Temple football coach undaunted by big tasks

The Temple football team has a lot of work to do.

The Owls are replacing 14 starters from last season's squad and transitioning from the Mid-American Conference to the Big East.

A Bowl Championship Series conference, the Big East is expected to have tougher competition than the MAC.

Stressful situation?

Not for Temple coach Steve Addazio.

"I like our personnel," the second-year coach said Thursday after the Owls' ninth practice of the spring. "It's just that we are young and adapting to some different concepts.

"But I like the way we are handling it."

Addazio even said that Temple's spring practices are ahead of where they were at this point last spring.

"Last year, it was just find out who our players were," Addazio said. "Now we have a better sense of who our guys are. Now it's more about developing but also expanding our offense to the thing we want to do."

Having a more vertical passing attack is something Temple wants to do more. Last season, the Owls averaged 15 pass attempts and 126.8 passing yards per game.

But Temple didn't need to pass the ball, averaging 256.6 rushing yards with running backs Bernard Pierce and Matt Brown.

Now that Pierce has entered the NFL draft, Chris Coyer's mobility at quarterback will give the Owls their best chance to win, Addazio has indicated.

The redshirt junior, who started last season's final four games, completed 30 of 50 passes for 463 yards and six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 562 yards and three TDs.

Coyer was impressive Thursday, completing three picture-perfect touchdown passes toward the end of practice.

Eleven is enough. Addazio said he doesn't expect Temple to add another opponent to its 2012 football schedule. The Owls have 11 games with two bye weeks.

"I don't see that," the coach said. "Everyone is struggling [to get nonconference opponents] right now. With the realignment of college football, people are playing two I-AAs. I don't see us doing that."