At quarterback, Connor Reilly impresses Temple coaches

Is Connor Reilly Temple's answer at quarterback? Or is Reilly's promotion to first string a way for the coaching staff to motivate senior quarterbacks Juice Granger and Chris Coyer?

Granger and Coyer were expected to battle for the starting position this spring. Reilly, a redshirt junior who also plays for Temple's baseball team, was ranked fourth on the depth chart.

But Reilly's arm strength has impressed the coaches in spring camp.

"He was just in a system [under former coach Steve Addazio] that didn't fit him," new coach Matt Rhule said of the switch from an offense that utilized running quarterbacks. "So I see a guy that has some leadership, a guy that has some juice, a guy that plays two sports, so, obviously, you know he's athletic, and a guy who's throwing the football well."

Rhule said that Coyer and Granger have responded well to Reilly's promotion. The coach is eager to see which one separates himself from the others during Saturday's scrimmage.

Reilly (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) has yet to throw a pass in a game. He served as Temple's holder on field goals and extra points last season.

Granger started last season's final two games and played in seven overall.

The 6-3, 230-pounder completed 31 of 55 passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions last season. He also carried the ball 42 times for 206 yards and a score.

Coyer, who started the first nine games, completed 84 of 164 passes for a 946 yards and eight touchdowns, with four interceptions. The 6-3, 220-pounder was the team's second-leading rusher with 444 yards on 111 carries.

Miller injured. Wideout Deon Miller will miss the rest of spring practice because of an Achilles tendon injury.

"It's nothing long-term," Rhule said. "It's nothing serious."

The 6-5 senior played in just eight games last season while recovering from a viral infection. He finished with seven receptions for 101 yards.

Aide donates marrow. Marc Schaffer, a Temple graduate extern in sports medicine, underwent a procedure Wednesday to donate bone marrow to a young male.

The recipient's identity cannot be disclosed because of the National Marrow Donor Program's confidentiality policies. Schaffer, who works with the Owls football team, will not know the student's identity until a year after the procedure.