# 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.
On December 7, 2018, head coach Geoff Collins left for the head coaching job at Georgia Tech. 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. However, on December 30, Diaz went back to Miami to become their new head coach following Mark Richt's sudden retirement.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Rimington Trophy | Matt Hennessy | C | So |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Delvon Randall | S | SR |
| Maxwell Award | Frank Nutile | QB | SR |
| Doak Walker Award | Ryquell Armstead | RB | JR |
| John Mackey Award | Kenny Yeboah | TE | SO |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Delvon Randall | S | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Delvon Randall | S | SR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Isaiah Wright | WR/KR | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Frank Nutile | QB | SR |
| Ray Guy Award | 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.
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 FieldPhiladelphia, PA (Mayor's Cup) | ESPNews | L 17–19 | 32,357 |
| September 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Buffalo* | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPN3 | L 29–36 | 25,511 |
| September 15 | 12:00 p.m. | at Maryland* | Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD | BTN | W 35–14 | 32,057 |
| September 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulsa | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPN | W 31–17 | 24,217 |
| September 29 | 12:00 p.m. | at Boston College* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPNU | L 35–45 | 40,111 |
| October 6 | 12:00 p.m. | East Carolina | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPNews | W 49–6 | 26,681 |
| October 13 | 3:30 p.m. | at Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | CBSSN | W 24–17 | 30,106 |
| October 20 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 20 Cincinnati | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPNU | W 24–17 $^{OT}$ | 33,026 |
| November 1 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 9 UCF | Spectrum StadiumOrlando, FL | ESPN | L 40–52 | 41,153 |
| November 10 | 7:00 p.m. | at Houston | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | CBSSN | W 59–49 | 30,862 |
| November 17 | 12:00 p.m. | South Florida | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPNews | W 27–17 | 21,029 |
| November 24 | 3:30 p.m. | at UConn | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | ESPNU | W 57–7 | 18,203 |
| December 27 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. Duke* | Independence StadiumShreveport, LA (Independence Bowl) | ESPN | L 27–56 | 27,492 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## 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 |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Adam Klein OL | Springfield, PA | Episcopal Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | Jul 10, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Oskarr Andersson OL | Solna, Sweden | RIG Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Aug 7, 2017 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Nickolos Madourie DL | Bottineau, ND | Dakota College | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Dec 17, 2017 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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.com. "2018 Player Signees – Temple". ESPN.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Game summaries
### Villanova

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

### Buffalo

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

### At Maryland

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

### Tulsa

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

### At Boston College

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

### East Carolina

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

### At Navy

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

### Cincinnati

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

### At UCF

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

### At Houston

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 14 | 14 | 21 | 10 | 59 |
| Cougars | 7 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 49 |
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. He was named conference offensive player of the week, and college offensive player of the week by three groups. 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. 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.

### South Florida

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

### At UConn

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

### Vs. Duke–Independence Bowl

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

## Awards and honors
### National awards

* The Sporting News All-American Team
Isaiah Wright - Returner

### Conference awards
#### American Athletic Conference Players of the Year

* The American - Special Teams Player of the Year
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 | |
| #7 | Ryquell Armstead | RB | 5'11" | 220 lbs | 9 1/8" | 4.45 | 22 | 30.0 | 114.0 | 7.02 | 4.29 | |
† 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 |
| #1 | Ventell Bryant | WR | 6-3 | 200 lbs | Cincinnati Bengals |
| #2 | Delvon Randall | DB | 6-1 | 215 lbs | Philadelphia Eagles |
| #4 | Rob Ritrovato | FB | 6-2 | 240 lbs | New York Giants |
| #77 | Jaelin Robinson | OL | 6-6 | 325 lbs | Atlanta Falcons |
| #85 | Chris Myarick | TE | 6-5 | 250 lbs | Miami Dolphins |