K.C. Keeler says Temple can’t let ‘one tough loss become a second tough loss’

Temple was about one minute away from its best start since 2019 on Saturday. Running back Jay Ducker had just scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Owls a seven-point lead against Navy.

The Midshipmen responded with a 51-yard touchdown run by quarterback Blake Horvath, which capped a 75-yard drive. Horvath then found running back Alex Tecza in the end zone for the game-winning two-point conversion.

Owls coach K.C. Keeler said Monday that the 32-31 loss is in the past as Temple (3-3, 1-1 American Conference) is focused on bouncing back against Charlotte (1-5, 0-3) this Saturday (3:30, ESPN+).

» READ MORE: Fans are becoming more engaged as Temple and K.C. Keeler reimagine the football program

“There’s been a major emphasis that you can’t let one tough loss become a second tough loss,” Keeler said. “We all felt that there were a lot of positives, but there was a bottom line to what we do, and it’s winning the ballgame. We didn’t win, but [I] thought our preparation was up a notch.”

Temple’s defense allowed 273 second-half yards after giving up just 111 in the first 30 minutes.

The same problem occurred in the 27-21 win over Texas-San Antonio two weeks ago. The offense was nonexistent to begin the game, which led to a 14-3 halftime deficit. Keeler’s halftime speech led to the Owls outscoring the Roadrunners, 24-7, to sneak away with a win.

Now, Temple is looking to stretch the play for a full four quarters.

“​​I told the guys that we’re halfway through this thing right now. Six games, halfway through it,” Keeler said. “It’s really important that this next one, we still show the same growth we made, from the second half of UTSA to the Navy game.”

Temple was still reeling from injuries on defense, but the team expects to get healthier for its game against Charlotte. While linebacker Katin Surprenant returned following a two-game absence, safeties Javier Morton and Louis Frye missed the Navy game after being limited in practice last week.

» READ MORE: Temple had an upset of undefeated Navy in hand on homecoming weekend. Until it didn’t.

Linebacker Jayvant Brown was inactive with a concussion, and his status for Saturday is unclear. Defensive tackle Sekou Kromah also was out, but Keeler expects him to return.

“When you look at playing the [service] academies, the game plan’s made for safeties because, boy, they’ve got to do a lot of filling,” Keeler said. “They’re both real physical guys, and Javier is a great tackler. Not having those two guys really hurt us. Because you can see that we were, toward the end of the game, you can see our safeties were starting to wear out a little bit.”

The 49ers’ lone win came against Monmouth of the FCS. Charlotte ranks 123rd in total yards per game nationally with 307.2, while scoring only 17.7 points, which ranks 122nd.

A win would give Temple its most wins since it went 8-5 in 2019.

“I’m just kind of taking this all in, and I think part of us feels we’re way beyond where we thought we could be in Year 1,” Keeler said. “Remember, we didn’t bring a whole bunch of guys in. We basically took an inherited team and brought a couple guys in. [At the] same time, disappointed we’re not 4-2. Disappointed that we didn’t play Georgia Tech a little tougher.

“I think part of it is like I wasn’t sure we could get here in our first six games. The other part is we should be further along, record-wise.”