Temple prepared for Navy and its triple-option this week — without Stan Drayton

Looking to end its three-game losing streak, Temple heads to Annapolis, Md., for a Saturday afternoon showdown against Navy.

Navy (2-5, 2-3, American Athletic Conference) will be playing with high energy and emotion as it’s Senior Day for the Midshipmen. On Monday, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo mentioned how hard the Naval Academy and its prep school were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many players in the class of 2023 to withdraw from the program.

“Any senior that is still here is a tough person,” Niumatalolo said. “We’ve got to find a way to get this W for the seniors.”

For Temple (2-5, 0-3, American), practice this week has been different. Head coach Stan Drayton has been away with flu-like symptoms, leaving Everett Withers, Temple’s chief of football staff, to handle his responsibilities.

Withers does have experience as a head coach at James Madison and Texas State. If Drayton can’t be there for his team, Withers won’t be in unfamiliar territory on the sidelines.

Temple is coming off a loss to Tulsa (3-4, 1-2, American) in which it allowed 299 rushing yards, including 231 yards to running back Deneric Prince. Much of that came once the Golden Hurricane began going no-huddle and emphasizing running the ball between the tackles, the two concepts that Temple’s defense has struggled against this season.

With Navy being a triple-option offense, Temple will be in for another long day of stopping the run. Both Drayton and Withers have pointed out that Temple’s front seven has problems with gap discipline and missing assignments, which are two things that will set a team back early against the triple-option.

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Defensive linemen Layton Jordan and Darian Varner have performed at first-team, all-conference levels for Temple this season. The two rank second and third, respectively, in the conference in tackles and tackles for loss, with linebacker Jordan Magee ranking fifth in both categories. The linemen are also tied for second in the conference in sacks with 6.5 apiece.

Jordan also has two interceptions on the season, returning both for touchdowns. Against Navy though, he and Varner might not have more than a handful of opportunities to rush the quarterback. They, with the help of Magee’s linebacker unit, will have to dedicate themselves to filling gaps and preventing explosive plays.

Navy running back Daba Fofana ranks sixth in the American conference in rushing yards and has four rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Tai Lavatai is also tied for seventh in the conference in rushing touchdowns with five.

The two programs are deadlocked at eight wins each in the series, with Navy winning the last two matchups.

“In a normal game, there’s somewhere between 11 and 13 possessions. When you play [Navy], you might get nine or 10. So you’ve got to be very, very intentional when you have the ball.”

— Temple football chief of staff Everett Withers

Temple returns to Lincoln Financial Field against South Florida (1-6, 0-3) next Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

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