Temple’s not tipping its hand at quarterback as opener at UMass approaches

For years, the most vivid memory Temple coach K.C. Keeler had of Massachusetts came from when he was the coach at Delaware. The Blue Hens traveled to Amherst to take on the Minutemen on their senior day.

What Keeler endured was the longest ceremony he had ever seen.

“They had their senior day and it was a single longest senior day in the history of mankind,” Keeler said. “They were bringing out aunts, uncles, and pets. I’ve never seen a senior day where they’re bringing the dogs out. It was like off the charts.”

Saturday will create another Massachusetts memory: Keeler’s first game as Temple’s head coach.

The Owls will open their season at UMass on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+). Massachusetts hired former Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak as its head coach in December, making the game a debut for the coaches on both sidelines.

The big question remaining as the opener approaches: Who’ll be under center for the Owls? Returning quarterback Evan Simon took the first-team reps on Monday, but Keeler’s lips were sealed on who will get the starting nod.

“Everyone wants to talk about the quarterback position,” Keeler said. “We’re really pleased that we have two guys that can play for us. I would be surprised if both guys don’t play in the ballgame. I’m not sure which one will roll out first, but it’s one of those things where we felt really good.”

Simon has spent the summer battling it out with transfer Gevani McCoy, who played at Idaho and Oregon State. The two spent training camp alternating with the first and second teams during 11-on-11 drills. Keeler and offensive coordinator Tyler Walker look to get both players the same amount of snaps during practice each day.

“I think the team feels good that we have two guys that can play,” Keeler said. “I think early on, the thought was Evan might have the benefit [in that] those other 10 guys are so comfortable with him. I think Gevani really made some headway in the scrimmages where you could see that he really played well in those scrimmages.”

While the main storyline has been who will take the first snaps for the Owls, the defense has undergone a similar transformation, most notably at linebacker.

» READ MORE: Temple is eager to put its past run of losing football seasons to bed. In some cases, literally.

Temple lost leading tacklers D.J. Woodbury and Tyquan King, leaving a gap in the linebacking corps. The summer has seen the staff juggle six players who all have a chance to wind up in the starting lineup.

The plan is to have a revolving door at linebacker, providing a chance for each player to get onto the field. Keeler suggested that the linebackers could be used in groups depending on the situation of the game.

“We’re really deep up front,” Keeler said. “We have these different groups that we can play in different situations. A lot of that is to get guys on the field. Look at their strengths, look at their weaknesses, try to get the best guys on third-and-10. Let’s get our speed group out there.”

Overall, Keeler wants to focus on the little things in the opener before hitting the ground running.

“The purpose is to go and win. But once the game’s taking place, let’s not worry about winning,” he said. “Let’s worry about executing that next play. If you get caught up with what the scoreboard is, you can get distracted quickly and all of a sudden, you’re not locked in and focused on doing your job.”