Temple’s players starting to believe that this team is in fact good
K.C. Keeler's Owls have four wins for the first time in six years. Next up is a road game against a struggling Tulsa.
The Monday after Temple’s disheartening 32-31 loss to Navy on Oct. 11, quarterback Evan Simon asked coach K.C. Keeler if he could talk to the team. Keeler obliged and Simon relayed the same message that the team heard from Keeler: Don’t let Navy beat you twice.
While the team already heard the statement from Keeler, it felt more powerful coming from its leader and quarterback. Simon’s message started the week right and ultimately set the Owls up for a 49-14 drubbing of Charlotte on Saturday.
The key in Keeler’s eyes, which he explained Monday, was that he sees his players finally believing that they are a good team.
Temple (4-3, 2-1 American Conference) will have to funnel that feeling on the road against a Tulsa team (2-5, 0-4) that may be better than its record shows.
“I feel like they are just starting to figure out that they are a good football team,” Keeler said. “That’s what showed when we played Charlotte. When we played them, I think it finally came out that we’re a good football team.”
A major factor in the Owls’ success this year has been their ability to win the turnover battle. They have turned the ball over more than their opponent only once, against Navy. Temple’s ability to create turnovers was on display against Charlotte.
Cornerback Adrian Laing recorded a 64-yard pick-six in the second quarter that put Temple up, 21-7. Then safety Louis Frye scooped up a fumble and scored on a 70-yard return to extend Temple’s lead to 49-7 in the third quarter.
Temple’s defense has forced 10 turnovers while its offense has given the ball away just once. That difference has been a major emphasis for Keeler and his staff.
“My thing is if you win the turnover battle in college football, you win over 70% of your games,” Keeler said. “It’s a really important thing. … It’s been a major point of emphasis on offense of, protect the rock, then on the defense, getting that thing back for them.”
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Keeler’s other takeaway for the program’s best start since the 2019 season was the offensive line.
The line was one of the biggest points of concern for Keeler when he took over in December. He could not rebuild the offensive line through the portal because of how much linemen cost in the portal, so he and his staff had to improve internally.
Since he took the helm, the offensive line has improved more than any position group, Keeler says. The same five linemen started the first six games and did well protecting Simon and opening holes for the running backs.
Right guard Eric King did not against Charlotte because of an injury, forcing Mausa Palu into his place. Keeler feels Palu played well, displaying the offensive line’s depth. Left tackle has also shown depth as Giakoby Hills stepped in after Kevin Terry went down with a preseason injury and he has remained the starter since, even with Terry healthy.
“That unit might have made more progress than any unit I’ve seen in my career in a short period of time,” Keeler said. “I think when we walked in here, the evaluation was: You’ve got to fix the offensive line. … There’s a strong belief in the starting five. There’s a really strong belief. And obviously, losing Eric, Mausa fit in and we don’t really skip a beat. I think a lot of credit goes to my O-line coach and my strength staff.”
King is expected to return against Tulsa, Keeler said.
Despite Golden Hurricane’s 2-5 record, Keeler believes their difficult schedule disguises how good they actually are. Three of Tulsa’s four conference losses came against three of the top teams in the conference: Navy, Tulane, and Memphis.
Although the Owls are coming off a big win and are playing a bottom-tier team in the conference, Keeler wants to make sure his team stays focused.
“It’s their homecoming game, so it’s going to be a very similar situation where we have to go into a homecoming environment and we have to make sure we’re focused,” Keeler said. “We have to make sure that we bring our intensity and are locked in. It’s a great opportunity for us. When you put the tape on, you can see that they’ve done some really good things at times. It’s just that they have played a pretty tough schedule.”