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Temple freshman E.J. Warner will reportedly start at QB against Rutgers

Warner usurped D'Wan Mathis, who fumbled twice last week against Lafayette.

Temple Owls quarterback E.J. Warner throws the ball in the second half of a game against the Lafayette Leopards at Lincoln Financial Field.
Temple Owls quarterback E.J. Warner throws the ball in the second half of a game against the Lafayette Leopards at Lincoln Financial Field.Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer
    by Cayden Steele
    Published 

Temple freshman quarterback E.J. Warner, son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, will start in the Owls’ homecoming game against Rutgers at 2 p.m., ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Saturday.

Warner replaced redshirt-sophomore quarterback D’Wan Mathis last week, who fumbled twice against Lafayette in the first half. Warner completed 14 of 19 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns to help the Owls win 30-14 over the Leopards at Lincoln Financial Field.

Prior to committing to Temple, Warner received offers from Colorado State, UConn and Marshall, among other FBS programs. The 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback graduated from Brophy Prep in Phoenix.

» READ MORE: Temple football will need to remain ‘tuff’ against Big Ten opponent Rutgers

Warner’s strong debut impressed first-year head coach Stan Drayton, who spoke to reporters about Warner’s performance after last week’s game.

“Both of those intangibles there for E.J. (Warner) have stood out for a while now,” Drayton said about Warner’s accuracy and poise. “He is no secret to us as a football family. What E.J. represents, quite honestly, when we sit there and talk about an opportunity to help the team win by just doing your job. Taking your time, putting an investment into your playbook, your game plan, your teammates.

“At any given point and time, your number can be called,” Drayton added. “And all of those guys have to be ready. So it is a competitive environment that he thrived in.”

Warner could face a tougher challenge against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights gave up seven points and 145 total yards against Wagner in their last game.