Temple’s matchup with Toledo offers a measuring stick for K.C. Keeler’s team
Toledo stands where Temple is building toward. Saturday's matchup should be a temperature check for the Owls and serve as their first true test of the season.
Two weeks into the college football season, Temple has learned little about itself.
But Saturday’s matchup (3 p.m., CBS Sports Network) at Toledo serves as an opportunity to build off what worked in Temple’s season-opening win against Rhode Island and what didn’t in its Week 2 loss to No. 14 Penn State. Let’s take a look at what this game could reveal for the Owls moving forward.
Temperature check
The Owls (1-1) split their first two games in expected fashion.
Temple dismantled an established FCS program, 38-14, before falling to a Big Ten powerhouse, 27-9. Given the competition, neither results revealed much new information about the Owls.
But this weekend, Temple will finally receive a temperature check.
» READ MORE: Jaxon Smolik pulls ahead in Temple’s QB battle; K.C. Keeler proud of defense’s ‘dramatic’ improvement
Toledo stands where Temple is building toward. The Rockets made a bowl game for the last five years and haven’t won less than eight games for every season of that stretch.
The Owls will be fighting an uphill battle against a well-rounded Rockets roster, but it should be the season’s first competitive game.
“[Toledo’s quarterback is] athletic, he has a strong arm,” said head coach K.C. Keeler after practice Monday. “Their wideouts are really talented. … Their defense is really impressive and I think their quarterback is getting more confidence as time goes on.”
Toledo did most of its damage through the air in its first two games. In a 30-20 loss to Michigan State, Toledo gained 196 of its 273 total yards off of passes. Wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs stepped up in that game. He finished with 101 yards and was a key factor in the Rockets’ near-upset over the Spartans (they led 20-19 in the fourth quarter).
In Toledo’s 63-10 win over Central Connecticut State, John Alan Richter tallied 252 passing yards and three touchdowns. One of several highlights included wide receiver Rico Bond’s 85-yard touchdown.
Temple should be tooled with the means to respond offensively. Guard Eric King and tackle Kevin Terry are expected to return, as well as running back Sam Brown, which will mark his season debut.
Quarterbacks working together
The seemingly never-ending question regarding who is Temple’s starting quarterback is getting closer to an answer. Though, it’s still not concrete.
Jaxon Smolik was the starter against the Nittany Lions, but Ajani Sheppard scored Temple’s only touchdown.
Keeler still expects to mix playing time between the signal callers in Week 3. CBS Sports analyst and former Rice University quarterback Taylor McHargue, who will be commentating the game on Saturday, says both Smolik and Sheppard have shown promise.
“You probably have a role for both of them all season,” McHargue said. “For Sheppard especially, you’re seeing his ability in the red zone where he comes in and he’s very comfortable. ... Against Toledo, I’d be very surprised if we just saw one or the other.”
Keeler made it clear that Penn State would be an outlier for Temple this year. When Smolik threw an interception in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions excelled in crowding his receivers and picked off a good pass.
» READ MORE: Temple walk-on Reggie Jones nearly quit football before taking the long road to his first tackle
Smolik will still be handling the majority of the snaps, but the second-year coach envisions specific packages where Sheppard will be under center on Saturday.
“It’ll be very similar to what you saw this week,” Keeler said. “It depends on where we are on the field. Then maybe we’ll lend it more to getting Ajani on the field more. .… It’s going to be more situational than anything else.”
