Isaiah

Wright

Wright (6'2/220) had a very productive start to the season, catching 37 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns in his first six games of the year, but only catching ten passes for 81 yards and no touchdowns in his last six. Jadan Blue and Branden Mack both emerged as the top-two wide receivers for the Owls and relegated Wright to a secondary role in the offense. At the next level Wright’s greatest value lies in his return ability, as he was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year and a Sporting News First Team All-American special teamer.

Wright (6'2"/220) and Braden Mack had zero issue finding holes in the ECU secondary, and while there weren’t a ton of plays down the field, the two combined for 18 catches and both went over the century mark. Wright was also able to find the end zone on a six-yard strike from Anthony Russo that gave the Owls a 24-10 lead just before the third quarter came to an end. He’ll look to replicate this effort next Saturday against undefeated Memphis.

Wright (6'2/220) averaged 13.4 yards on his 19 returns last year while taking two to the house. Not bad at all. If he lives up to this preseason honor, Wright could be in the mix as an undrafted free agent, solely based on his punt return skills. However, the NFL likely doesn’t view Wright as a receiver prospect since he hasn’t reached 700 yards in his first three seasons at Temple.

After quarterback Anthony Russo led Temple on a game-tying 75-yard touchdown drive in regulation, Russo connected with Wright (6'2/220) for a 25-yard touchdown pass, which ended up being the game-winning score. The junior receiver now has a 26-272-3 receiving line in eight games. The Owls take on a talented UCF team on Thursday, November 1st.

Wright was the Owls’ leading receiver in this one as he broke the century mark for the first time this season. His best play of the day was a 35-yard reception, his longest of the day. The 6-foot-2, 214 pound wideout was expected to have a breakout year by some entering the season. He will look to continue his success next week against East Carolina.

Wright had perhaps the play of the game, and it came in a critical spot for the Owls. With 3:48 remaining in the contest and Temple nursing a 22-16 lead, QB Logan Marchi fired off a 13-yard pass toward the right corner of the end zone. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound Wright was covered relatively well, but the pass hit him in stride and he managed to one-hand it in -- without any sort of flash, just a clutch, workman-like one-handed grab -- for the touchdown. UMass would notch a touchdown of their own after the subsequent kickoff, but Wright’s big score was enough to keep the game just out of reach when all was said and done. Overall, the sophomore wideout is now up to a 9-180-1 receiving line across three games played.

Wright also had two carries for six yards. It was a relatively quiet game for the sophomore wideout until the fourth quarter, when the 6-foot-2, 214-pound athlete showed his speed on a 45-yard touchdown to put the game out of the way at 21-3. Wright is a potential breakout candidate; an athletic, big wideout who can make tacklers miss. He and the Owls have a real chance of doing some damage in the AAC come 2018.