The Temple Owls’ football program has struggled for quite some time and for a handful of years has been unable to find a consistent quarterback to lead an effective offense.
Finally, during the 2013 season, then-freshman P.J. Walker emerged as that ideal candidate. Even with a losing record as the starting QB when making his first official start on October 15 against Louisville, his play-making prowess was noted.
Now a sophomore, Walker is the quarterback that Temple hopes will mold into an on-the-field leader. A clear indication of that is his impressive win over a major conference opponent in SEC member Vanderbilt two weekends ago, 37-7.
In that game, Walker completed 23 of his passes out of 34 attempts (67.6 completion percentage) and threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns, along with a 138.2 QB rating. He certainly gave the Commodores all they could handle, adding a 21 yards rushing (that included a score on the ground) to his total yards.
The combination of a strong arm and fast feet has become a part of Walker’s game plan in an attempt to throw off defenders in the process. He showed that in the Owls’ home opener against the Navy Midshipmen this past weekend.
Temple lost 31-24, but in a valiant effort toward a comeback. Down 31-17 going into the 4th quarter, Walker marched down to the Navy end zone with a touchdown pass to cut the deficit to seven.
Much to Walker and Temple’s disadvantage, Navy held on to the ball on its next drive for 7:36 after a missed field goal. It gave Walker 2:08 left in the game to tie it up or go for gold and win it on a two-point conversion.
On the last drive of the game, Walker proved unsuccessful but it was something about the drive that knew right away keeping the young QB at the helm was the best decision. He provided 18 plays and 64 yards in a little over two minutes of game time, which many highly-touted/elite quarterbacks can’t accomplish in pressured situations on the last drive of the fourth quarter.
It can’t be unseen, however, how close Walker was to making a unbelievable comeback. He led the team more than one coach could think and didn’t give up on the ultimate goal of notching a victory with a minutes ticking off the clock.
Walker’s numbers that game spoke for themselves: 29-49 on passing completions, two passing touchdowns, and 311 total yards (240 passing, 71 rushing).
Whatever else the season holds for Walker is up in the air but it is something to watch if the QB can continue to make a positive impact on the ultimate outcome of Temple’s games from here on out.
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