Stan Drayton is back on the drawing board, evaluating Temple's best players

Stan Drayton knew the first season the Temple head coach would present a challenge. To truly appreciate a team, the rebuilding process could take two to three years, and in year one he has another 11 games to prove it.

Temple’s loss to Duke in the season opener on Friday wasn’t shocking, but the 30-0 loss marked the Owls’ first shutout since their 31-0 loss to Penn State in 2007. is shown.

After his defeat, Drayton said he must return to reality. He explained why the Owls were unable to establish a rhythm starting with a new roster, including pre-match anxiety, lack of consistency in position groups, and overall still trying to assess who was the best player. explained.

“Nearly half of the starters are playing Temple football for the first time,” Drayton told media on Monday. is that some players have come and stepped up. Shake those fears.”

Temple’s defense strengthened in the second half, holding Duke to two field goals and recording a sack. However, the offense never even attempted a field goal, gaining a total of 179 yards in 58 plays for just 3.09 yards per play.

Defective from the start, the owl struggled in many areas. One of the underlying issues he has seen over the last two seasons is that the program has lost the depth of position groups as players enter the transfer portal.

With teams like the Rutgers and Massachusetts waiting for the Owls later this month, Drayton believes teams have no choice but to move forward. His focus will be Saturday’s home opener against Lafayette at 2pm.

The Leopards (1-0), who beat Sacred Heart 6-0 on Saturday, are a winnable matchup for the Owls.

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Drayton recently met with a leadership committee of 13 players, including offensive lineman Adam Klein and defensive tackle Zach Gill. Players reflected on the season opener by studying the film and evaluating their own performance. Beyond determining the difference in what the coach could do, the study of the film allowed the coach to know who showed up and who didn’t.

The depth chart remains the same for Week 2, but Drayton says every day is a competition. When asked if D’Wan Mathis would start again, the quarterback who was last week’s starter, Drayton replied that his backup quarterback Quincy his Patterson would play in the fourth quarter against the Blues. I talked about why I found time.

“It’s not like D’Wan was relegated for the rest of the game. Not at all,” said Drayton. “That gave me the opportunity to get to know players in pressure situations, so I had the opportunity to bring Quincy into a ball game and see how he would react. That’s why. did.”

Patterson completed 31 yards on 3 of 8 passes in his Temple debut. Drayton has not confirmed his QB1 status against Lafayette, but we can speculate that Mattis, who moved from Georgia, will be that guy.

Drayton wants to improve the running backsroom, a group he previously coached in Texas. said. Against Duke, Drayton and running back coach Preston Brown analyzed those players and attempted to establish their distinct roles.

He rotated Edward Saidie, Darvon Hubbard and Jacari Norwood for a combined 32 rushing yards on 14 carries, giving each an opportunity to play on third down and see who could be the receiving back. did.

“A lot of the time in the backfield it’s just the running backs that aren’t trained,” Drayton said. “Rather than allowing something to happen, either failing to hit the landmarks properly or jumping around a little impatiently trying to make something happen…it depends on how time, practice, movie research, defense This is what you get by understanding the fitting scheme.

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Assessing Lafayette’s strength, Drayton looks to its defense. He described the leopards as hard on attack and always putting high pressure on the ball. This is the style of play that led to two fumble recoveries against Sacred Heart.

Drayton’s message to the team this week is to play with purpose. He believes Owl wants to get better, but he’s still waiting for the groundwork from practice to carry over to the game.

“They’re disappointed. They’re tough on themselves now,” Drayton said. “They’ve worked hard to get to that point, that opportunity, but they haven’t played to their standards. … who we are and what this is. Our aim is to play for the love of your brother.”

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