Believe: Temple Football can easily be 2-0 heading into a revenge game against the Oklahoma Sooners

Temple Football hasn’t given Philly much to celebrate in recent years, but they made one hell of a statement in Amherst to open the 2025 season.

Quarterback Evan Simon lit up UMass, going 19-for-25 with 248 yards, six touchdowns, and zero turnovers. He’s already being rewarded as the American’s Offensive Player of the Week, and the guy literally lived in the practice facility this summer to get here.

Now, it looks like all that work is paying off because the Owls are the hottest ticket in Philly right now.

Temple Football Was Dominant on Saturday

How dominant was Temple yesterday? The Owls moved up 44 spots in ESPN's updated FPI rankings, the biggest jump by any team in the country. ESPN now gives Temple a 64 percent chance of reaching bowl eligibility this season.

— Kyle Gauss (@kylegauss) August 31, 2025

Okay maybe hottest ticket in Philly is incorrect but that’s only because the Eagles open up the 2025 NFL season on Thursday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. Either way, Evan Simon has created a decent amount of buzz around the Owls for the first time in forever. That’s pretty sick no matter what way you view it.

Offensive Player of the Week: Evan Simon – Temple Football

𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸🏈

Evan Simon x @Temple_FB 🦉#BuiltToRise x #AmericanFB pic.twitter.com/C7OC8D4Xav

— The American (@American_Conf) September 1, 2025

The Owls haven’t won a lot of openers since the pandemic, but they’re 1-0 now with FCS Howard coming to the Linc this weekend. That means, barring a collapse, they should be 2-0 heading into a revenge shot against Oklahoma.

Yeah, the same Oklahoma team that crushed them 51-3 in Norman last season.

Are the Sooners ready for 2025 Evan Simon? Don’t think so.

Evan Simon is officially on Heisman Watch.

After 3 weeks of sleeping in Temple’s football facility, Evan Simon threw 6 TD passes in today’s season-opening win over UMass. So what’s his gameplan now: “I think I’m going to keep doing it.” pic.twitter.com/yLadTzRa5K

— OwlsDaily.com (@TempleOwlsDaily) August 31, 2025

Plus, they are calling British TE Peter Clarke the next GRONK

Temple TE Peter Clarke promises the Owls won’t be a one-hit wonder: “This is what Temple is going to be. We’re going to play tough, hard football for four quarters and we signed up for 12 games and we’re going to play like that for 12 games.” pic.twitter.com/xKw5QWOkOC

— OwlsDaily.com (@TempleOwlsDaily) August 31, 2025

For now, it’s good vibes only in North Philly.

Temple makes the biggest jump in ESPN’s FPI rankings up 44 spots to No. 86 📈#TempleTUFF | #CollegeFootball | #WeTheT pic.twitter.com/d5Xyt4Hmlf

— Owls Nest 🦉 (@TempleFootball_) August 31, 2025

Yes, it was only UMass. The Minutemen were 2-10 last year and the Owls should beat teams like that if they want to be taken seriously in the K.C. Keeler era.

That’s the point, haters. Temple hasn’t done the “should-win” stuff in years. They didn’t just beat UMass, they buried them. The game was over before halftime, Simon looked like a different quarterback, and for once Owls football didn’t look like a punchline.

Nobody’s crowning the Owls yet. Oklahoma and Georgia Tech are looming, and those games will tell us if Temple Football is here to stay.

This program has been stuck in the mud for a while, so any sign of life deserves a little bit of shine. The Owls are 1-0, Evan Simon looks like the guy, and there’s no reason not to enjoy it while it lasts.

Temple University. Football School. Always Has Been.

https://t.co/n1EFR8bzye pic.twitter.com/4GFvuMDlhn

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) August 31, 2025

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