Owls QB has history of rewarding patience

WHEN P.J. WALKER started as a freshman quarterback at Elizabeth (N.J.) High, the team went 1-9. The next season, it lost its first four games. His junior year, it made the state final. As a senior last year, it won the state title.

Now in his first season at Temple, Walker will make his second start, and first in South Philly, tomorrow afternoon when the 0-6 Owls host Army (3-4) at Lincoln Financial Field.

"He texted me last week [following a 38-20 loss at Cincinnati]," said first-year coach Matt Rhule. "He said, 'Hey coach, hang in there. I'll have this thing right.'

"We've seen flashes of what he can be. He's turning the ball over too much. I think he recognizes that. But he has that reset button in his head. He knows he's being aggressive. He feels the confidence we have in him. I hope we continue to feed off that."

On a team that is playing way too many freshmen and sophomores, he represents the future as much as anyone.

"I feel pretty good," said Walker, who went 12-for-22 for 200 yards and two touchdowns against the Bearcats. "It's just going out there and competing and playing and winning. That's mainly it.

"I'm learning a few freshman things. You can't win if you don't protect the ball."

He did throw an interception from his end zone in the second quarter that led to a Cincy TD. And in the fourth, he fumbled it away at the Cincy 18.

"I'm not nervous anymore," Walker insisted. "I think once we get that first win, this team will play much differently. It's important that you know what it feels like. That's what you play for."

The Wildcats (4-2, 3-0 CAA), ranked 12th in FCS, did what they had to do. But last week's 45-35 win at then-No. 3 Towson is behind them. Now they travel to No. 22 New Hampshire (2-3, 1-1), which has won 12 of its last 13 in Durham and 24 of 26. Villanova hasn't won there since 2003. The only time 'Nova has won in the last six meetings was the 2009 playoffs, in snow on the Main Line.

The New Hampshire Wildcats have made the NCAA playoffs 9 straight years. But they've never made it past the quarterfinals, so the streak flies a bit under the radar. Even if Chip Kelly was an assistant there from 1994-2006.

"We have to approach it the same way we approached Towson," said Villanova assistant head coach Mark Ferrante. "You could sense it last week at practice. I'm hoping those two early losses woke them up. They realize what's ahead of them. Now we're in the league. It's where we want to do our winning, if we want to get a championship.

"I think we have a mature enough team. They realize the important of this, and who New Hampshire is."

It's no coincidence that sophomore quarterback John Robertson has been playing at a very high level.

"He's the reason for our success, quite frankly," Ferrante said. "We've had better passers at that position, probably. But I don't think we've had a better runner. [Chris] Whitney had a different style. As far as the ability to do both . . . "

There's a reason he was the national freshman of the year.

Now that the CAA portion of the schedule is over, the Quakers (2-2, 1-0) can get back to what they've been doing best, which is earning rings.

The defending Ivy League champions are going for an unprecedented fourth outright title in 5 years. Having survived a four-overtimer in their Ivy opener 2 weeks ago at home against Dartmouth, the longest game in league history, they renew that quest at winless Columbia. The Lions, who have lost to three ranked teams, haven't beaten them since 1996. But the last two went down to the final snap.

"We just have to show our kids the film of how we had to hang on," said coach Al Bagnoli, whose team is coming off a 27-14 loss at William & Mary.

At this level, health is always a storyline.

"Every year it seems like one position gets targeted," Bagnoli said. "This year it's the wide-receiving corps. We've already lost five for the year, and another's out for an extended period. But overall we're where we're supposed to be. We just have to develop some momentum, a little bit of continuity as we hopefully start getting some [other] kids back."

And . . .

"Take the reins off our quarterback [Billy Ragone] some as far as running the ball," Bagnoli added. "We've been a little cautious with him, coming off ankle surgery. We need to get him into the flow more, like 'Nova's done with their guy."