Temple overhauled its defensive staff on Oct. 17 after consecutive losses to UConn and Charlotte left the unit leaking points and rushing yards. K.C. Keeler dismissed defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun, reassigned Brian L. Smith to safeties coach, and elevated Henry Baker to interim defensive coordinator with play-calling duties.
That change matters now because Temple enters Saturday's road game against East Carolina at 2-5 and still searching for a stop unit that can hold up for four quarters. The Owls allowed 72 combined points in the two losses before the bye week, and those defeats came after a 17-13 win over South Florida on Oct. 3 that briefly looked like a turning point for a defense that had otherwise struggled all season.
The numbers explain why the staff shakeup landed with urgency. Through seven games, Temple was allowing 28 points per game, a mark that ranked 108th nationally among 138 FBS programs, and it was giving up 165.9 rushing yards per game, 99th nationally. The Owls also had surrendered 15 rushing touchdowns, including seven in the losses to UConn and Charlotte. In a season where one strong performance did not change the larger picture, the defense was still too easy to move against and too hard to trust late.
Baker now has five games left to show whether a new voice can change the structure without changing the personnel. Temple's next test comes Saturday at 3 p.m. on +, and the biggest question is not whether the staff changed, but how much of the defense can change in time.
