With D’Wan Mathis’ status in doubt, Temple football once again faces a tenuous quarterback situation
Freshman Justin Lynch, who threw an interception on his first pass against Rutgers, is likely to start in Saturday's game against Akron.
Everything went wrong for Temple and coach Rod Carey in their season opener, including starting quarterback D’Wan Mathis suffering a left leg injury in the third quarter of Temple’s 61-14 loss to Rutgers.
While Carey didn’t want to speculate on the extent of the injury, Mathis was seen in a boot and crutches when he left the injury tent. He is considered week to week.
“I’m hoping week to week isn’t four to six weeks, but we don’t know at this point,” Carey said. “It’s all how he responds and he’s been in there getting treatment two, three, four times a day.”
Temple plays Akron at 3:30 pm on Saturday at InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field in Akron, Ohio. If Mathis is not cleared, this would mark the fifth straight time Temple has started a different quarterback since last season.
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Justin Lynch, who won the backup spot over Mariano Valenti and Re-al Mitchell, would start for the Owls, and Temple’s offense would have to adjust to the true freshman after starting the season with the 6-foot-6 Georgia transfer.
Lynch subbed for the injured Mathis against Rutgers and threw a pick six on his first pass attempt.
“[Lynch] had mechanical issues on the one he sailed and certainly if he wasn’t nervous, I don’t think he’s human,” Carey said. “First college game and he gets thrown into the fire like that.”
Temple’s offensive line, which features Michael Niese, Adam Klein, C.J. Perez, Joseph Hooper and Isaac Moore, will need to give Lynch enough time to work in the pocket or create gaps for the running backs to break through.
Against Rutgers, Temple’s offensive line, who returned four of its five starters, allowed three sacks. Part of the problem was the quarterbacks hanging in the pocket too long as they waited for receivers to get open.
Running back Edward Saydee, who rushed for 57 yards and one touchdown against the Scarlet Knights, could be a reliable play option for Lynch.
The Owls might run more against Akron with Lynch under center. While Mathis can throw a deep ball to an outside receiver, Lynch is more likely to look for a shorter pass option.
Temple will be without tight end David Martin Robinson for most of the season after he suffered an unspecified upper-body injury against Rutgers. He’s scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday. The Owls will look to Darius Pittman to fill the hole, but Carey plans to play tight ends by committee.
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Lynch will have more on his plate than just playing with a backup tight end. He has to continue to build chemistry with wide receivers on the fly after taking snaps with the second team in training camp.
In the fourth quarter against Rutgers, the freshman misfired on a third-down pass to Randle Jones, who wasn’t afraid to show his frustration.
Sophomore receiver Jose Barbon, who started against Rutgers, worked with Lynch throughout preseason and said, “All of us have to be behind him.”
Lynch grew up playing around Carey’s offensive style. While Lynch was at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, his brother, Jordan Lynch, served as the head coach. Jordan played at Northern Illinois under Rod Carey in 2012 and later rejoined the program in 2017 as running backs coach.
“Justin [Lynch] won the number two job as a true freshman so that alone is quite a statement,” Carey said. “For him to come in and grasp the offense, operate the offense and then execute the offense at a high level during the number two job, we got a lot of confidence in him.”