Temple Football Preview 2025: KC Keeler Will Break the Owls' 3-9 Cycle
New Temple head coach KC Keeler wins games.He took Rowan - it's in New Jersey - to four Division III national title games, but couldn't quite get over the hump. He won a D-IAA national title at Delaware and went to two others. He won an FCS national championship at Sam Houston and went to three others.And he brought the Bearkat program into the FBS, and after one warm-up season, led the way to a nine-win regular season and a bowl appearance. At 66 years old when the season starts, he's taking on an even bigger project.
It's possible to win at Temple. The program enjoyed five straight winning seasons from 2015 to 2019, going 43-24 with five different head coaches.It's also possible to lose big at Temple. The Owls went 13-42 over the last five years with four straight 3-9 seasons.But Keeler doesn't lose. He has just four losing seasons in 32 years.It might take all of 2025 to get up to speed, but this year's team has decent experience, and it shouldn't take too many massive tweaks to make a big improvement in a blah AAC. The improvement starts with …
Temple Owls Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- Offensive coordinator Tyler Walker was fantastic for the Montana State offense last year. He cranked up a high-octane passing attack that was among the best in the FCS, but this is a full rebuild for a Temple offense that averaged just 309 yards and fewer than 20 points per game.- The offensive line isn't necessarily a positive - it couldn't keep anyone out of the backfield - but it's relatively experienced with plenty of veterans to move around Kevin Terry at tackle and Chris Smith at center.
- Leading running back Terrez Worthy is back after averaging over five yards per carry on his 425 yards and four scores, but former Sam Houston starter Jay Ducker will be the main man.- The passing game will be a work in progress. Evan Simon led the team with 2,032 yards and 15 scores with nine interceptions, but Anthony Chiccitt from Robert Morris is just good enough to prove a push.The receiving corps loses 61-catch man Dante Wright, but there's just enough experience to be okay. Antonio Jones was a decent short-range target last year on the inside, and John Adams should do more deep on the outside.
Temple Owls Preview 2025: Defense
- There wasn't any pass rush, and the run defense was the third-worst in America, but the Owls were stunningly good on third downs, and the secondary wasn't awful. Javier Morton is the best safety in the bunch - the former Nebraska Cornhusker made 48 tackles last season - and Youngstown State's Jalen Castleberry is coming off a 50-tackle season to work on the other side of veteran Ben Osueke.
- Top tackler Tyquan King left for the UConn linebacking corps, but UMass transfer Jalen Stewart should be a statistical star coming off a 77-tackle season with the Minutemen. Outside option Ty Davis might be the pass rusher needed coming in from Delaware.- Will the pass rush show up from the line? Khalil Poteat and Cam'Ron Stewart have the look and a little experience, but the production has to come from the ends. There's a little bit of size on the inside with 300-pound Demerick Morris and 270-pound Sekou Kormah, but they don't get in the backfield.
Temple Owls Key to the Season
The turnovers have to stop.Temple has a big enough uphill climb as is. It can't make it steeper with all the mistakes. Last year's Owl offense gave it up a whopping 25 times, and with three or more turnovers in five games. The O turned it over just once in the three wins,
Temple Owls Key Player
Evan Simon, QB Sr.There's enough experience, size, and moxie to be the leader in the new era. He'll have a better running game to take the pressure off, but the line is still iffy, and the stars have to emerge at receiver. Being a game-manager, spreading it around, and keeping the mistakes to a minimum might be good enough for a big turnaround.
Temple Owls Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Jay Ducker, RB Sr. He came over with KC Keeler to be the star of the running game. He ran for 1,184 yards as a freshman at Northern Illinois, ran for seven scores in two years at Memphis, and last year ran for 745 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bearkats.Top Transfer Out: Tyquan King, LB Sr.The Owls need players who can do a little of everything, especially get into the backfield. King tied for the team lead with six tackles for loss and led the way with 112 tackles. Now he'll be a star on the UConn D.
Temple Owls Key Game
UTSA, Oct. 4It's a measuring-stick game. The Owls should beat UMass and Howard to start, will almost certainly lose to Oklahoma and Georgia Tech to follow, and then there's a week off before starting AAC play. There are winnable games on the slate, so beat UTSA at home, and this might be a stunningly good first year under the new regime.- 2025 Temple Owls Schedule Breakdown
Temple Owls Top 10 Players
1. Jay Ducker, RB Sr.2. Jalen Stewart, LB Sr.3. Evan Simon, QB Sr.4. Jalen Castleberry, CB Sr.5. Javier Morton, S Sr. 6. Ty Davis, LB Sr.7. Antonio Jones, WR Sr.8. Chris Smith, C Sr.9. Demerick Morris, DT Sr. 10. Terez Worthy, RB Sr.
Temple Owls 2024 Fun Stats
- 1st Quarter Scoring: Temple 94, Opponents 29- Sacks: Opponents 37 for 234 yards, Temple 14 for 83 yards- Touchdowns Scored: Opponents 55, Temple 27
Temple Owls 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
The 3-9 season was hardly great, but there were chances to get closer to six wins.The turnovers and inefficiency were the issue, but the coaching staff is good, there's a nice base of players to work around, and it's the American Athletic Conference. The schedule isn't bad.
The road games are the issue. Charlotte and Tulsa are winnable games, but they're on the road, and so is the opener against UMass. Even so, this is the year the Owls break the three-win doldrums.Set The Temple Owls Win Total At … 4Likely Wins: Howard50/50 Games: at Charlotte, East Carolina, Navy, at UMass, at Tulsa, UTSALikely Losses: at Army, at Georgia Tech, at North Texas, Oklahoma, Tulane
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