Temple's defense bounces back in Saturday's spring scrimmage

K.C. Keeler said he thought Tuesday’s practice was his team’s worst of the spring to that point.

Following Saturday’s scrimmage, that sentiment seemed to take a 180, at least for the Owls’ defense.

“I think it just falls back on what the coach said,” linebacker Eric Stuart said following Saturday’s scrimmage, one in which the defense held the offense to just one touchdown. “It’s about the leaders of our team. I think it’s just letting guys know, like, we’re gonna hit adversity during the season. It’s not always going to go our way. We have to learn how to respond, and I think that will help us. That’s building our culture. It’s going to help us get through games. Like, if you know how to respond, you can really get through anything.”

Fighting through adversity has been a constant for the Temple program since 2019, when the Owls went 8-5 in former head coach Rod Carey’s first season. A 1-6 Covid campaign followed in 2020, followed by four consecutive 3-9 seasons, the last three of which represented former head coach Stan Drayton’s entire tenure. Last season, Keeler’s first at Temple, represented a bit of a breakthrough at 5-7.

At least where Stuart and the defense are concerned, there’s been a better response on that side of the ball since Tuesday’s practice that underwhelmed the veteran head coach. 

“I think we just had a great day on Thursday,” Stuart said, “so I think the biggest thing in our room was just trying to make sure that we carried that home from Thursday and started fast, and we did, and just kept on rolling.”

Stuart, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound redshirt senior, has taken on a bigger role at the heart of the defense with fellow linebacker Curly Ordonez out with an undisclosed injury after having surgery in February.

Oronez, the Owls’ leading tackler from a season ago, is expected to be back well in time for fall camp, but Stuart’s role for the time being will stay important, as it was Saturday.

Stuart, along with Tyree Alualu and Wesley Brown, helped to clog up the middle of the field Saturday on defense, limiting tight ends Ryder Kusch and Daniel Evert on multiple occasions while also stuffing projected starting running back Sam Brown V just off the line of scrimmage routinely.

In front of the linebackers, the defensive line also applied constant pressure on quarterbacks Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard in the pocket, with Lafayette transfer Jaylon Joseph beating right tackle Luke Watson off the edge numerous times for a few “sacks,” as the quarterbacks are not being tackled to the ground. 

“I think the biggest thing that we’ve picked up this spring would be our communication,” Stuart said. “Pre-snap, there is a lot of talking. It’s not something that we really had last year. So I think guys knowing their assignments and talking before plays, it helps you know what you have to do when someone’s telling you we’re in. So it’s like, I think just really pre-snap communication that has been so important.”

That communication was a big part in helping the defense limit the Temple offense to that one touchdown, a one-yard run by sophomore running back Keveun Mason.

Additions like Joseph and fellow edge rusher JaMair Diaz have been a big part of the defense’s early success through spring camp and helped open things up ahead of the off-ball linebackers.

And a coaching staff that saw minimal turnover in what is now its second year at the helm of the program was able to enjoy a lot of stability.“Yeah, yeah, I think always, no matter what, wherever you are, when you get into the second year of a program, I think everybody’s a lot more comfortable with each other,” Temple linebackers coach Keith Dudunski said. “It obviously starts with the culture, the program, Coach Keeler, what he expects, and then that goes on to Coach Smith and the defensive coaches and the players. I think there’s a lot more trust. Not that we didn’t have trust last year, but I just think guys trust each other more. There’s a lot more banter about football in the room than there are a lot of other distractions. I think the guys are really focused on how they can be better, how I can become a better football player, and be the best person they can be each day. They go out and compete.”