the Coastal Carolina’s lead, Temple stalled a Coastal drive, but the Chanticleers’ defense continued to force turnovers.
Defensive end Emmanuel Johnson stripped Wilson at Temple’s 10-yard line, and the Chanticleers’ offense paid off the turnover with an eight-yard passing touchdown to receiver Cameron Wright, adding to their lead 21-3 with 8:25 left in the first half.
Simon struggled early in the contest, completing just three of his first six passing attempts for 14 yards in Temple’s first four drives. On Simon’s fifth drive for the Owls, he found some momentum, throwing for 68 yards and finding receiver John Adams in the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown to make it 21-10 Coastal Carolina heading into halftime.
The Owls’ offensive momentum continued over into the third quarter as Simon marched down the field once again, capping off Temple’s first drive of the second half with a two-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dante Wright to make it a one-score game, 21-17 with 10:26 remaining in the third quarter.
Defense was the story of the fourth quarter, as both defenses forced big stops. Temple’s defense got their biggest play of the game after linebacker D.J. Woodbury would sack Vasko and another fourth-down stop on him by linebacker Tra Thomas with 2:57 remaining in the contest. But Coastal Carolina would stall Temple’s potential game-tying drive with a stiff pass rush on fourth down with 23 seconds left that would lead to Simon throwing the ball out of bounds in Temple’s loss.
“I think [Simon] just got a little antsy in that moment, and just lost track of the scenario.” Drayton said.
The Owls’ running back room started to figure out their identity with the strong blocks from the offensive line. Littleton finished with 74 rushing yards on 14 carries and contributed to the team’s 129 rushing yards.
“We’ve got to get this team to focus on 60 minutes of football,” Drayton said. “We have to put the emphasis on making sure that we eliminate all the distractions.”
Temple will look to get its first win of the year when it hosts Utah State on Sep. 21, with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. Hayden Bandel and Liam Giannelli will have the call only on WHIP Radio.
