There were moments last season when Temple looked better.

Not where the Owls want to be yet.

But better.

That matters for a program that has been stuck in neutral for a while. The Owls went 5-7 last season and 3-5 in the American, which still was not a winning season. Temple has not had one of those since 2019.

But after years of sitting near the bottom, there was at least some movement.

The frustrating part is how close Temple was to making the season feel different. The Owls lost to Navy by one. They lost to Army by one. They had flashes where it looked like they were ready to take a real step.

Then the better teams showed the gap.

Oklahoma blew them out. Georgia Tech handled them. Tulane and North Texas both scored a bunch in blowouts. That is the difference between “better” and actually being good.

Now K.C. Keeler enters year two, and Temple has a chance to be one of the more interesting teams in the American.

HEAD COACH

• K.C. Keeler, entering year two at Temple
• Temple went 5-7 last season.
• The Owls improved after winning only three games in each of the previous four seasons.

Keeler has already made Temple more competitive.

That does not mean the rebuild is done. It’s still in its early stages.

But going from four straight three-win seasons to 5-7 is progress. The Owls were cleaner than a lot of teams near the bottom of the standings. They were careful with the ball. They avoided penalties. They did a lot of the things that usually make a team look well coached.

Temple averaged only 4.9 penalties per game, which ranked near the top 25 nationally. The turnover margin was plus-0.9 per game, also one of the better marks in the country.

That helped the Owls stay in games.

The concern is whether those things are repeatable.

Turnovers can swing year to year. A fumble bounces one way one season and the other way the next. If Temple is going to improve again, the Owls need more than good fortune and clean football.

They need more offense.

And they need a defense that can actually get off the field.

QUARTERBACK

The quarterback battle is the biggest question.

It looks like Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard are competing for the job.

Smolik comes from Penn State, where he waited behind other quarterbacks and never threw a collegiate pass in limited appearances. Sheppard comes from Washington State after previously being at Rutgers, where he threw two passes in three career games.

So there is not much proven college production here.

Smolik feels like he may have the slight edge, partly because he spent time in a Big Ten quarterback room and has the kind of arm talent that made Penn State bring him in. But Sheppard is not just some throw-in. He was also recruited by Power Four programs and gives Temple another real option.

This is not a battle between two long-time starters.

It is a battle between two quarterbacks who still have a lot to prove.

Temple has enough around the quarterback to make this work if one of them is ready. The Owls do not need a superstar. They need somebody who protects the ball, gets it to the tight end, takes advantage of the returning receivers and lets the offensive line help carry the offense.

THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

This is why Temple could be a sneaky team.

The offense actually has pieces.

Start with Peter Clarke.

Clarke may be the best tight end in the American. He had 30 catches and six touchdowns last season, and he has nine career touchdowns. In a league that does not have a ton of proven tight ends, Clarke stands out.

He should be the new quarterback’s best friend.

A reliable tight end is a huge deal when you are breaking in a new starter. Clarke can work the middle of the field. He can be a red-zone target. He can help on third down. He gives Temple a real matchup piece.

The receiver room has continuity too.

Jojo Bermudez and Colin Chase are both back after combining for 78 catches and eight touchdowns last season. That gives Temple two experienced targets outside.

The Owls are not asking a new quarterback to walk into an empty room. They have Clarke. They have Bermudez. They have Chase. That is a good start.

The offensive line may be the biggest reason for optimism.

Temple brings back four starters up front: Grayson Mains, Eric King, Giakoby Hills and Jackson Pruitt. For a team with a quarterback battle, that kind of continuity is huge.

If you do not know exactly who the quarterback is, you better know who is blocking for him.

Temple does.

The run game likely leans on Sam Brown, who comes from Rutgers after 205 career carries over four seasons. He does not need to be a 1,500-yard back. He just needs to make defenses respect the run enough to give the passing game some space.

Last year, Temple averaged 25.4 points per game and 325.7 yards per game.

Those numbers are not great, but they are not hopeless either.

If the quarterback play is stable, this offense can be better than people expect.

DEFENSE

This is where the concern starts.

Temple only brings back two defensive starters, and the defense had some real problems last season.

The Owls allowed 197 rushing yards per game. They also had only 16 sacks, which means they did not create enough negative plays or pressure.

That is a bad combination.

If you cannot stop the run and you cannot consistently pressure the quarterback, good offenses are going to make you pay.

Temple saw that last year.

Oklahoma scored 42. Georgia Tech scored 45. East Carolina scored 45. Tulane scored 37. North Texas scored 52.

That is the gap Temple has to close.

The defense starts with Curly Ordonez, who was an All-American honorable mention type of player and finished with 66 tackles last season. He is the clear centerpiece of the defense.

Avery Powell is also back in the secondary, which gives the Owls at least one experienced defensive back.

But Temple needs more.

The Owls added Saboor Karriem, an Illinois transfer, and that could be big. They also bring in other pieces, including Caleb Artist from Penn State and Daviier Bishop from East Mississippi Community College.

The names matter less than the results.

Temple has to be more physical against the run.

It has to create more pressure.

It has to stop giving up explosive scoring days to the better teams on the schedule.

If the defense is even average, Temple can be a bowl team. If it is not, the offense may not be good enough to carry the season.

SCHEDULE

The schedule is not awful.

Temple opens at home against Rhode Island, then hosts Penn State on Sept. 12. That Penn State game is a major opportunity, even if Temple will be a heavy underdog. Getting a Big Ten team at home is still a big deal.

After that, the Owls go to Toledo, then host Army on Sept. 25.

That September matters.

The Rhode Island game has to be a win. Toledo is a tricky road game. Army at home is one of those games that could tell us a lot about how far Temple has come, especially after losing to Army by one last season.

Then comes American play.

Temple goes to South Florida, hosts UConn and Charlotte, then has road games at East Carolina and Navy. The Owls close with UAB, Rice and a road trip to Memphis.

The road schedule is not easy.

South Florida, East Carolina, Navy and Memphis are all tough spots in different ways. South Florida has talent. East Carolina can be dangerous. Navy is never fun to prepare for. Memphis is usually one of the league’s better programs.

But Temple does get some important home games.

Penn State and Army come to Philadelphia. Charlotte, UAB and Rice are also at home. That is where the bowl path lives.

If Temple protects home field and steals a road game or two, six wins is very realistic.

If it drops the home swing games, the schedule becomes a problem quickly.

OUTLOOK

The offense has enough returning to matter. Peter Clarke is a real weapon. Jojo Bermudez and Colin Chase give the Owls experienced receivers. Four offensive line starters are back. The quarterback room has two Power Four transfers. The coaching staff has already shown it can make the team cleaner and more competitive.

That is the optimistic case.

The concern is the defense.

Temple cannot get gashed on the ground again. It cannot finish with only 16 sacks again. It cannot rely on turnover margin and low penalties every year and assume those things will carry the record.

At some point, the Owls have to win more snaps.

The best-case scenario is that Smolik or Sheppard settles the quarterback job quickly, Clarke becomes the best tight end in the league, the offensive line gives Temple a real foundation, and the defense improves just enough to turn last year’s one-point losses into wins.

If that happens, Temple can get to a bowl.

The worst-case scenario is that the quarterback battle drags on, the defense still cannot stop the run, the turnover luck fades, and the better teams on the schedule continue to separate.

Keeler has them moving in the right direction.

Now year two is about turning “better” into “bowl team.”

That is the line for Temple.

And with this offense, it is absolutely within reach.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.