Temple starts preparations for its season opener with the QB position still in question

The primary focus for Temple football throughout training camp has been progression. After head coach K.C. Keeler referred to the Owls’ first practice nearly three weeks ago as “just OK,” he has seen improvement.

In Temple’s 17th preseason practice, which played out amid a driving rain on Monday, it appeared the Owls had started to put everything together as the offense and the defense traded momentum.

Now, Keeler has the team homed in on Temple’s season opener against Massachusetts, which arrives in just 12 days.

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“First time we introduced any real [game plan against] UMass was today. Where we got a chance to get those squads down there and start doing some of those things,” Keeler said. “We keep on progressing. [I] try to keep emphasizing we have to play clean, that we have a chance to beat these guys, and if we do play clean, I think we have a pretty solid football team.”

Temple’s most significant question mark heading into its matchup against the Minutemen has been whom Keeler will name the team’s starting quarterback. Evan Simon and Gevani McCoy have spent the summer competing against each other for the spot.

That question will have to wait a little longer, as Keeler is still mum on who will be under center on Aug. 30. In fact, a starter may not be named until the Owls’ opening game.

“Obviously, everyone talks about the quarterback spot. I’m less worried about who’s going to be our starter,” Keeler said. “I’m just worried about those guys keeping on pushing each other to get better. The competition has been good, and you can see they’ve had to both step up to continue to compete.”

The duo, along with Keeler and offensive coordinator Tyler Walker, have all professed that the battle has made them better. That was shown in Saturday’s scrimmage, which saw McCoy dish out three touchdown passes, as he did during Monday’s scrimmage.

Keeler didn’t reveal when an announcement was coming. To him, what’s more important is for the two quarterbacks to gain the reps and be to compete once the season rolls around.

“I don’t know if there’s a time frame when we have to do this with them,” Keeler said. “They’re both getting a lot of really good reps. It’s one of those things where we sit with Tyler and say, “OK, is there a need to get one more one reps?’ But they’ve got so many ones and twos that I think I don’t know if that’s going to be a need or not.”

» READ MORE: Temple’s first training camp feels like ‘night and day’ under new coach K.C. Keeler

Every year, Temple selects a handful of players to wear a single digit on their jersey, given to the players who embody the “Temple TUFF” mantra on and off the field. Keeler has opted to continue the tradition heading into his first season at the helm.

However, with a twist.

The tradition had gotten the reputation of being a popularity contest, something that Keeler is looking to change. To do that, he is introducing a new method of having players nominate each other.

From there, the coaching staff will see how those players attack different parts of the team’s ethos before being selected as a single digit.

“Basically, what it is is a nomination process,” Keeler said. “The players can nominate, and then we go to each department: strength, academic, athletic training, and equipment. If there’s anyone in there who believes this guy, that doesn’t truly represent a single digit. They’re not nominating people.”

The new system was introduced to the team Monday, before the voting process begins. The official announcement of single digits will be made later this week. Despite the initial single digits being selected, Keeler has alluded to the chance of a player earning one as the season goes on.

“We need to make sure we understand there’s only going to be a handful of guys,” Keeler said. “One of the things that was requested was ‘some guys will be close, maybe you don’t feel comfortable making them single digits, that name’s on there for life. What do you think about during the season, if they follow through and they do all the things that you were hoping they were going to do? Would you consider?’ I think that’s a really good idea.”

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