2021 season: 3-9, 1-7 in the AAC (9th in the AAC)
Head coach: Stan Drayton (1st season)
A quick glance at Temple’s statistics from the last two years shows how disappointing the last two runs have been for the Owls. Their 2021 campaign ended in a seven-game losing streak in which the Owls failed to score more than 14 points in any of those games.
But this year, with the addition of new head coach Stan Drayton, the Owls are going to run it back—literally. Drayton briefly worked in the NFL as the running backs coach of the Chicago Bears, so upping this part of Temple’s game will be both natural and probably a top priority for Drayton and his team.
In order for this to work, though, redshirt sophomore quarterback D’Wan Mathis will need to build off of the momentum he created last season. Though his season started with a foot injury in the Owls’ debut, the rest of Mathis’ season with 1,223 passing yards showed that the former Georgia transfer has a fair amount of potential. He’ll need a strong offensive line to support him as he finds his rhythm again, as Mathis was sacked 17 times.
Temple’s defense could always use a little work, though there are far fewer concerns for Drayton here than on the offense. Sophomore Alex Odom is one player to watch in the safety position, with his 57 tackles in the 2021 season good for third overall on the team. The defensive backs have always been the shining stars of the Owls’ back end, but improvements in the running defense—the Owls allowed their opponents 220 rushing yards per game last season—will make the unit more cohesive and less in conflict with the secondary always having to cover when things go awry.
As with any team with a new coach, Temple probably won’t immediately see success this season, and it may be the third straight year of a disappointing record for the Owls. But restructuring an unproductive offense and continuing to hone in on defensive communication may set the Owls up for a productive 2023 season and finally get better numbers on the scoreboards throughout the season.
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Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.