Stan Drayton opens Temple quarterback competition: ‘We are going to play the guy that’s ready’

A sense of optimism radiated off Temple coach Stan Drayton as he entered the postgame press conference Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Drayton’s team had just suffered its third straight loss, becoming the first Temple team to start the season 0-3 since 2013. This time, it was at the hands of Coastal Carolina. But Temple battled until the end, erasing most of a 21-3 deficit before falling, 28-20, after a potential game-tying drive fizzled out.

It was the best Owls performance on offense this season — and it was orchestrated by a new signal caller. Rutgers transfer Evan Simon got the start at quarterback after Forrest Brock suffered a wrist injury at the end of Temple’s Sept. 7 loss to Navy.

“It’s obviously not the result [we wanted], but [there were] other encouraging things,” Drayton said. “There are plenty of opportunities that we put ourselves into that gave us an opportunity to win that football game.”

The offense moved more fluidly than in the first two games as Simon finished with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns, eclipsing Brock’s one touchdown in his two starts.

Drayton is keeping the quarterback competition open heading into a 2 p.m. Saturday matchup against Utah State (1-2) at Lincoln Financial Field.

“We are going to play the guy that’s ready to play and that has the best preparation between the two,” Drayton said.

As it stands, it would appear that Simon has the inside track at another start under center. Brock is still listed as day to day. Drayton also noted Saturday that Simon had made the quarterback situation “real interesting.”

“[Simon] has a lot of moxie out there,” Drayton said. “He’s a great leader and he’s calm out there and that’s contagious amongst a young offensive line that we played with [Saturday.]”

» READ MORE: Despite promising efforts, Temple football falls short in home opener to Coastal Carolina

It wasn’t just improved quarterback play that kept the Owls in the game. The team totaled 129 rushing yards after combining for just 104 in losses to Oklahoma and Navy. Antwain Littleton, a Maryland transfer, led the way with 74 yards — the most in a game by an Owl so far this season. A single Littleton rush of 37 yards in the second quarter was more than the entire team had the previous week against the Midshipmen.

Yet the Owls still enter their Week 4 matchup against Utah State without a win — and notable holes remain.

The defense is still looking for its first turnover of the season. The team’s minus-11 turnover margin ranks last out of all 133 FBS programs.

“It’s coming,” safety Andreas Keaton said of forced turnovers. “When God wants it to come, it’s going to come. It’s going to be natural. We ain’t going to force it.”

The Owls’ pass rush also came up short in recent weeks. The unit recorded three sacks against Oklahoma but did not pick up any against Navy, and sacked the Coastal Carolina quarterback just once. Temple completely overhauled its defensive line during the offseason. Transfers Latrell Jean and Cam’Ron Stewart made noise in the season opener but have been kept in check since then.

The linebacker group struggled as well. D.J. Woodbury set a career high in tackles against Navy and topped that with 15 against Coastal Carolina, but he didn’t have much backup.

“I used to have this conversation with [former linebackers Jordan Magee and Yvandy Rigby] last year,” Woodbury said. “I was in their shoes last year and watching Jordan and Yvandy do it. It’s just about experience. You watch older guys, their preparation, so I just hope they do the same thing. We have a lot of young guys in that room that don’t have a lot of experience, but it’s going to come.”

Against Utah State, Temple will face a dual-threat quarterback for the third straight game. Bryson Barnes, a Utah transfer, has rushed for 116 yards, averaging 5.5 per carry, through three games. The Owls faced a similar challenge against Coastal Carolina and struggled to keep Ethan Vasko in check on read-option plays.

“[Barnes] is a guy that fits that system,” Drayton said. “He can pull the ball down and run. He can kill you with the run, he can kill you with his feet. He’s also going to take shots. If our defensive backs are not in position, we’ll have our hands full.”

Drayton thinks the Owls are getting closer to working out their kinks and capturing their first win since they beat Navy, 32-18, last Nov. 4.