‘Intentional’ Temple Football Prepares for Unbeaten South Florida

Amidst a three game losing streak that included consecutive games decided in the final minute and with 4-0 South Florida looming on the road, Temple Football head coach K.C. Keeler knows the antidote his team needs.

“The bad news is we have to go play South Florida after a brutal loss,” Keeler said during his weekly media session on Monday, Sept. 28. “The good news is we get to go play South Florida after a brutal loss, because the only thing that’s going to get you right is getting out there and beating a good football team.”

Keeler described the Bulls as “tremendously athletic,” citing a balanced offense that will demand that Temple respect the legs of quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (19 carries for 125 yards, not counting yards lost due to sacks), who has completed 60 of 91 passes for 691 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions this season.

“Their backs are really good… their quarterback’s really athletic, he concerns me a lot,” Keeler said. “You have to respect their passing game, and when you get spread out so much he can pull the ball down and make plays with his feet. Their running backs are really what make them who they are offensively.”

The Bulls have 12 rushing touchdowns through four games, including a trio from backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek in short yardage situations and blowouts. Even though South Florida is a formidable opponent, Keeler said that Temple was more focused on their own performance as they rebounded from their previous loss to Army, getting themselves on track as they try to right the ship.

Focusing On Themselves

“Mentally, you have to get every rep out there, every rep you can, because that’s the difference between winning and losing,” Keeler said. 

“Sometimes you win those games and you live through it, and you can learn from the win. When you lose, it really grabs you by the throat and it really shakes you. Because those are two games we could’ve won and still been saying ‘hey, we can get better with the details.’ We lost those two games, so we better really look ourselves in the mirror and say ‘hey, are we doing everything we can?’”

Safety Jaeden Gould added that the Owls are practicing like they play, conducting themselves in an intentional manner so that they’re ready for game situations where a missed assignment or penalty could prove the difference between a win and a loss.

In terms of weekly player updates, Keeler said that Temple’s quarterback battle is on hold until Jaxon Smolik returns to full health. While Ajani Sheppard played admirably against Toledo and Army, Keeler still wants another chance to evaluate Smolik before signing off on a long-term starter.

Looking at the team as a whole, Keeler remains proud of how his patchwork offensive line has performed in the face of injuries; he thinks Temple’s pass rush needs work on details like sticking to their gaps, however, as it isn’t yet performing like he expected before the season.