Temple’s greatest kryptonite of the 2020s was road primetime games. Per the ESPNU broadcast, the Owls had lost 17 consecutive night matchups on the road, last emerging victorious in 2019 at South Florida.
Week 5 marked Temple’s final visit to Raymond James Stadium for a road matchup at South Florida, looking to end its primetime woes. Enter Ajani Sheppard.
With 3:08 remaining in the contest, Temple faced a 3rd-and-7. Head coach K.C. Keeler placed his trust in Sheppard’s mobility. The quarterback fielded
the snap out of shotgun, took a step backward, and then bolted straight ahead. He navigated through a sea of white and gold South Florida jerseys, assisted by quality downfield blocks from tight end Peter Clarke and guard Jackson Pruitt. That paved the way for a 34-yard touchdown scamper, providing Temple a late 17-13 advantage. The defense held on, providing the Owls a signature road victory over the previously unbeaten Bulls.
Under first-year head coach Brian Hartline, South Florida registered a 4-0 record in spite of a lack of offensive output. Through four games against FBS competition, USF managed 19, 28, 14, and 13 points. Slow starts have particularly plagued the Bulls, which only scored a combined 16 first half points across those four outings — one touchdown and three field goals.
Those issues only sustained against Temple, as the Owls manufactured a 10-3 halftime advantage. USF has now been outscored 68-19 by FBS teams in first halves this year. But the difference Saturday night was the lack of the usual fourth quarter surge. South Florida’s highest-scoring quarter was the fourth in all four weeks of September. But thanks to Sheppard’s late heroics and several clutch defensive stops, Temple defeat USF 7-3 in the final frame.
It appeared as if the Bulls would be in for another strong finish in the late third quarter when cornerback Amarion Fortenberry forced a Sheppard fumble at the 1-yard line in a 10-10 ballgame. That takeaway led to a 10-point swing as the Bulls capitalized with a 49-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica, handing his team a 13-10 advantage with 12:51 remaining. But South Florida never score again. The passing game only attained 205 yards on 32 attempts, while the run game was limited to 114 on a 3.4 average.
Temple’s offense wasn’t spectacular either but it made plays at pivotal moments. Sheppard finished 9-of-14 with 92 yards and a touchdown through the air, connecting with JoJo Bermudez in the second quarter. He also added a game-high 87 rushing yards, highlighted by his game-winning score in the final minutes.
South Florida (4-1, 1-1 American) became the final team in the conference to suffer a loss, and it counted in the conference standings. Hartline is no longer perfect in the early stages of his tenure in Tampa. While the Bulls’ defense has looked like that of a contender, they will need an offensive surge to be in the American Championship Game hunt. That must be solved in a short week, however, as USF returns to action Thursday on the road at UTSA.
Temple (2-3, 1-1 American) responded to a three-game losing skid with a much-needed victory. Keeler and the Owls upended an undefeated team on the road, just eight days after suffering a home heartbreaker against Army. Temple hopes this victory can spur momentum, but before continuing conference play, the Owls host UConn next Saturday in a non-conference clash between old Big East rivals.
