Temple Football’s Flaws On Full Display in Blowout Loss to Blazers

Temple Football’s losing streak extended to five games on Saturday, Nov. 14, the Owls (2-8) allowing 26 unanswered points in a 36-10 home blowout to UAB. With two games left in his second season at the helm, head coach K.C. Keeler is still trying to find the right buttons to press for his players.

After suffering their seventh loss of the season against Navy — an outcome that all but guaranteed Temple wouldn’t qualify for a bowl game for the seventh season in a row — Keeler talked about how he and his players made a pact early in the season to play all 12 games regardless of their bowl game eligibility. Instead, they unraveled in the second half against UAB on the way to their most lopsided loss of the season.

“When you lose, you have a tendency to lose your confidence,” Keeler said. “We are definitely a fragile team… When we don’t make a play, boy, it’s like the end of the world. It’s like it just multiplies itself and we’re not playing with any confidence at all.”

Keeler said his latest strategy is to encourage his players to carry themselves with pride as they try to shake the stink of losing.

“I talked to them a lot about pride, I explained to them pride is like this internal thing that no matter what your circumstances are, you just keep on playing and just keep on going. 
And that’s what we need to lean on right now,” Keeler said. “Pride will get you through a lot of your life. If you just do the things you need to do, and to the best of your ability, and no matter what the circumstances are.”

Fixing Fundamentals

In terms of X’s and O’s, Keeler said Temple’s defense still isn’t exhibiting proper fundamentals following a bye week coaching shakeup. Keeler relieved defensive coordinator Brian Smith of play-calling duties and promoted cornerbacks coach Henry Baker to the role in an interim capacity, although Smith stayed on as the safeties coach. 

“Henry’s had to fix some defects in the defense. And it doesn’t happen overnight. Our guys are trying to learn to play with their shoulders square. They’re trying to learn to set edges and fill gaps. Previously we had freelanced a lot. It wasn’t as structured as it is now,” Keeler said. “This is the kind of stuff that you start doing in January. And it starts showing back up in September, October, November, in terms of the discipline that you develop in your players.”

It’s starting to feel like the offseason can’t come soon enough for Temple, but even that provides little relief in the era of the transfer portal. Keeler referred to cracks in the culture after a Sept. 19 loss to Toledo, and culture went under the microscope again during the bye week with one player dismissed from the program and two more suspended. As each attempted reset falls flat, it looks increasingly likely that Keeler will need to make major staffing and personnel changes once the season ends.