Heading into this game, USF’s defense had played pretty well against the run, outside of one game against Florida State, where they allowed 478 yards rushing. Against Temple, this problem presented itself once again. Temple was able to rush for 319 yards and they won the time of possession battle. By the end of the game, USF had the ball for 20 minutes and 53 seconds, while Temple had the ball for 36 minutes and 52 seconds. USF head coach Willie Taggart spoke after the game when asked if the run defense is a problem.
“It’s a problem because it happened tonight. It’s only happened twice this year when someone ran [on] us like that. Again, we’ve got to do a better job of just tackling and putting our guys in a position to make a play. Or make sure we’ve got the right guys in there that’s gonna make the play.” He also added that it all goes back on him and that he has to, “make sure our defensive coaches are putting our guys in position.”
Temple running back Ryquell Armstead, in particular, ran roughshod over the USF defense. He had 20 carries for a career high 210 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Fellow running back Jahad Thomas also pitched in with 15 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Phillip Walker led this ball control offense and played efficient, turnover free football. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 209 yard and one touchdown. Wide receiver Ventell Bryant led the receiving group with 5 catches for 115 yards. The Temple offense as a whole had 528 yards of total offense.
Offensively, USF struggled with penalties and poor offensive situations for most of the night. USF had six offensive penalties on the night. There were also numerous times where USF was placed in third down and long situations due to negative yards on first, or second downs. USF Quarterback Quinton Flowers was a bright spot for USF today as he completed 11 of 19 passes for 187 yards, two touchdowns and then he carried the ball 14 times for 107 yards and one touchdown. Running back Marlon Mack also had 13 carries for 76 yards and one touchdown.
Unfortunately though for USF, with roughly four minutes left in the game, deep in their own territory, Flowers went out of bounds with an injury on a 13 yard run that was negated by a penalty. Flowers was unable to come back into the game and was replaced by backup quarterback Brett Kean. After another offensive penalty, Kean threw an interception to Temple safety Delvon Randall. Temple running back Thomas scored a touchdown on the following play, clinching the win. Taggart stated after the game that Flowers had, “tweaked his hamstring” but did not provide any other details.
While Temple had a very good offensive game, their defense also had a pretty good day. The defense held a high scoring USF offense to 30 points and 352 yards of total offense. They also had four sacks and seven tackles for a loss. Nose tackle Averee Robinson had two of the sacks and five tackles. Defensive end Praise Martin-Oguike may have had the best overall game, as he had one sack, one tackle and a half for a loss and he blocked a point after attempt. It was his fifth career blocked PAT. He spoke after the game about the block and specializing in the act.
“We practice that every day and really place emphasis on it. We know that realistically you will only get one or two blocks on a kick per season, but you never know when it is going to happen and how it could help the team.” Martin-Oguike said. “Last year, we blocked one that contributed to us winning that game. So we try to keep that mindset every time we compete. Usually those happen after a touchdown, so I try to think to myself ‘no matter what happens you have to keep going.’ It comes down to making that extra effort, but I believe there is some luck to it too.”
For USF, there is no break for them after this game. They need to regroup and get past this game as quickly as possible because next week they face the 24th nationally ranked Navy Midshipmen back in Tampa. Navy will be a very tough matchup for USF as they run the ball very well and if this game is any indication, USF may have some issues defending the run. It will also be a key game in deciding who will go to the AAC Championship game and who will host it.