It was almost like the gray, gloomy sky hovering above Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday afternoon was going to be some type of bad omen for Temple in its AAC opener against SMU.
After all, the Owls’ first two drives ended in a pick-six and a three-and-out that produced all of five yards.
But after a strategically placed punt off the back of an SMU player’s leg worked in the Owls’ favor, something clicked.
Unlike the sun, Temple’s offense finally broke through. And the Owls have a potent rushing attack to thank for it.
Sophomore Ryquell Armstead rushed for a career-high 159 yards and two touchdowns and senior Jahad Thomas added 80 yards and two touchdowns of his own to help the Owls blow past overmatched SMU, 45-20, and set the defense of their AAC East crown off on the right foot (see Instant Replay).
Afterward, the calming effect the successful run game had Saturday wasn’t lost on Temple head coach Matt Rhule.
“We had some things we wanted to get to,” Rhule said. “We had a bunch of plays we really liked. The wildcat (with freshman Isaiah Wright) was one of them. The two-back runs and then some of the play-action. The first part didn’t turn out so well, so we went to the wildcat and the two-back stuff and were able to get settled down a little bit.
“Any time we rush for 244 yards, we’re excited.”
After one of Alex Starzyk’s tricky rugby style punts worked to perfection and the Owls recovered at SMU’s 42-yard line, Temple ran the ball down the Mustangs’ throat on six of the next seven plays, the last of which was a 12-yard scamper by Thomas that tied the game early in the first.
That touchdown sent Temple coasting, as the Owls went on to score 35 unanswered points.
“We established the run game early,” said Thomas, who now has six rushing touchdowns in three games since returning from a dislocated left thumb that cost him the first two games of the season. “We kind of usually go with what’s hot and what’s working. So we were able to get Ryquell and me in and break out some runs early.
“We were running the ball pretty successfully, so that’s what we stuck with. We didn’t go in and change anything. Nothing magical happened. We started to just lock in and focus on the little details.
While Thomas may get most of the attention, Armstead used Saturday as the latest chance to display his talents.
Not only were his 159 yards a career-high, they were the most gained by a Temple player since Thomas reeled off 199 in a game against UCF last October. He also had three carries of over 30 yards (31, 33, 37). He’s now tied with Thomas for the team lead with six touchdowns on the season.
“That was by far the best game I ever played and it showed,” said Armstead, who had 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns as a freshman last season. “It’s meaningful for me because I’ve been working so hard this offseason. I’ve been showing little outbursts but I haven’t been breaking big runs like I do in practice. So to finally show it in a game is wonderful for me.”
“I just thought he was really patient and picked up the blitzes,” Rhule said of Armstead. “I think you’re seeing a guy who’s really coming of age.”
The stat sheet says the Owls finished with 244 rushing yards Saturday. But take away the 26 yards in sacks senior quarterback Phillip Walker took, and it was truthfully 260 yards.
And, truthfully, the Owls need the rushing attack to hit Saturday, and not just because of poor field conditions from a Beyoncé concert and soaking rains earlier in the week.
They needed the rushing game to produce because Walker had a miserable afternoon.
The four-year starter went just 7 for 18 for 124 yards, a touchdown and two ugly interceptions.
The first pick was one of the easiest SMU corner Jordan Wyatt will ever have, as Walker locked in on his receiver to the outside and made a poor throw Wyatt read and brought home 35 yards to open the scoring. The second pick was another poor decision as, instead of throwing the ball out of bounds, Walker forced a ball into tight coverage that SMU’s Horace Richardson easily intercepted. Both picks led to points for the Mustangs.
Rhule mentioned he thought Walker was trying to do too much on both of the interceptions.
The Temple defense did more than its fair share to help pick up the slack, though.
The Owls’ defenders harassed SMU freshman quarterback Ben Hicks all afternoon with four sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Senior Haason Reddick caused both of those fumbles with bone-jarring hits that will have Hicks seeing him in his nightmares. Romond Deloatch returned one of Hicks’ fumbles for an eight-yard touchdown that made the score 35-7 in the second quarter. The Owls’ four sacks Saturday almost equaled their total for the season (five) coming into the game. Courtland Sutton, SMU’s dynamic receiver, was held to four catches for 43 yards.
SMU’s offense came into Saturday’s meeting averaging 448 yards of offense. The Mustangs could only muster 288 total yards in their first visit to Philadelphia since 1946.
“We knew that we had more of a pocket passer than someone who was more of duel-threat runner, so we could go out there and pass rush a little bit more,” Reddick said. “We’re hitting hard on the details, making sure everyone is doing the job and we are getting results like tonight.”
While all phases may not have been pretty, the Owls accomplished what they set out to do Saturday by setting a tone for the remaining seven AAC games.
But that physical, dominating tone gets tested Thursday as a short-week trip to Memphis quickly approaches.
Deloatch does it all
Whatever Temple needs him to do, Deloatch can do it. And do it well.
Temple’s two-way Mr. Versatility had 34 receiving yards Saturday and had the fumble return touchdown that he scooped up by palming the football like a basketball. His reception was originally ruled a touchdown, but he was ruled down at the 1-yard line after a review. So he was a yard away from scoring on both sides of the ball.
“They called my name, I went out there made plays and tried to help my team win,” said Deloatch, who wore a Temple-branded superhero cape during his postgame availability.
“I’m happy for him,” Reddick said of his teammate. “He has come a long way and I’m glad to that his hard work is paying off.”
Injury updates
All the news was not good news for Temple Saturday.
Junior safety Sean Chandler, the leader of Temple’s secondary, could miss anywhere from three weeks to the entire season with a knee injury suffered last week in the win over Charlotte. As a corner last season, the Camden, New Jersey, native had 65 total tackles and four interceptions. This season, his first at safety, Chandler has 23 total tackles and a pick. His absence could be a huge blow to the Owls’ defense.
Defensive linemen senior Sharif Finch and redshirt junior Julian Taylor will miss the rest of the year with knee injuries.