In a blowout of Charlotte, Temple picks up its first AAC road victory since 2019

Temple turned a first-quarter tie into a 49-14 rout over host Charlotte on Saturday.

In doing so, the Owls (4-3, 2-1 American)posted their first conference road win since 2019, while head coach K.C. Keeler earned his 275th career victory. The Owls’ fourth win of the season also marked their most since 2019.

Temple got the rout underway on its second possession of the second quarter when quarterback Evan Simon capped a four-play, 44-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. On Charlotte’s ensuing possession, Owls cornerback Adrian Laing jumped in front of a pass from Grayson Loftis and ran it back 64 yards for a pick-six, which gave the Owls a 14-point cushion and marked the beginning of the end for the 49ers.

After its loss to Navy last week, Keeler was adamant the Owls had to wipe the slate clean to avoid a downward spiral. Charlotte (now 1-6, 0-4) made the perfect opponent for the Owls to bounce back against. The 49ers ranked 122nd in the country in scoring defense, and its lone win was against an FCS foe, Monmouth.

At first, the 49ers hung with every punch the Owls threw. They forced a Temple punt on the first drive, and when Temple found the end zone on the next drive, Charlotte found gold with a touchdown of its own.

Loftis threw the ball with ease in the opening frame. He completed six of eight first-down pass attempts and found tight end Gus McGee on a 2-yard touchown pass to knot the game at seven. The 49ers’ defense did its part as well, containing Temple’s offense to just 100 first-quarter yards to Charlotte’s 110.

Temple’s run game couldn’t get going, so the offense leaned on its passing game. Simon, who just had a career game seven days prior against Navy, threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to his rushing TD.

Simon’s 176 first-half passing yards opened the floodgates for an offense that averages 30 points per game. He found wide receiver JoJo Bermudez three times for 45 yards, including a 29-yard gain to get to the 49ers’ 5-yard line. The very next play was when Simon scored on a keeper to give the Owls a 14-7 lead.

Wide receiver Kajiya Hollawayne followed up on his 146-yard game against Navy with 85 on Saturday. He was on the receiving end of a 46-yard strike from Simon to pour onto the lead.

The second half was more of the same for Temple. The running game got its legs under it, with a 44-yard rush by running back Jay Ducker, who punched the ball into the end zone to extend the Owls later in the quarter. He finished the game with 114 yards, while Simon continued to deal.

Simon had one more touchdown pass before being taken out for backup Gevani McCoy in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers’ offense finished with 359 yards and coughed the ball up three times.

Laing’s pick came when Charlotte was driving to tie the game in the second quarter. Two drives later, Temple allowed Charlotte to its 40-yard line before defensive tackle Allan Haye forced a fumble that bounced into the hands of safety Avery Powell.

The Owls allowed the 49ers to amass just nine plays after the takeaway. When Charlotte started moving the ball again, the game was out of reach.

The cherry on top came when Charlotte running back Cameren Smith fumbled and Temple safety Louis Frye, who was back following a two-game absence, scooped up the ball and ran back for a 73-yard touchdown.

Temple will stay on the road next week to take on Tulsa (2-5, 0-4) on Oct. 25 ( 3:30 p.m. ESPN+).