2018 Temple Owls football team

The 2018 Temple Owls football team represented Temple University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls were led by second-year head coach Geoff Collins during the regular season and played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field. They are members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 7–1 in AAC play to finish in 2nd place in the East Division. They were invited to play in the Independence Bowl, where they lost to Duke.

2018 Temple Owls football
Independence Bowl, L 27–56 vs. Duke
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Record	8–5 (7–1 The American)
Head coach	Geoff Collins (2nd season; regular season) Ed Foley (interim; bowl game)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Patenaude (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro spread
Defensive coordinator	Andrew Thacker (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Lincoln Financial Field
Uniform
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 American Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 11 UCF x$		8	–	0					12	–	1
Temple		7	–	1					8	–	5
No. 24 Cincinnati		6	–	2					11	–	2
South Florida		3	–	5					7	–	6
East Carolina		1	–	7					3	–	9
UConn		0	–	8					1	–	11
West Division
Memphis xy		5	–	3					8	–	6
Houston x		5	–	3					8	–	5
Tulane x		5	–	3					7	–	6
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	7
Navy		2	–	6					3	–	10
Tulsa		2	–	6					3	–	9
Championship: UCF 56, Memphis 41
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

On December 7, 2018, head coach Geoff Collins left for the head coaching job at Georgia Tech.^[1] Tight ends coach Ed Foley led the Owls in the Independence Bowl. On December 13, the Owls initially named Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as their new head coach.^[2] However, on December 30, Diaz went back to Miami to become their new head coach following Mark Richt's sudden retirement.^[3]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Rimington Trophy[4]	Matt Hennessy	C	So
Chuck Bednarik Award[5]	Delvon Randall	S	SR
Maxwell Award[6]	Frank Nutile	QB	SR
Doak Walker Award[7]	Ryquell Armstead	RB	JR
John Mackey Award[8]	Kenny Yeboah	TE	SO
Jim Thorpe Award[9]	Delvon Randall	S	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[10]	Delvon Randall	S	SR
Paul Hornung Award[11]	Isaiah Wright	WR/KR	JR
Wuerffel Trophy[12]	Frank Nutile	QB	SR
Ray Guy Award[13]	Connor Bowler	P	FR

AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on July 24, 2018, with the Owls predicted to finish in third place in the AAC East Division.^[14]

Media poll (East)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	UCF	175 (25)
2	USF	140 (5)
3	Temple	132
4	Cincinnati	91
5	UConn	51
6	East Carolina	41

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	12:00 p.m.	No. 19 (FCS) Villanova*	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA (Mayor's Cup)	ESPNews	L 17–19	32,357
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo*	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPN3	L 29–36	25,511
September 15	12:00 p.m.	at Maryland*	Maryland Stadium College Park, MD	BTN	W 35–14	32,057
September 20	7:30 p.m.	Tulsa	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPN	W 31–17	24,217
September 29	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College*	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ESPNU	L 35–45	40,111
October 6	12:00 p.m.	East Carolina	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPNews	W 49–6	26,681
October 13	3:30 p.m.	at Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	W 24–17	30,106
October 20	12:00 p.m.	No. 20 Cincinnati	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPNU	W 24–17 OT	33,026
November 1	7:30 p.m.	at No. 9 UCF	Spectrum Stadium Orlando, FL	ESPN	L 40–52	41,153
November 10	7:00 p.m.	at Houston	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	CBSSN	W 59–49	30,862
November 17	12:00 p.m.	South Florida	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPNews	W 27–17	21,029
November 24	3:30 p.m.	at UConn	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	ESPNU	W 57–7	18,203
December 27	1:30 p.m.	vs. Duke*	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)	ESPN	L 27–56	27,492
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[15]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Joined Staff
Geoff Collins	Head coach	2017
Ed Foley	Assistant head coach/Tight ends/Special Teams	2008
Jim Panagos	Assistant head coach/defensive line/Run Game Coordinator	2017
Dave Patenaude	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	2017
Andrew Thacker	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	2017
Tony Lucas	Running backs	2017
Stan Hixon	Wide receivers	2017
Chris Wiesehan	offensive line/Run Game Coordinator	2014
Nate Burton	Defensive backs	2018
Adam DiMichele	Recruiting Coordinator/Offensive assistant	2014
Larry Knight	Outside linebackers	2017
Tim Conner	Offensive Analyst	2017
Tom Pajic	Senior Offensive Analyst	2017
Jason Semore	Senior Defensive Analyst	2018
Reggie Garrett	Director of Player Personnel	2016
Ronell Williams	Defensive Analyst	2017
David Feeley	Head Strength & Conditioning Coach	2017

^[16]

Roster

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Trad Beatty QB	Columbia, SC	Ben Lippen School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jun 20, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Travon King LB	Camden, NJ	Woodrow Wilson High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jan 21, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Daesean Winston LB	Severn, MD	Archbishop Spalding High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 17, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Chauncey Moore DB	Washington, D.C.	Friendship Collegiate Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 18, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Kyle Dobbins RB	Philadelphia	Timber Creek High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 20, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Amir Gillis ATH	Philadelphia	Simon Gratz High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	Jun 18, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Dante Burke DE	Virginia Beach, VA	Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jun 29, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Sean Ryan WR	Brooklyn, NY	Erasmus Hall High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Aug 2, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jobdariel Gomez OL	Miami, FL	ASA College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Dec 18, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Khristopher Banks DL	Wayne, NJ	DePaul Catholic High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Dec 19, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Elijah Clark DB	Parlin, NJ	Sayreville War Memorial High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Apr 22, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Jean Paul Rodriguez OL	Lakewood, NJ	Lakewood High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Jun 15, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Kadas Reams WR	New Berlin, NY	Milford Academy	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 21, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Evan Boozer OL	Towson, MD	Loyola High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Jun 23, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
David Martin Robinson WR	Landisville, PA	Hempfield High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jun 27, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Adam Klein OL	Springfield, PA	Episcopal Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jul 10, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Oskarr Andersson OL	Solna, Sweden	RIG Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Aug 7, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Aaron Jarman TE	La Grange, NC	North Lenoir High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	Jul 14, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Jordan Smith WR	Davie FL	Western High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 26, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Isaac Moore DL	Orebro, Sweden	Orebro Black Knights	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	Nov 22, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Nickolos Madourie DL	Bottineau, ND	Dakota College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Dec 17, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Ronnie Stevenson WR	Montour, PA	Montour High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 11, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Antonio Colclough DL	Brooklyn, NY	Cardinal Hayes High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jun 17, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Layton Jordan ATH	McKeesport, PA	McKeesport Area High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Dec 7, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Jose Barbon WR	Lancaster, PA	Conestoga Valley High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Dec 19, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
David Nwaogwugwu DL	Bronx, NY	De Witt Clinton High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jan 21, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyreke Young DL	Hilton Head Island, SC	Hilton Head High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jan 21, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Onasis Neely RB	Enola, PA	East Pennsboro High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Nov 28, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Temple Signee List 2018". Rivals. "2018 Player Signees – Temple". ESPN. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Game summaries

Villanova

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 (FCS) Wildcats	13	0	0	6	19
Owls	3	7	7	0	17

See also: 2018 Villanova Wildcats football team and Mayor's Cup (Temple–Villanova)

Buffalo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	6	6	10	14	36
Owls	0	7	7	15	29

See also: 2018 Buffalo Bulls football team

At Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	7	14	7	7	35
Terrapins	0	7	0	7	14

See also: 2018 Maryland Terrapins football team

Tulsa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Hurricane	7	3	0	7	17
Owls	7	14	7	3	31

See also: 2018 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

At Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	14	7	7	7	35
Eagles	13	18	7	7	45

See also: 2018 Boston College Eagles football team

East Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	3	0	3	6
Owls	14	21	7	7	49

See also: 2018 East Carolina Pirates football team

At Navy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	7	10	7	24
Midshipmen	0	10	7	0	17

See also: 2018 Navy Midshipmen football team

Cincinnati

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
No. 20 Bearcats	7	3	7	0	0	17
Owls	10	0	0	7	7	24

See also: 2018 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

At UCF

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	17	17	0	6	40
No. 9 Knights	14	14	14	10	52

See also: 2018 UCF Knights football team

At Houston

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	14	14	21	10	59
Cougars	7	7	21	14	49

See also: 2018 Houston Cougars football team

Doak Walker Award candidate Ryquell Armstead, playing on a sore ankle and missing part of the game to have his hand x-rayed, tied a career-best with 210 yards rushing and became the first college player in two years with six rushing touchdowns in a game.^[17] He was named conference offensive player of the week, and college offensive player of the week by three groups.^[18] This moved him from seventh to third on the AAC's all-time rushing touchdown list with 33, and from seventh to fifth on the rushing yards list with 2,692.^[19] On Temple's lists, he also passed Jahad Thomas for touchdowns, 100+ yard games, and career yards—also passing Anthony Anderson and Matt Brown in the latter category—to reach third, tied for fourth with Matt Brown, and fourth respectively all-time.^[19]

South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	7	10	0	0	17
Owls	0	0	10	17	27

See also: 2018 South Florida Bulls football team

At UConn

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	13	27	7	10	57
Huskies	7	0	0	0	7

See also: 2018 UConn Huskies football team

Vs. Duke–Independence Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	13	14	0	0	27
Blue Devils	7	14	21	14	56

See also: 2018 Duke Blue Devils football team and 2018 Independence Bowl

Awards and honors

National awards

• The Sporting News All-American Team^[20]

Isaiah Wright - Returner

Conference awards

American Athletic Conference Players of the Year

• The American - Special Teams Player of the Year^[21]

Isaiah Wright

American Athletic Conference All-Conference Team

• First Team

Ryquell Armstead, RB
Shaun Bradley, LB
Michael Dogbe, DT
Delvon Randall, S
Rock Ya-Sin, CB
Isaiah Wright, KR

• Second Team

Ventell Bryant, WR
Jovahn Fair, OL

NFL players

NFL Draft Combine

One Temple player was invited to participate in the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.

#	Name	POS	HT	WT	Hands	40	Bench Press	Vert Jump	Broad Jump	3 Cone Drill	20-yd Shuttle	Ref
#6	Rock Ya-Sin	CB	6'0"	192 lbs	9 7/8"	4.51	18	39.5	129.0	7.31	4.31	[22]
#7	Ryquell Armstead	RB	5'11"	220 lbs	9 1/8"	4.45	22	30.0	114.0	7.02	4.29	[23]

† Top performer

2019 NFL Draft

Following the season, the following members of the Temple football team were selected in the 2019 NFL draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
2	34	Rock Ya-Sin	CB	Indianapolis Colts
5	140	Ryquell Armstead	RB	Jacksonville Jaguars
7	249	Michael Dogbe	DE	Arizona Cardinals

In addition to the draft selections above, the following Temple players signed NFL contracts after the draft.

#	Name	POS	HT	WT	NFL club	Ref
#1	Ventell Bryant	WR	6-3	200 lbs	Cincinnati Bengals	[24]
#2	Delvon Randall	DB	6-1	215 lbs	Philadelphia Eagles	[25]
#4	Rob Ritrovato	FB	6-2	240 lbs	New York Giants	[26]
#77	Jaelin Robinson	OL	6-6	325 lbs	Atlanta Falcons	[27]
#85	Chris Myarick	TE	6-5	250 lbs	Miami Dolphins	[28]