Rutgers gives Schiano historic win, beats Temple 16-14

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PHILADELPHIA – Shaquan Loyal‘s 43-yard interception return for a touchdown was the turning point of the game as Rutgers improved to 3-0 with a 16-14 victory over Temple on Saturday and made Greg Schiano the winningest coach in program history.

Schiano broke a tie for most wins with 79. He was tied with Frank Burns, who was the head coach from 1973 to 1983, including the undefeated 1976 team that was 11-0.

“We’re in the middle of building something special,” Schiano said. “I’m excited about those guys being a part of it with me. And I have the upmost respect for Coach Burns, who was a gentlemen, and I learned a lot from him for sure.”

The score by the sophomore defensive back was the only touchdown for the Scarlet Knights, who floundered offensively with just 201 total yards.

“On a day when you are not throwing your fastball, you have to be good enough to find a way to win and that’s what we did today,” Schiano said. “Defensively, we made some big stops. Offensively, we did what we had to do to end the game. Is it what we aspire to? No, but you can’t get worked up about one way or another way. We just have to keep working and getting better.”

The Rutgers defense held on and survived a late scare from the Owls whose comeback attempt ended when freshman quarterback E.J. Warner – the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner – was rushed into an incomplete pass by the Scarlet Knights on a fourth-and-3 from the Temple 41 with 2:30 to play.

Trailing 7-3 midway through the second quarter, Loyal came on a corner blitz and tipped Warner’s pass into the air, grabbing it at the 43 and streaking untouched for the momentum shift. “His eyes got really big and I knew that he was going to give me the liberty key,” Loyal said. “I put my hands up and made the play.”

Jude McAtamney hit field goals of 45, 25 and 38 yards for the Scarlet Knights, who are now 3-0 for the second straight year.

“On a day when you are not throwing your fastball, you have to find a way to win,” Schiano said. ”

Warner was 19-for-32 for 215 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Smith that brought the Owls (1-2) back within two points early in the fourth quarter.

“Obviously, there are things that we can do better to get a different result,” Temple’s first year coach Stan Drayton said. “But this is something we can build off of. No moral victories, but there are a lot of great things that we can build off.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights quarterback situation continues to cry out for Noah Vedral‘s return from an undisclosed injury. Vedral – a sixth-year starter who was injured during spring camp – took snaps this week in practice. Without Vedral and with a rotation of Evan Simon and Gavin Wimsatt, the passing game was limited to just 59 yards on 17 attempts. Wimsatt left with an undisclosed injury later in the game and Vedral is questionable for next week. “We’re not going to risk someone for just one week,” Schiano said. “It’s a doctor’s decision.”

Temple: The Owls dominated most of the action in the first half and showed some potential in the first start under Warner. However, the one turnover that he made that resulted in Loyal’s touchdown and underscores how difficult it is for Temple to win with the talent deficit they face. “He understands the game and came in knowing our offense,” Drayton said. “He earned our trust early in fall camp.”

UP NEXT

Rutgers: Starts its Big Ten schedule with a home game against Iowa next Saturday.

Temple: Hosts UMass next Saturday in final nonconference game.

Temple hires Stan Drayton off Texas staff as new head coach

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PHILADELPHIA — Temple hired Stan Drayton as the latest coach charged with making the Owls relevant again in the American Athletic Conference.

Drayton spent five years at Texas where he was associate head coach and run game coordinator and has coached for nearly 30 years at all levels of football, including a stint in the NFL. He has Pennsylvania ties with coaching stints at Villanova, Penn and his alma mater Allegheny (Pa.) College.

Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson made his first major hire since his October arrival and went with a coach he was familiar with following a seven-year stint in the Longhorns’ administration.

“I had a chance to get to know Stan while we worked together at the University of Texas. He is an outstanding football coach and an even better person,” Johnson said. “He knows what success looks like at the highest levels of football. He also knows what it takes to be successful in this city having spent six years of his career here and learned from two of the city’s legendary football coaches.”

Temple will introduce Drayton at a press conference. Temple fired Rod Carey last month after three seasons, ending a tenure that started with a bowl game and finished with a combined two conference wins in the last two seasons.

Drayton also coached at Ohio State, Florida, Syracuse, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Bowling Green. He also served as running backs coach for the Chicago Bears from 2015-16. He worked as offensive quality control coach/special teams of the Green Bay Packers in 2001-03.

Drayton joins Ron Dickerson as the only Black head coaches in Temple football history.

“Philadelphia has always held a special place in my heart as my wife, Monique, and I got married while we lived here,” Drayton said.

Carey went 12-20 at the Philadelphia-based school after being hired away from Northern Illinois in January 2019. He went 4-15 over the last two seasons. Carey was 2-13 in the American Athletic Conference over the last two seasons.

Temple is counting on Drayton to return it to bowl games. The Owls played in five straight bowl games from 2015-19.

Temple fires Rod Carey after 3 lackluster seasons

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PHILADELPHIA — Temple fired coach Rod Carey after three seasons with the school, ending a tenure that started with a bowl game and finished with a combined two conference wins in the last two seasons.

The Owls completed a 3-9 season on Saturday with their seventh straight lopsided loss, falling to Navy 38-14.

“It’s never an easy decision to replace a head coach,” Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson said. “The past two seasons have not been easy with the challenges of the pandemic. I want to thank Rod for staying committed to our student-athletes and wish him and his family well in their next chapter.”

Thad Ward was named interim head coach.

Carey went 12-20 at the Philadelphia-based school after being hired away from Northern Illinois in January 2019. He went just 4-15 over the last two seasons. Carey was only 2-13 in the American Athletic Conference over the last two seasons.

The unusual timing of his hiring was the result of Manny Diaz taking the Temple job after Geoff Collins left for Georgia Tech, but soon after Diaz was hired by Miami.

Carey was 52-30 with six winning seasons in seven years leading NIU, and he guided Temple to an 8-5 record in 2019.

But the Owls went 1-6 last year in a season wrecked by COVID-19 issues and then finished tied for last in the American this year. The Owls lost their last seven games.

“I’ve never been through a bad streak like this,” Carey said after Saturday’s loss. “Our team stayed together.”

Earlier this year, Temple finally hired a replacement for the athletic director who had hired Carey. Johnson, a veteran administrator who most recently worked at Texas, was named Temple AD in October. Temple tried for years to build an on-campus stadium to help boost interest and create revenue but instead is stuck playing at cavernous Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Temple played in five straight bowl games from 2015 to 2019.