In a return from a much-needed bye week, Temple punches through for a win against Navy

Before Saturday, you’d have to go back to November of last year to find the last time Temple defeated a conference opponent.

In the return of quarterback E.J. Warner, Temple was able to find some offensive consistency —followed by struggle — and then a recapture of the aforementioned consistency in a 32-18 victory over Navy at Lincoln Financial Field. It would be the first win for the Owls over an American Athletic Conference foe since a 54-28 rout of South Florida on Nov. 5, 2022, fueled by a 265-yard rushing performance from Edward Saydee.

Temple’s defense may have had its best performance of the season.

All season, the run defense has been exploited by opposing offenses as Temple had allowed 206.5 rushing yards per game. On Saturday, the Owls held Navy’s triple-option offense, which leads the American in rushing yards per game, to just 144 rushing yards.

“I thought they did a great job of getting off blocks,” Temple head coach Stan Drayton said in regards to his team’s defense. “Our defensive ends did a good job applying pressure to the quarterback. I attribute the success on defense to those things.”

Temple (3-6, 1-4 AAC) went up 17-0 early, scoring on its first three possessions, then defensively followed that with turnovers of its own on four of its next five possessions, which allowed Navy (3-5, 2-3) to cut the lead to two points only four seconds into the fourth quarter.

“Every time [a turnover] happened,” said tight end David Martin-Robinson. “We were focused on pulling together, not spewing anything negative, and overcoming that together.”

It would be getting points on the board in back-to-back possessions to end the game, that would prove the difference, the final being a 16-yard pass from Warner to Dante Wright. Warner would find Wright one play later on a two-point conversion, putting the game out of reach.

Warner’s first game back in a month after an undisclosed injury saw the sophomore finish with 402 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions on 27-of-33 passing.

After a turnover-filled, five-possession stretch, the Owls went on a 12-play, 81-yard drive that spanned six minutes to extend their lead to 9 with nine minutes remaining in the game. Warner went 4-of-6 for 50 yards and a touchdown on the drive.

“Not being negative,” Warner said about his mindset before the drive. “[The offense] was calm … No panic in any of our guys and we [drove] down [the field] and had a huge touchdown.”

Next Saturday, Temple will travel to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., looking for its first road win of the year when it takes on South Florida (noon, ESPN+).

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