Rutgers next test for Owls' Walker

You can always go home.

That is what Temple quarterback P.J. Walker, coming off the most impressive performance of his young career, probably will be thinking this weekend.

The freshman quarterback will make his fourth career start at Rutgers on Saturday. Walker, who played at Elizabeth High School in North Jersey, was considering Rutgers, among other schools. But he chose Temple, where - despite a 1-7 start - Walker is starting to show signs of the potential that made him one of the state's top high school players.

"P.J. is a very talented player," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said during a Sunday conference call. "We knew that when he was in high school over at Elizabeth. He fits very well into their system and their scheme and how they play. He is a tremendous competitor, and he's going to provide some challenges to us both throwing it and running it this week."

The difference Walker has made for the Owls is reflected in their scoring. In their first four games of the season, they averaged 18 points per game. In their last three games in which Walker has started, the Owls are averaging 34 points.

Walker's third start, Saturday at Southern Methodist, ended in a 59-49 loss. However, Walker played brilliantly. He completed 26 of 37 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns. He began the game completing 16 consecutive passes.

Walker has nine touchdown passes for the season, the most by a Temple quarterback since Mike Gerardi's 10 in 2010.

Walker's performance clearly gave Temple a reason to be optimistic. He has demonstrated that he is a budding dual-threat quarterback capable of beating teams with his legs and his arm.

Wide receiver Robby Anderson, who left the team last spring and then decided over the summer he wanted to return, caught nine passes for a school-record 239 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The old record was set by Van Johnson (214 yards) against Pittsburgh in 1996.

Anderson also caught a pass from wide receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick as part of an end-around that went 83 yards for a touchdown. On his other touchdown, Anderson turned a 42-yard hitch pass into a score.