Temple can’t keep up with UTSA, drops first game since coach Stan Drayton’s dismissal

In its first game since firing former coach Stan Drayton, Temple hung tough with a red-hot Texas-San Antonio team in the first half but ran out of offensive steam in the second half of a 51-27 loss on Friday night in San Antonio, Texas.

The Owls (3-8, 2-5 American Athletic Conference) now have one game remaining and are in danger of finishing with just three wins for the fourth consecutive year.

Interim coach Everett Withers said the days leading up to Friday night’s game marked one of the team’s best weeks of practice all year, and the Owls marched down the field and found the end zone twice in the second quarter.

Wide receiver Dante Wright scored on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Evan Simon with 4 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the first half. Running back Antwain Littleton recorded his first touchdown of the season on a 4-yard run with 27 seconds to go to make it 28-17 at halftime.

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Temple’s defense, which bounced back last week against Florida Atlantic after giving up 50-plus points in each of the two previous games, regressed against the Roadrunners (6-5, 4-3 AAC). Quarterback Owen McCown ran for a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and wide receiver Chris Carpenter returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown about 6½ minutes later.

Here are three key takeaways from Withers’ first game as the Owls’ interim head coach:

The Owls battled for a large chunk of the first half, despite miscues on both sides of the ball.

Simon orchestrated a six-play, 30-yard scoring drive capped by Wright’s 9-yard touchdown to pull the score to 14-10. UTSA responded by scoring two lightning-quick touchdowns — Carpenter’s 97-yard kick return and an 8-yard run by running back Robert Henry Jr. — but Temple answered back yet again. After Littleton’s score late in the first half, Simon hit Wright over the middle of the field with a 61-yard deep ball to make it a one-possession game midway through the third quarter.

The Owls squandered a chance to tie the game after Simon’s interception on the first play of their next possession. It allowed a quick UTSA touchdown that broke the game open.

Simon, who has been shaky in recent weeks, finished the game with 219 yards and completed just 13 of his 32 pass attempts.

Wright ranked in the top five in the AAC and top 20 in the FBS in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns before missing three midseason games.

He returned to the lineup last week against FAU and logged 14 catches for 147 yards. On Friday, he added five more catches for 128 yards and two touchdown receptions.

» READ MORE: Interim coach Everett Withers: It’s ‘business as usual’ for Temple as he preps for its last two games

Wright has been a bright spot in an otherwise rough season for Temple. He now has 61 catches for 792 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He is having one of the best seasons for a Temple receiver in recent memory and has a real chance at finding a spot on an NFL roster in April.

Temple picked off McCown twice on Friday — the second time the Owls recorded two interceptions in a game this season. Single-digit team captain D.J. Woodbury recorded his first career interception, and safety Andreas Keaton, who has been one of the team’s best defenders since transferring from Western Carolina during the offseason, had the other.

Despite the turnovers, the Owls again failed to stop their opponent on the ground. Henry finished the game with 178 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

The Owls also allowed more than 50 points for the fourth time this season. Despite one of the team’s best offensive performances of the season, the Owls weren’t in the game in the fourth quarter.

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Temple will look to reach four wins in a season for the first time since 2019 when it hosts North Texas (5-5, 2-4 AAC) on Nov. 30 (noon, ESPN+) in their season finale.