Temple Football: Will Owls rebound after first losing season since 2013?

Owls hoping that Georgia transfer D’Wan Mathis can reignite offense

During the offseason, Temple lost its starting quarterback and running back to the transfer portal. Re’Mahn Davis left for Vanderbilt and Anthony Russo left for Michigan State. Replacing two starters at key positions like those is never easy, but I think that the Owls might have the right guys.

At quarterback, Georgia transfer D’Wan Mathis was declared the starter coming out of spring and he is an athletic quarterback with a big arm. He could not get any consistency when on the field for the Dawgs last fall, but he showed the potential that made him a sought-after recruit. Mathis can provide some ability in the running game, but he has a big arm and a big frame at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds and can throw the ball. He just needs to focus on accuracy and consistency.

At running back, the Owls will lose Davis, but they still return plenty of capable guys to be able to tote the rock. Tayvon Ruley was the second leading rusher for Temple last season and he should get a nice bump in production when carrying the full load. Edward Saydee will be the top backup, but keep an eye on Florida transfer Iverson Clement to get in the mix as well.

At receiver, Temple is going to bring back quite a few guys that can make plays. Jadan Blue is back after leading the Owls in receiving last season and he will be the No. 1 guy yet again. Randle Jones and Jose Barbone are both back, as is tight end David Martin-Robinson. Look for Purdue transfer Ahmad Anderson to get in and get some time as well.

The offensive line has a lot of guys that have played (127 combined career starts) but have never played as a cohesive unit yet. That will be key in getting this offense back on track.

The offense will go as Mathis goes, but this unit should be better than it was last season.