Temple’s 6-6 season could be interpreted in multiple ways. Ultimately, the Owls moved in the right direction.The season had its ups—the Owls tripled their win total, had an outstanding defense, and are still young—and of course, its downs—PJ Walker, the team’s most exciting player going into the season, took a step back; the offense was really bad; and they missed a bowl game despite being eligible.
But in the future, hopefully we will look at this season as a transition year. Temple landed some really solid recruits, and according to Rivals, had the second-best incoming class in the conference. Not to mention they’re already one of the younger teams in the nation.
If they play their cards right, they’ll be serious contenders in the conference next season.
1. Have a backup plan at quarterback
P.J. Walker has athletic ability. Nobody disputes that. He’s a duel threat and has that beautiful arm strength that the “flick of the wrist” adage was made for. But he’s terribly inconsistent with accuracy. There’s a second crack in the Liberty Bell now because he missed an open Jalen Fitzpatrick on third down.
Next year, Walker will be heading into his junior year and barring something unforeseen, he will be the starting quarterback for Temple. I’m a believer in his ability but I can understand if you aren’t as we saw what happened between his freshman and sophomore year—a major step backwards. I’ll admit that. And I’ll admit that if he doesn’t bounce back, the Owls are in trouble.
Next year may be Temple’s year to really break out. The Owls defense was ready this year but their offense spun their wheels week after week. Next season is a big season for Temple as almost all of its key players are returning to build on a semi-promising campaign. If Walker struggles again next year, I imagine he’ll have a shorter leash so as to not waste the peaking talent around him. If Walker isn’t the guy he needs to be, Temple has to have a backup plan.
Frank Nutile and Lenny Williams (both redshirted this year) will be the guys behind him on the depth chart. Nutile is the more traditional quarterback—a big 6’5” framed pocket passer (big tree fall hard) with solid upside that would fit into a pro-style offense. He’ll most likely be on deck because he’s safe and has more natural ability. But for me, I’m more adventurous. I like Williams. He’s undersized but much more athletic and exciting and he also drew raves in camp this year.
2. Sort out the receiving options
Or, you know, find some offense in general. Temple’s offense was bad this year and it got worse as the season went on. One of the problems was that Walker couldn’t find anybody in the end zone or on third down. This was most likely a result of the offensive line struggling and needing outside help from the tight ends and running backs, limiting Walker’s options. It was also because Jalen Fitzpatrick was the only consistently talented receiver on the team.
The line is expected to get better next year. But the receivers are a question mark.
Temple does have a lot of size: Colin Thompson, a transfer tight end from Florida, is 6’4” 250 pounds and was recruited for his hands. He battled foot injuries for most of the season, but if he can get healthy, the Owls may have something. I’ve been in Thompson’s corner all year, but he hasn’t been able get healthy. Obviously an offseason will get him some rest.
Wide out Romand Deloatch was second on the team this year in receiving touchdowns with three. He has some size as well: 6’4”, 225 pounds. With Jalen Fitzpatrick graduating, Deloatch could be the Owls number one receiver next year. He definitely has natural talent but looked raw. Finding a rapport with Walker will be key.
Some dark horse candidates are Derrek Thomas and Matt Eaton, both redshirt freshmen.
3. Get older
This my favorite part of the offseason because it’s impossible to mess up unless they stumble upon that spring from Tuck Everlasting.
Temple had a really young team this year and it definitely showed. The team ran out of gas mid-way through the season partially because they lacked depth and senior leadership. For instance, the offensive line features Kyle Friend, who is already a stud at center, and Dion Dawkins, who has the ability to become a stud at left tackle, but when those guys went down, their replacements were overmatched. That’s the truth at a few positions because there’s so much youth on this team–the starters were all sophomores and juniors. A bowl bid would have given this team 15 more practices, but alas.
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