Carey reveals depth chart, discusses Rutgers
Temple coach Rod Carey gave his weekly press conference on Monday where he talked about Temple’s first depth chart of the season and the Owls' opening opponent in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Carey said it is hard to project Rutgers because he hasn’t seen them play this season and is relying on last year’s film, but he did mention how many close games they played in last season.
“You put on the film from last year, and the team plays hard,” Carey said. “You can tell that they have systems that they are playing and that they are well coached in. They are getting those things across to their guys, and their guys are staying within the system.”
Carey said he thought the Rutgers defense and special teams would be a challenge for the Owls.
As for the depth chart, Georgia transfer D’Wan Mathis remained the team’s starting quarterback, but true freshman Justin Lynch was named the team’s backup quarterback. By doing so, Lynch beat out Re-al Mitchell and Mariano Valenti.
“He just worked his rear end off for it,” Carey said about Lynch. “He put in the time and he was really getting out on the field. He had already studied and put in the extra time, not just with coach [Jake] Landry, but himself. That paid dividends on the field.”
Carey added that Lynch’s ability to sit in the pocket and read defenses separated him from the other quarterbacks.
Another surprise on Temple’s depth chart was Trey Blair, who converted from playing safety this offseason, being listed as the team’s second running back behind starter Edward Saydee.
Carey said Blair improved greatly during camp and impressed coaches with his speed and receiving skills.
“The more reps he got, the more comfortable it was,” Carey said. “It was pretty natural for him because that is what he’s done his whole life, is play offense except for last year when we had him on defense. Just kind of comfort level and the reps just kind of took over.”
Carey also provided updates on transfer running backs Ra’Von Bonner and Iverson Clement. Bonner got injured during fall camp which put him behind in learning the game plan for this week, but the team hopes he will get into the mix soon.
As for Clement, Carey says he doesn’t think the Florida transfer will be involved in the game plan for this week.
On defense, Temple’s depth chart also revealed a number of new starters including Kentucky transfer defensive tackle Jerquavion Mahone, who is listed as the team’s nose tackle.
“I think this summer was a real big thing for him,” Carey said. “[Mahone] came in a little light, you know, he hadn’t done a whole lot. That transfer portal can be a black hole for guy’s ability to train and stuff. He did a nice job training. He got weight back up in a good range, strength really came back quickly and that’s progressed this month.”
Two other transfers earned starting spots on defense in former Northwestern cornerback Cameron Ruiz and former UConn cornerback Keyshawn Paul.
“They’ve done an outstanding job,” Carey said. “[Ruiz] got here pretty early in the summer, and [Paul’s] obviously been here since January. I feel good about our depth on the backend for sure.”
Carey added that he views Freddie Johnson as a “third starter” at cornerback and was impressed with Ty Mason during fall camp.
Carey also mentioned the team voted on new single digits but doesn’t have a timeline for when those will be named or revealed.