Temple Owls could catch Oklahoma Sooners and their fans off guard in Week 3 for more than one reason
The Oklahoma Sooners have to be ready for a potential trap game against the Temple Owls
After soundly defeating the Michigan Wolverines 24-13 last weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners go on the road for the first time in the 2025 season to take on the Temple Owls. This matchup will take place in the Philadelphia Eagles’ stadium, a unique experience for the Sooners. Most fans are overlooking this matchup, given Temple’s recent struggles as a program.
I’m here to say this: Temple is the most intriguing non-conference opponent on Oklahoma’s schedule. Yes, I am including Michigan in that. It’s a completely different team than the one the Sooners took down 51-3 last season, courtesy of a new coaching staff and a slew of transfers.
I sat down with Devin Jackson, an NFL/CFB/NFL Draft writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, to go over the resurgent Temple Owls and how they are approaching this matchup against the hot Sooners.
The Temple Owls Are Ready For an Upset
Q: The last few years have not been kind to Temple, but new head coach K.C. Keeler has brought a new mentality to the Owls that has shown up so far. What has been the biggest change that Keeler has brought to the team in 2025?
Jackson: “K.C. Keeler brought confidence and an identity with him from Sam Houston State, having won at every school he’s had stops at along his 31-year coaching career. I think he made strong hires in bringing in Brian L Smith as defensive coordinator, who’s from the Philly area (Chester) and OC Tyler Walker, who brings a creative running game with him from Montana State. Temple leans heavily on the run game on offense and a bend but don’t break mentality on defense. The team looks as confident as I’ve seen them in years on the field and that can be traced back to Keeler.”
Q: Temple quarterback Evan Simon is ninth in the country in completion percentage and is tied for second in the country with nine touchdown passes. Is this a product of scheme or has Simon taken that next step as a passer with this new coaching staff?
Jackson: “I think the scheme has helped Simon make quick decisions and early in games, you see Tyler Walker giving him easy completions and easy reads to settle in. The scheme sets Simon up for some manufactured shot plays but there’s a different confidence that he has played with, making him more willing to take shots downfield in one on one coverage. He’s had a security blanket in TE Peter Clarke and has done a nice job spreading the ball around to his other playmakers. Simon also isn’t afraid to take off and run if nothing is open downfield.“
Brent Venables has Oklahoma’s defense flying around in his first season taking over the defensive playcalling, and the talent level is a bit different than what the Owls have seen so far. Who are a few of the players you think Temple is going to rely upon to try and pull off the upset against a defense that just held Michigan in check?
Jackson: “The Temple offense revolves around Jay Ducker, but they aren’t afraid to mix in last season’s leading rusher Terez Worthy either. The scheme allows both to get downhill quickly and Ducker has been especially good at making players miss at the second level. Other playmakers on offense to watch out for: WR Colin Chase, WR Jojo Bermudez, TE Peter Clarke. Also keep an eye on backup QB Gevani McCoy. He’s a run first QB who could see some packages on offense that emphasizes QB runs.”
Q: Surprisingly, Temple sits second in the country in 3rd down conversion rate. What has been the secret to their success offensively this season?
Jackson: “Temple on offense does a nice job of forcing defenses to defend the entire width of the field. They’ll lean heavily on Jay Ducker in the run game, but Tyler Walker keeps defenses honest with heavy pre snap motion, including jet sweeps, constantly putting defenders in a bind. Having success in the run game in first and second downs have set up manageable third downs. And because of their running success, play action passes have been especially effective on early downs to bring balance to their offensive attack.“
Q: We’ve talked a lot about Temple’s new offense, let’s talk about the defense. Obviously, John Mateer just diced up a very talented Michigan defense. How do you think the Owls are going to try and slow down what is shaping up to be another strong offense from the Sooners?
Jackson: “Edge rusher Cam’Ron Stewart has 5 TFLS and 3 sacks through two games for Temple and looks like the team’s best pass rusher. Sekou Kromah is the other defensive line standout. But I’d expect to see Temple to have a QB spy at linebacker, most likely Eric Stuart. It’ll be tough to keep Mateer contained because of his athleticism and ability to make plays on the move, but having a player account for his running ability seems like the best option on Saturday.”
Q: OU’s passing game has found a new flair under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, with players like Deion Burks, Isaiah Sategna, and Keontez Lewis already beginning to match the production the Sooners had through the air last year. Who will Temple call on to help contain the Sooners through the air?
Jackson: “Ben Osueke is Temple’s best cover corner as one of the lone returners in the secondary and has the team’s only interception and has 2 PBUs through two game. He could see some time on Deion Burks, though I’d expect to see more zone coverage against Oklahoma than what they played against Howard and UMass. At safety, Avery Powell (Missouri State transfer) is their most reliable tackler and coverage player. Opposite of Osueke will be Jaylen Castleberry, the Youngstown State transfer, who has nice length and closing speed on short routes.“
Q: There’s been a clip going viral of a couple of OU beat writers (I know who they are and no I’m not telling) mocking the Temple crowd attendance for this game. How do you think fans will respond? Is there any truth to what they said?
Jackson: “I think fans will take it personally and looks like they have already. But it’s also known that Temple has struggled to fill seats at Lincoln Financial Stadium. They had four straight 3-9 seasons and haven’t generated excitement around the program since 2019. There may be a small bump in attendance with Oklahoma coming it but I wouldn’t call it an overwhelming home field advantage environment. Temple was near the bottom of the FBS in attendance last year. The energy around the program is much better with a promising start to the season but winning will draw more fans. And Temple hasn’t done a lot of that lately.”
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