‘We’ve learned so much along the way’: East Carolina edges Temple in season finale

In the final game of the season, Temple could not make enough stops defensively en route to a 49-46 loss to East Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

A few plays made all the difference.

East Carolina failed to convert fourth-and-6 with 8 minutes, 19 seconds remaining as Temple cornerback Cameron Ruiz broke up the pass.

On the next possession, Owls quarterback E.J. Warner, who completed 45 of 63 passes for a school-record 527 yards and five touchdowns, connected with wide receiver Amad Anderson Jr. for 32 yards. Warner later found tight end David Martin-Robinson for a 15-yard touchdown pass to give Temple a four-point lead with 6:19 left.

Temple linebacker Jordan Magee followed the Owls’ fourth-quarter scoring drive with a sack of East Carolina quarterback Holton Ahlers on third down.

It still was not enough for the Owls (3-9, 1-7 American Athletic Conference), who honored 13 players on Senior Day.

Ahlers, who completed 25 of 37 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, connected with wide receiver Jaylen Johnson for a 38-yard go-aheadtouchdown with 1:11 remaining.

East Carolina’s offense was led by running back Keaton Mitchell, who had 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go along with 78 receiving yards and another score. The Pirates (7-5, 4-4) finished with 534 total yards.

Temple head coach Stan Drayton felt encouraged by his team’s performances this fall.

“I cannot wait to get this team to the offseason,” Drayton said. “We’ve learned so much along the way, and there’s so much to take and build from.”

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Explosive plays made things difficult for Temple.

In the second quarter, the Pirates scored 14 consecutive points to take an 11-point lead at the 3:24 mark. East Carolina’s Jsi Hatfield returned a kick 97 yards for a touchdown, and, on ECU’s following possession, Ahlers fumbled a snap, regained possession, and connected with Mitchell on the left sideline for a 73-yard touchdown.

Mitchell put together his sixth consecutive 100-yard performance and also had a 49-yard rushing touchdown at the end of the first quarter.

“He was elusive, fast, shifty,” Magee said of Mitchell. “We couldn’t see him behind the line. He just [broke] out and bounced it.”

The Owls found success against the Pirates’ defense, which entered the game ranking fifth in the AAC. Five Temple receivers finished with 70-plus yards, and running back Edward Saydee had 45 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Three Temple players shared the spotlight on Saturday.

Wide receiver Jose Barbon caught 13 passes for a career-high 160 yards, and broke Temple’s single-season record with six 100-yard receiving games.

Tight end Jordan Smith caught a career-high three passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns, including a 38-yard TD pass in the third quarter.

In addition to breaking the school record for most yards in a game, Warner is now second on Temple’s single-season passing list with 3,028 yards. P.J. Walker, now with the Carolina Panthers, had 3,295 yards in 2016.

“I think there’s a lot of stuff I can work on ... for eight months all offseason,” Warner said. “Got here a little late last year, coming from high school. Just working on getting bigger, faster, stronger.”

Temple entered the game ranked seventh on defense in the AAC. The Owls had a few standout players, including outside linebacker Layton Jordan and defensive lineman Darian Varner.

Overall, first-year defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot’s unit is vulnerable against the run. The Owls gave up 4.4 yards a rush heading into the game. The dam broke against East Carolina, which averaged 6.9 yards per rush.

Temple has to answer questions at different position groups this offseason. The Owls have 18 players committed to the class of 2023 and some of those players might sign during the early signing day period on Dec. 21.