Temple searching for answers at quarterback after Evan Simon suffers injury to his throwing shoulder

Temple had a long list of issues to address following its lackluster performance against Army. That list has only grown after quarterback Evan Simon suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder.

Simon, who began the year as Temple’s backup, had started the last three games and jolted what was a dormant offense under former starter Forrest Brock. But Simon was sacked seven times against Army and is now working to recover from an injury to the SC joint in his right shoulder. The joint connects the collarbone to the breastbone. Simon did not throw at practice on Monday.

“It’s a day-to-day deal for Evan,” coach Stan Drayton said Monday. “He’s a tough kid but we’ve got to be smart as health is most important for us. We thought it was an AC joint, it ended up just being the SC joint, so it’s not as bad as we initially thought.”

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Brock started the Owls’ first two games but struggled before suffering a hit to the wrist in the final minutes of Temple’s Week 2 loss to Navy on Sept. 7. Brock is still listed as week to week.

If both quarterbacks are unable to play Saturday at UConn (3-2), the next man up would be redshirt freshman Tyler Douglas, who Drayton said was in the mix for the quarterback job during training camp.

“[Brock] is in a better spot,” Drayton said. “He’s not 100%, but he is definitely in a better spot than he was a few weeks ago and he’s getting even better every single day. We’ll have to get a feel for it as practice goes on this week. [Simon] wasn’t able to throw today, and if that trends tomorrow and the day after, then we have to get ready for Forrest to go.”

Temple’s offense has looked like a totally different unit since Simon took control against Coastal Carolina in Week 3. The team averaged just seven points in the two games Brock started, and he threw for just 405 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions against Oklahoma and Navy.

Drayton said the team has faith in Brock and that he “won the job out of summer camp for a reason,” but Temple’s chances of staying competitive this week against UConn take a hit without Simon under center.

“I’m feeling all right,” Simon said after the game Thursday. “It was a physical game, definitely going to be sore. There were a couple hits here and there, they were good hits, but at the end of the day it’s football, it comes with it.”

The most notable hit Simon took came in the final seconds with the game well out of reach. Simon was hit from his blind side while scrambling and took a few moments to get back to his feet.

After the game, Drayton stood by his decision to keep his starting quarterback on the field despite the score being out of reach at 42-14.

“[Simon and Brock] are our better players,” Drayton said. “They’re in those positions for a reason and we’ve got to play our best guys to give ourselves a chance to win. You can’t just prepare for the next game. That is not necessarily how I think. We have to get better with every game experience.”

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Temple’s Achilles’ heel has been its inability to run the ball consistently. The Owls found moderate success against Coastal Carolina and Utah State — performances that coincided with Temple’s two best quarterback performances this season.

If the Owls (1-4) can move the ball on the ground, they can take some pressure off the quarterback this week.

Junior college transfer running back Terez Worthy played sparingly in the Owls’ first four games before picking up 48 yards on just five carries against Utah State on Sept. 21. He didn’t record a carry last week against Army. Drayton previously had said Worthy would be utilized a lot more.

Running backs Antwain Littleton, E.J. Wilson, and Joquez Smith have all impressed in flashes, but none has taken command as a top option. Littleton leads the unit in carries by a large margin and rushed for 74 yards against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 14 — more than any Temple player this season.

“Our players are excited about the opportunity to play UConn,” Drayton said. “Our players still have the mindset that they can do better and want to do better. I think that’s the mindset that we have to take into [a game against] another very good football team in UConn. We talked about leadership and the mindset is still in the right direction.”