Stan Drayton hasn’t named starting quarterback despite Temple’s success under Evan Simon

On his first series Saturday afternoon, Temple quarterback Evan Simon’s helmet speaker went out.

The Rutgers transfer gathered his teammates in the huddle, but he didn’t get any communication from the sideline. Simon’s coaches had no idea he couldn’t hear a word they yelled into his headset. Simon turned to his sideline to let them know, but he could not hear what they were frantically screaming back.

Rather than panicking, the fourth-year veteran called his own play, broke the huddle, and continued the drive en route to Temple’s 45-29 win against Utah State, for the Owls’ first win of the season after three losses.

“To me, that’s showing a guy who’s taking ownership of the offense,” coach Stan Drayton said Monday at his weekly media availability. “You can’t take ownership of something until you know the ins and outs of it.”

» READ MORE: Temple’s Maddux Trujillo named AAC special teams player of the week after kicking 64-yard field goal

Simon’s calm confidence has led the Owls’ offense to 765 yards and eight touchdowns in the last two games. And yet, Temple’s head coach wasn’t ready to commit to a starter after Saturday’s win.

Drayton told the media that quarterback Forrest Brock knew the playbook better than Simon before Week 1, and there was very little surprise when Brock ran onto the field against Oklahoma. However, the initial starter went down with a bruised wrist against Navy on Sept. 7, according to Drayton, and has not been available since.

Simon got the nod the morning of Sept. 10 and immediately started preparing to face Coastal Carolina four days later. He finished with 185 yards on 17-for-25 passing with two touchdowns and an interception. The Owls had a chance to win with less than 30 seconds left before Simon missed a post route on fourth down to end the game.

Then the Owls earned 451 yards of total offense against Utah State as Simon finished with 271 in the air on 17-for-27 passing, with five touchdowns. Temple scored 21 consecutive points in the second half, and Simon put the game out of reach with a 1-yard touchdown run with three minutes left.

“People are stepping up when need be in roles,” Drayton said. “Our quarterback’s doing a hell of a job leading that offense, and guys are stepping up on the offensive line. It’s amazing when you see guys work their tails off.”

Simon also led the Owls with 49 yards on the ground, edging running back Terrez Worthy. The QB’s rushing score was Temple’s first of the season.

But Saturday’s game wasn’t enough to give Simon the job, Drayton said in his postgame press conference. If anything, he felt the competition intensified.

Drayton said Monday that the Owls were preparing for Thursday’s matchup against Army (7:30 p.m., ESPN) with Simon under center. However, he did not confirm that Simon would be the starter going forward.

The third-year head coach praised Simon for what he has accomplished in the last few weeks.

“When you have a guy that can take ownership of it and make the adjustments full speed and not flinching, everybody around him follows his command,” Drayton said. “You know you have a leader out there with some moxie and some toughness, and guys are believing in him. That goes a long way.”

The Owls have a tough task in their American Athletic Conference game of the season against the Black Knights. In a 37-14 victory against Rice on Saturday, Army held former Temple quarterback E.J. Warner to just 235 yards on 28-for-43 passing, moving to 3-0. Rice did not score a point until the third quarter.

» READ MORE: Memphis, Tulane, and South Florida decide to stay in the AAC after overtures from the new Pac-12

Army (3-0) has allowed only 18 points in three games and leads the AAC in fewest yards allowed. Its secondary has five interceptions but hasn’t picked up a sack.

Drayton thinks Simon’s confidence will be key against Army’s discipline. More important, Drayton expects the team to believe in what Simon can do.

“It’s really about the belief,” Drayton said. “If they believe in that quarterback, they tend to work a little harder; they tend to strain a bit more both on the offensive line and the skill positions. I think [Simon] is bringing that kind of energy to our football players.”

Temple snapped its six-game losing streak against Utah State, but the Owls have picked up only two conference wins in 17 games under Drayton.

Simon saw quality opponents as the starting quarterback at a Big 10 program, and the Owls have picked up on his experience. The transfer has become a leader on the field and in the locker room, and it seems Temple is confident in what he can do — even if Drayton hasn’t named a starter.

“Everybody wants to be around somebody who’s commanding the best out of them but also knowing that person cares about them,” Drayton said. “He’s got this personality where he just crossed over into all different cultures, all different positions and commands that respect. That’s what it is about Evan, and that’s something every player, every coach in this program can learn from. That’s a talent.”