Temple

10 Thoughts After a Trip to Annapolis to Watch the 2-7 Temple Owls Lose in Person

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Nov 9th, 2026 · 2:09 PM EST

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We were in Annapolis for the Temple and Navy game on Saturday. The Owls were down 28-0 in the first half and ended up losing 42-35 after a furious comeback bid came up just short.

10 thoughts in somewhat chronological order:

1. Route 301 south is one of the region’s underrated drives. Nothing but the peace and quiet of Delaware and Maryland, for miles on end. You can put your car into cruise control and leave it in cruise control from Frightland pretty much all the way down to the Bay Bridge.
2. Annapolis is really cool. First time, long time. You come over the bridge and see the Naval Academy on your left. Then you roll into this old school town that’s equal parts Boston, Philly, and Baltimore. It definitely has that colonial vibe to it. There are really cool brick streets and traffic circles that highlight the downtown area, which butts up against some docks that are lined with restaurants. People were everywhere before and after the game, and it seemed to be a true mix of cadets, families, and regular college-looking kids. The bartender at O’Brien’s told us this was a combination of locals and people who just come into town for football. It felt like a college town even if you don’t consider the Naval Academy a “college,” which was throwing me off. Not sure if that makes sense… I guess the best way to explain it is that I didn’t think there would be 20-something year old Gen Z types walking around and hitting up the bars, but that was certainly the case. It felt like any other college town even though the main institution is a military academy.
3. The stadium is a little old, built in 1959 but renovated 20 years ago. It felt a bit like Hershey Park Stadium with the big concrete blocks and the relatively simple underbelly. But all of the military stuff is compelling. They have the names of the battles that the Navy participated in circling the stadium, for instance, instead of seeing a bunch of player names in big letters, you see IWO JIMA, MEKONG DELTA, and MIDWAY. Then they march the cadets into the stadium and fly a couple of military aircraft around before the game begins. There’s an air of reverence and respect with all of it. That’s the best way to describe it. Even if you get a shit game between shit teams who have won four games combined, you feel like there’s a larger purpose to the entire thing. Larger than football. I’d say you should put this on the bucket list, for sure.
4. Temple looked like an FCS team in the first half. A second stringer dropped the opening kickoff and lost possession. Jaxon Smolik’s accuracy was terrible. He made Joe Milton look like Drew Brees, finishing 12 for 26 with three touchdowns and 173 yards, though one of those was a 41-yard screen pass that JoJo Bermudez took to the house. Smolik played better in the second half, no doubt, but I don’t see anything that jumps off the page and tells me he’s better than Ajani Sheppard, who was listed as questionable on the pregame injury report. I know Sheppard threw three interceptions last weekend against ECU, but he was pretty good for a five-week stretch and there’s nothing there suggesting to me that Smolik is the guy if both are 100% healthy. They haven’t been running the ball very well either with offensive line injuries, which complicates pass protection, too.
5. Bermudez was the best player on the field and the only reason the Owls mounted a comeback. They were down by four scores when he housed a punt before halftime and then took that screen into the end zone. And yet – he finished with just two receptions on the day. At one point they came out in the third quarter and I didn’t even see Bermudez on the field. Not sure if he was banged up or what, but guys like him, you have to get the ball in their hands. You absolutely have to. He’s 5’9″ and 170 pounds? So what? He’s the best playmaker you have.
6. Most of the crowd left at halftime and went back to the tailgates. Guess they thought it was over. We also did.
7. Sadly, perhaps, Temple played much better when the stadium was empty. Familiarity there?
8. Temple has five one-score losses this year. They kept flashing that graphic on television. Doesn’t that scream “coaching” to you? K.C. Keeler made some changes on the defensive side after the Charlotte loss, but the offense was dreck against ECU and the first half of the Navy game. The smartest bit of coaching in this game was calling the timeout right before half to force the punt and give Bermudez a touch. It feels like you’re watching a Stan Drayton team out there, only they have more resources now. We give Keeler the benefit of the doubt because of his tremendous resume, but when you look a little more closely you realize this will be his third losing season as an FBS-level coach. He went 3-9 in Sam Houston’s first CUSA year, then 9-3 the following year before coming to Temple, where he was 5-7 last season and is 2-7 now.
9. Temple’s conference schedule was not difficult. They didn’t have North Texas or UTSA this season and they will still miss a bowl game. That’s disappointing. Things set up nicely for them after the USF win.
10. Can’t really think of a 10th thought. How about this – I’ve always liked Temple’s pants, with the diamonds on the side.

A couple of stadium photos now. You should put Annapolis on the bucket list; it’s very easy to get to and it’s a cool experience: