Temple starts the K.C. Keeler era with a 42-10 win at UMass

AMHERST, Mass. — It felt as if Massachusetts was going to spoil K.C. Keeler’s debut as Temple’s head coachwhen the second quarter started Saturday. The Minutemen held an early lead and were knocking on the door again.

Owls linebacker Katin Suprenant had other plans.

He forced a fumble by UMass quarterback Brandon Rose that Owls safety Avery Powell recovered, and Temple capitalized by scoring a touchdown. The Owls stuffed UMass on the goal line on the next possession and the Minutemen unraveled en route to a 42-10 Temple victory in the season opener for both teams. The Owls picked up their first road win in four years and their first season-opening road win since 2014.

Here are three key observations from the game.

Keeler told the media during Monday’s presser that he wouldn’t be shocked if both incumbent Evan Simon and transfer Gevani McCoy got time at quarterback. That turned out to be the case, as both players got chances with the first team on Saturday.

And Simon came out looking like the better quarterback. The offense clicked with him under center, as Simon started the first half before Keeler turned to McCoy.

Simon, starting his second season since transferring from Rutgers, threw six touchdown passes to tie Temple’s single-game record. He finished the game 19-for-25 for 248 yards.

As for McCoy (3-for-4, 28 yards), he didn’t have the same luck, as Temple’s second-quarter momentum was halted when he came in for a series. It was clear that the Owls weren’t as crisp, and Simon came in following a punt.

Temple entered the second quarter looking to shake the rust that showed in the first quarter, when the Owls were outgained 123-90 yards. The Owls were clamped for the first 15 minutes with just 90 yards, while their defense allowed 123 yards. They trailed by three points and needed a chance to flip the script.

They got did just that.

UMass’ momentum was zapped and Temple never looked back. Simon and company had its way with the Minutemen defense with three second-quarter touchdowns. Temple scored on three of its five drives in the period, accumulating nearly 200 yards while the Minutemen sputtered.

And the defense had the same success.

Defensive coordinator Brian L. Smith’s crew reversed its first-quarter fortunes, when /it was/ continuously gashed. Suprenant forced a fumble to kick-start the run and Temple followed it up with a goal-line stand.

“That’s not how you want a drive [to go]. You don’t want to miss tackles or get a pass interference, but that’s the part of a game,” said cornerback Ben Osueke. “We’re taking one play at a time. Push through adversity. First game of the season, you just want to find a way to push through adversity, no matter what happened before.”

The Minutemen only made it back to the Owls’ side of the 50 one time, but it was no use. The tackling woes that held the Owls back vanished and the pressure ramped up. Defensive end Khalil Poteat and linebacker Cam’Ron Stewart posted sacks as Temple took a 28-10 lead at halftime.

NEW ADDITIONS

Temple added more than 40 players during the offseason and some of them made no time making an impact in their debuts.

Running back Jay Ducker, who followed Keeler from Sam Houston State, had four straight carries for 15 yards to begin the Owls’ first possession. On their second possession, he blew a hole in the Minutemen defense on a 55-yard run to give Temple momentum. Ducker finished with 128 yards on 19 carries to give Temple its first 100-yard rusher since Oct. 14, 2023, when quarterback Quincy Patterson had 113 yards against North Texas.

Wide receiver JoJo Burmudez, a transfer from Delaware, became a frequent target for Simons as he posted a career-high seven catches for 87 yards.

UP NEXT

The Owls will face FCS Howard (0-0) in their home opener at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 6 ( 2 p.m., ESPN +).