With Temple set to open its 2024 season Friday night at Oklahoma, head coach Stan Drayton’s weekly press conference was moved up a day from Monday to Sunday to accommodate the shorter week.
It sure sounds like Drayton and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf know which quarterback will take the first snap Friday night against the 16th-ranked Sooners and which quarterback will get the majority of the first-team reps in practice this week, more importantly.
But the Owls’ third-year head coach wasn’t willing to share that information with reporters Sunday afternoon. On the team’s depth chart that has been posted on owlsports.com, Forrest Brock, Evan Simon and Tyler Douglas are listed in descending order with the word “or” between their names, meaning in depth-chart language that there’s not an actual No. 1 there on paper.
“I have a great competitive situation going on in that room right now, and I don't want to lose that edge,” Drayton said. “It's an iron-sharpens-iron mindset, and everybody in that room is just getting better. There's a clear one, two and three. I'm just going to probably make that decision game day.”
Here are the key takeaways from Drayton’s Sunday session with reporters.
You can listen to the press conference here.
Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma is coming into the 2024 season with a little bit of a different look on the offensive side of the ball, entering the season with a new offensive coordinator in Seth Littrell and a new starting quarterback in sophomore Jackson Arnold.
Arnold, a former five-star prospect and the 24th-ranked player in the 2023 class, backed up former starter Dillon Gabriel last season but started for the Sooners in their 38-24 loss to Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl once Gabriel made his decision to transfer to Oregon. Arnold completed 26 of his 45 pass attempts for 361 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions. Littrell was also the offensive coordinator for the bowl game.
With just one game of tape, it is somewhat hard to gauge what exactly the Sooners offense will look like, but Drayton doesn’t expect it to be much different than what it was last season.
“Seth Latrell has done a phenomenal job of taking what they had done under their previous coordinator,” Drayton said, referring to former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who left the Sooners to become Mississippi State’s head coach. “We saw him blend that personality into that Arizona game in that bowl game. Obviously, they may throw some wrinkles at us. We’ll be prepared for those wrinkles so we can adjust if we have to. I don’t think that with the talent that they have there is going to be a huge departure.”
While Arnold is expected to be the starter for Oklahoma in the opener, Drayton is prepared for the case where someone else steps in.
“[Arnold’s] a good player and that’s who we’re expecting to start,” Drayton said. “But they could be doing the same thing I’m doing. Somebody may show up and be that guy. But, that was a very talented player we saw playing quarterback against Arizona. We expect him to be the starter.”
Oklahoma is bringing back a lot of key players on the defense as well and isn’t expecting any changes to be made structurally on the defensive side of the ball.
The secondary is easily the most dangerous part of the Sooners' defense. Oklahoma’s secondary ranks ninth in PFF’s preseason rankings and the safety group is highlighted by returning interception leader Billy Bowman Jr., Dasan McCullough and Peyton Bowen, who had an impressive season last year as a true freshman.
“We feel as though there isn’t going to be a huge departure in what they do structurally defensively,” Drayton said. “There wasn’t a whole lot broken with their defense last year. We’re expecting a pretty solid front. We do know that the secondary has some very talented safeties and is returning some starters, and they have a nickel [cornerback] who is also a returning star. They’re very very athletic on the back end.”
Fluctuating offense
One of the first things Drayton said in his introductory statement Sunday was not to look too much into the depth chart on the offensive side of the ball, one that has not yet been released.
Temple added four new running backs and six new receivers this offseason, and Drayton expects the new and returning players to see playing time on offense and special teams.
“I would not look too deep into the depth chart, especially on offense,” Drayton said. “We're very, very talented at the skill positions. I foresee those guys playing. We're going to play into their strengths, depending on what situation, and the style of play that we're looking for that's going to be successful for us on offense that will determine who's in the game.”
Drayton also mentioned that the competition is a big part of why a lot of the players will be seeing playing time this season.
“You’re going to see those receivers play, you're going to see that depth chart at running back play a lot of football, and that tight end position as well. Again, It’s very very competitive amongst the group,” Drayton said. “It’s a positive thing going on that way as we approach our game situations, and I want to keep that going.”
Woodbury and Keaton leading the defense
The Owls plan to run the defense much like the offense with fluctuating rotations on the defensive line and at other spots, but Drayton said linebacker D.J. Woodbury Sr. and safety Andreas Keaton are exceptions to that and will start as key factors as leaders on the field for the defense. Both players earned single digits last week, with Woodbury wearing No. 0 and Keaton wearing No. 2.
Woodbury was a key player on special teams for the Owls last season and started to see more playing time as the season progressed. But after suffering an injury against Tulsa on Sept. 28, he missed the rest of the season.
“One guy that we solidified on is D.J. Woodbury,” Drayton said. “He’s going to be the guy calling it out there for us on defense. [He] was voted a single digit for a reason. He’s been very intentional in his development from the winter all the way up to this point.”
Keaton, who played the last three seasons at the FCS level at Western Carolina, led the Catamounts in tackles the last two seasons.
“[The defense is] very similar to the offensive skill position, with the exception of Andreas Keaton,” Drayton said. “He is going to be our starting safety.”
Importance of the offensive line and run game
Temple finished dead last in the American Athletic Conference with an average of just 96 rushing yards per game last fall. A lack of talent and execution in both the backfield and the offensive line, along with some injuries to the line, plagued the Owls all season.
So just as they did with the defense, Drayton and his staff hit the portal hard in doing what they could to upgrade the talent at running back and the offensive line. Drayton said earlier this month that the starting center spot was South Carolina transfer Grayson Mains’ to lose, and Maryland transfer Antwain Littleton and JUCO transfer Terrez Worthy seemed to have impressed the staff, as has an improved E.J. Wilson.
The hope, of course, is for Temple to have a much more balanced offense in 2024 than it did in 2023 and 2022 when the Owls relied heavily upon the arm and meticulous preparation of quarterback E.J. Warner, who has since transferred to Rice.
“The run game is extremely important to our success,” Drayton said. “If we’re not able to run the football, it’s really putting us in a one-dimensional situation, which is not going to win a lot of ball games. So, we need to establish the run early and often, which is predicated on our offensive line.”
Drayton said this year's group is deeper and healthier than last year.
“[The offensive line] is deeper in terms of quality talent that we have for sure,” Drayton said. “A lot of last year was affected by way of injuries. We are a healthier unit. I feel as though we have done a great job of recruiting some quality depth.”
This year’s travel roster, Drayton said, will have more offensive linemen on it.
“We’re not just taking five guys and saying those are the only five that are ready to play,” Drayton said. “We’re going to take up to eight or nine of these guys on a trip with us, and all of these guys are going to be game-ready when their number is called. So I am excited and feeling a lot more comfortable about the quality of depth that we have at that position.”