Ryquell Armstead could be the key to Temple’s success on offense. Photo by Jesse Garber

The Temple Owls are ready to rock in 2018. It’s season two for Geoff Collins as the head coach and the Owls are coming off of a 7-6 season where they needed to win three of their last four games to get bowl eligible and then won that bowl game (the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl) over Florida International.

“I thought when we left the spring game,” said Collins, “we had a great team. The leadership, the toughness, the physicality, it’s a very close team. I’m really excited about what we’re going to do.”

Going into last season, the Owls were unsettled at quarterback but that’s not the case this year Frank
“Frankie Juice” Nutile, the MVP of the Gasparilla Bowl, is the starter. It’s a job he took from Logan Marchi, who has transferred to East Tennessee State, in the middle of the 2017 season and it was a move that keyed the Owls run to the bowl game. Nutile completed 122 of his 199 passes for 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Nutile thinks his time as a starter helped develop his leadership.

“For the most part, I’m a pretty confident guy,” said the senior from Don Bosco Prep. “I’m extremely competitive and we have a talented quarterback room so everyday you have to be fighting like it’s an open job. [In] the leadership role, I’ve definitely become a lot more comfortable, just saying what I see. The great part too, this team has probably 20 guys that are legitimate leaders so I don’t feel like I have to be that guy all the time. We all pass the torch to each other.”

Offensively, the Owls will look to build on what they accomplished last season with Nutile as he and his teammates are more in sync with the coaching staff.

“The guys are just so much advanced in their understanding of the system,” said offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude, who is entering his second season on North Broad. “The biggest jump has come between the first and second year everywhere I’ve ever been.”

Up front on offense, the Owls have three returning starters and a pair of players with game experience but not many starts. Center Matt Hennessy, is on the Rimington Award preseason watch list as one of the best centers in the country. Jovahn Fair started at guard in 2016 and part of last season before getting hurt.

Vincent Picozzi filled in while Fair was out and they will hold down the guard spots this year. At tackle, will be Jaelin Robinson, who played in every game last year by rotating in as the sixth man.

He’s played in 27 games, the most of any Temple offensive lineman. James McHale, who has appeared in 24 career games, made three starts at left tackle in 2017. The problem is the depth, the Owls have plenty of bodies including eight players new to the program (five scholarship signees, a transfer and two walk ons) but as a group the reserves have virtually no college experience.

At wide receiver, the Owls lost some key players to graduation but retain a lot of talent there too. Keith Kirkwood and Adonis Jennings are in NFL camps while veteran Ventell Bryant leads a young, inexperienced corp of receivers. Bryant is among the all-time leaders in receptions and receiving yards for the Owls.

Brodrick Yancy, Randle Jones, Travon Williams, Freddie Jones and Branden Mack will all be expected to contribute more in 2018. It would be hard to expect more from Isaiah Wright, who is listed as a wide receiver, but does a little bit of everything. He led the team in all-purpose yards with 1,301 while becoming just the sixth player in FBS history to score five different way (receiving, rushing, passing, kick return and punt return). Kenny Yeboah led all tight ends with 14 catches last year.

Running back Ryquell Armstead might be the key to the Owls offense as they look for that run-pass balance that most teams look for. Despite being banged up all season, “Rock” never missed a game and led the team with 604 yards on the ground and tied for the lead with five touchdowns.

“I like to compete in everything I do,” said Armstead when asked if he ever thought of sitting out in 2017 to heal. “It doesn’t matter how banged up I am. I’m a running back, I understand I’m not going to be 100 percent at all times. You just have to learn to play through that.”

Temple head coach Geoff Collins heads into his second season after winning seven games including a bowl victory. Photo by Jesse Garber.

Jager Gardner, Tyliek Raynor and Jeremy Jennings will all via for playing time behind Armstead.
On the “Darkside” as the Owls defense calls itself new coordinator, Andrew Thacker is intense – he makes the not so reserved Collins look like Tom Landry.

“There’s a certain culture that extends itself to the defense,” said Thacker, who was invited to the American Football Coaches Foundation annual 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute following the 2017 season. The program is “aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.” “We talk about relentless effort and we talk about attack, attack, attack.”

Thacker also coaches the linebackers and last year he turned an inexperienced group into one of the strengths of the defense. Shaun Bradley, who was named first team All-East by the ECAC, had a team-high 85 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, an interception and a forced fumble. Sam Franklin, William Kwenkeu, Isaiah Graham-Mobley and Chapelle Russell, who is coming back from a second straight season-ending knee injury, are part of this talented group.

The Owls defensive line has been a strength for several years. Of the 23 former Owls in NFL camps, the most (seven) are defensive linemen and the line should be an area of strength in 2018 as well.

Michael Dogbe will get a lot of attention from the NFL. Freddie Booth-Lloyd, Dan Archibong and Karamo Dioubate join him on the inside. While on the edge Quincy Roche, who had seven sacks a season ago, will look to follow in the line of Owls pass rushers who made it to the next level.

The secondary lost three quality players from last year (corners Artrel Foster, Mike Jones and safety Sean Chandler) but thanks to a pair of transfers the Cherry and White look to reload quickly.

Cornerback Linwood Crump and safety Delvon Randell, who was first team All-AAC last year, are the key returnees while safety Rodney Williams, a graduate transfer from Syracuse, and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who came from Presbyterian College after they began a transition to non-scholarship football, are new to the program.

Ya-Sin made an immediate impact on the Owls and was awarded a coveted single-digit jersey.

“There are guys who worked for two or three years to earn a single,” said Ya-Sin, who came to Temple because a coach at Presbyterian knew Collins and vouched for the program. “For me to come in, in January, and do that. It’s an honor tha my coaches and my teammates believe in me that much.”

Aaron Boumerhi will handle the kicking duties while three player will battle for the job of punting.
The Owls open the season on Saturday, September 1st at Lincoln Financial Field against Villanova. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon.

Email Rock Hoffman at Rock@footballstories.com

Photos

Juice: Frank “Frankie Juice” Nutile, the MVP of the Gasparilla Bowl, is the Owls starter. Photo by Jesse Garber

Temple head coach Geoff Collins heads into his second season after winning seven games including a bowl victory. Photo by Jesse Garber.