Temple football: Five questions
College sports news from Philly.com
Temple football: Five questions
Keith Pompey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Here are five questions the Temple football team will answer this season.
1. Will quarterback Chris Coyer duplicate last season’s productivity now that he’s playing against Big East competition? Coyer looked great once he became the Owls’ primary quarterback late in the season. But the true test will come once Temple gets in the heart of conference play.
2. How will the Owls adjust to the departure of tight end Evan Rodriguez, the fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears? Without a go-to pass catcher with Rodriguez’s ability, will they be forced to throw the ball fewer than they did last season.
3. Will defensive tackle Levi Brown have the stellar year the coaching staff is banking on? Brown is regarded as one of the Big East’s best defensive linemen. But his spring was subpar at best.
4. Can the Owls put the same pressure on opposing quarterbacks like they did the last four seasons without all-Mid-American Conference defensive end Adrian Robinson? The former four-year starter, who signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, basically lived in opposing backfields. Without his presence, getting to the quarterback might not be as easy.
5. Is sophomore wideout Jalen Fitzpatrick ready to make major contributions? Temple coach Steve Addazio has said that Fitzpatrick will be an integral part of the offense. It’s a big leap for a undersized guy who was mainly a special teams player a year ago.
6. Will Montell Harris get 1000 yds rushing?
7. What will be the role of backup QB Juice Granger.
Also Keith, when are you going to do a story on Shahid Paulhill? I think that he has an interesting story to tell. Also he is a local guy out of the now closed Northeast Catholic program.— Byron- All great questions.— Temple U Owls
- 1. No - the Big East has better DBs. 2. Temple TE is solid. 3. Unknown - but he'll sit if he doesn't deliver. 4. Yes - Several players step up each year and delivery the sacks. 5. Yes - He's a gamer.— damnels
- This comment has been deleted.— delpreps
- Yup, sure AJax is... uh, except for Rod leading him in catches 35-0 last season. I wish AJax the best, but check who was the All-MAC TE the last two years and played tonight for the Bears. Check out the NFL Combine where Rod was in the top 3 finishers in 5 of 7 categories. AJax simply could not understand the blocking schemes after two years of working at it, therefore, he couldn't get on the field. — phillypride2008
- Yes Temple will have a GREAT season— Clifton
- I've seen Ajacks make some nice plays, but Erod was the starter for reason last year. Let's watch and see if Ajacks can clean up.— damnels
- TEMPLE,
PUT ON THE PADS AND BANG THEM!
'64 OWL— crumblinggeorge
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh graduate. Follow him on Twitter @pompeysgridlock. Reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
