QUARTERBACK CONNOR Reilly was finally given the chance to showcase his talent and arm strength under new head coach Matt Rhule's pro-style offense scheme in Temple's annual Cherry and White scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Chodoff Field.
The 6-4, 200-pound redshirt sophomore started for the White team, which won 34-28. Reilly went right to work, connecting with running back Kenny Harper for a 50-yard gain on White's opening drive, resulting in a touchdown four plays later. Reilly, who spent last season buried deep on the depth chart, ended the day completing 25 of his 41 attempts for 366 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
"When I'm out there, I feel like everyone is looking up to me," Reilly said. "They listen to me. No one's fighting, they believe in me and I believe in myself. I believe the team responds to me."
"He came out really hot. He made some big plays," Rhule said. "He left some on the table. We had a stutter-go that should have been a 95-yard touchdown and he missed it. So, he's gotta make all of those plays. I thought for the most part he got us in the right play, he checked us out of some blitzes. I think what you see is, you see our team when he's out there kind of rallying around him and believe he's going to make a play."
Rhule's new pass-heavy offensive scheme was put on display Saturday, with the teams combining for 681 passing yards and 181 rushing yards. Chris Coyer, the Owls' starting quarterback for all but two games last season, started for the White team as a tight end/h-back and was responsible for two of Reilly's four touchdowns, including an 11-yard pass on White's opening drive. Coyer has been playing the position for about a week and was impressive in the scrimmage, scoring two touchdowns overall, his longest reception being a 65-yard touchdown feed from Reilly in the fourth quarter.
"I think he's a weapon," Rhule said. "I think he carried the ball once at quarterback. He ran a reverse where he was going to throw it. He caught the ball, and not like some 'gimme pass.' He caught the ball down the field. I think he's a weapon."
Clinton "Juice" Granger was at the helm of the Cherry team, completing 26 of his 44 attempts for 302 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Granger said he has been enjoying the new style of offense.
"It's definitely more fun," Granger said when asked to compare this year's offense to last year's. "There are more shots down the field and more hits in the pocket. I like the offense. As a quarterback, you want to be able to throw the ball and take shots downfield."
Harper carried the ball 10 times for a total of 22 yards for White and scored a touchdown in the first quarter. Sophomore Jamie Gilmore carried the ball 8 times for a total of 25 yards.
"Kenny Harper is a pro," Rhule said. "He knows all the protections. He can change the protection and see that they don't blitz and come back. He's tremendous . . . We're going to put the ball in the air, but we're going to run the ball, too."