The Temple Owls fell to 0-2 following a 38-11 road loss to Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on Saturday afternoon. The Owls’ defensive unit has struggled to contain opposing offenses early in games this season. Meanwhile, Temple’s running game was non-existent against the Navy defensive front gaining less than 45 yards. Turnovers also continue to be an issue for Stan Drayton’s squad as Temple turned the ball over 3 times in the loss, and has now lost 9 turnovers in the 2024 campaign.
Navy QB Blake Horvath Unstoppable vs. Temple
In the season opener against Oklahoma, Temple trailed 17-0 in the first quarter. A similar occurrence played out in Annapolis, Maryland over the weekend against the Midshipmen as Navy built a 9-0 first-quarter advantage into a 23-3 halftime lead. Following the break, Navy added 15 more points to the scoreboard in the third quarter before the Owls’ early fourth-quarter score on Dante Wright’s 23-yard reception. Wright also caught the two-point conversion for the final points of the day.
Navy’s triple-option was on full display on Saturday in the rout. Quarterback Blake Horvath threw the football when he needed to finishing with 112 passing yards on 5-of-9 completions. Horvath was also the leading rusher on the day with 15 carries for 122 yards and three touchdowns including a 62-yard touchdown run in the second frame.
Temple Quarterback Forrest Brock was forced to throw the ball most of the day completing 30-of-46 passes for 277 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Receiver Dante Wright eclipsed the century mark with 101 yards on 11 receptions. Outside of those performances, offensive penalties and turnovers derailed Temple’s offense until the game was no longer in reach.
Drayton Doubles Down On Finding “Right” Guys
In the post-game media press conference, Temple head coach Stan Drayton doubled down on remarks he made following the season-opening loss against Oklahoma. “For us, I think we really need to continue to figure out some things in terms of who are the right bodies in the ball game, doing the right stuff,” the coach stated. “…the most consistent football players that we can put on the football field that have the right intentions and the right mindset.
Temple’s bench boss was not thrilled with the response to Navy’s early scores from some of his student-athletes. “There’s something that’s called ‘Temple TUFF’, when adversity hits, you get stronger. Adversity hit early and I didn’t like the look in some of the guys’ eyes.”
Despite the 0-2 start to the campaign, Coach Drayton indicates that “everybody’s in the mix” for opportunities to play for Temple. “We are not giving up on any player. We’re going to evaluate them all thoroughly and we are definitely going to get the right people in the right places.”
Home Debut Next For Temple Football
The next opportunity for Temple to get those athletes in the right spots comes in the Home Opener as the Owls return home to Lincoln Financial Field this Saturday. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are 2–0 in the 2024 season and have averaged 47.5 points per game so far this season. Kick-off is scheduled for 2 pm on Saturday, 09/14. Tickets are still available on the Temple’s Sports website.
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
