Road woes continue for Temple in a 27-23 loss to South Florida

Temple remains in search of any road magic, as the Owls committed four more turnovers in a 27-23 loss to South Florida in Tampa, Fla.

With the loss, Stan Drayton moved to 0-9 on the road as Temple head coach.

The Owls (3-7, 1-5 American Athletic Conference) were down 17 on two occasions but cut the deficit to four with 7 minutes, 3 seconds left. However, self-inflicted issues, including four turnovers and a missed extra point, cost Temple.

With this loss, Temple will not be eligible for a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. Temple has not played in a bowl game since losing to North Carolina in the Military Bowl in 2019 under Rod Carey.

The Bulls (5-5, 3-3) did not wait long to get things going. On the first offensive play of the game, Byrum Brown connected with leading receiver Sean Atkins on a 40-yard pass downfield. Toward the end of the drive, the Bulls had third-and-goal from the 7-yard line. It looked like the Owls had momentum on their side, but Brown scrambled out of the pocket and ran into the end zone untouched. The drive keyed a dominant first half for the Bulls, who led, 17-0, when all was said and done.

But after South Florida missed a field goal late in the opening period, Temple had itself a drive to open the second quarter. On fourth-and-1 from their own 42, the Owls lined up in the famous Brotherly Shove formation but ran a running back reverse to Darvon Hubbard, who gained 24 yards. A 16-yard touchdown from E.J. Warner to tight end Jordan Smith capped the drive. It was Smith’s fourth touchdown of the season.

» READ MORE: How Sean Desai’s unconventional path has led to success with the Eagles

The Owls moved the ball with ease in their second half-opening drive, but Warner missed a wide-open Zae Baines and Dante Wright. The Owls ultimately came away with no points as kicker Camden Price missed from 46 yards.

The Owls’ defense responded by forcing a turnover on downs at midfield, and Warner and David Martin-Robinson connected for 30 yards on the next drive, but the graduate tight end lost a fumble on the Bulls’ 20. South Florida failed to capitalize on that turnover, missing a field goal, but Tramel Logan returned a Warner interception 22 yards for a touchdown to push the Bulls’ lead back to 17 late in the third quarter.

Overall, Warner was 24 for 47 with 280 yards with three touchdowns along with a season-high three interceptions.

» READ MORE: Fran O’Hanlon, longtime Daily News writers highlight latest Big 5 Hall of Fame class

After trailing by 17 for the majority of the game, the Owls cut it to four on touchdown passes to Baines (20 yards) and Wright (12 yards) on consecutive possessions. The defense had been keeping Temple in the game, but more self-inflicted issues cost the Owls on the next drive.

The Owls appeared to have forced a three-and-out after Brown gained just 2 yards and was running out of bounds on third-and-12. But defensive lineman Zymir Cobbs was flagged for a late hit on the Bulls quarterback, which killed any momentum Temple had. The 15-yard penalty gave South Florida the lifeline it needed to play keep-away for the remainder of the game.

Temple will play UAB (3-6, 2-3) in its final road game of the season on Nov. 18 (3 p.m., ESPN+).