Preseason camp notebook: A closer look at the cornerbacks
With Temple football’s preseason camp underway, OwlScoop.com is providing fans with a story after every press conference highlighting updates from the team’s players and coaches to best prepare fans for the start of Temple’s season on Sept. 2 when they travel to Rutgers.
Cornerbacks coach Melvin Rice and four players at his position – UConn transfer Keyshawn Paul, Northwestern transfer Cameron Ruiz, Freddie Johnson and Elijah Clark – spoke with reporters over Zoom Friday from The Bronx’s SUNY-Maritime football facility, where the Owls are spending the first portion of camp.
Here are some excerpts from that session with the media.
Rice on how and where his corners play on the field:
“What we play here is right or left corner, so both of those guys play opposite. I do that so whatever happens in a season, both guys know – or all those guys know – how to play both field (wide side of the field) and boundary (short side of the field). So I want those guys to grow, understand and learn the defense. That’s why we play either right or left.”
On what Rice has seen early on from true freshmen Andrew Garwo and Jalen McMurray:
“Those guys have been doing a good job, coming in here fresh off high school, learning the defense and competing. And I throw those guys out there just to see what they can do, and they show some really good things. Those guys are both on special teams depth charts, which I try to preach early to the young guys: get on special teams first, contribute with the team. And based off your performance with special teams, you’ll start getting reps on defense. I’m really pleased with where those two guys are.”
Ruiz on being away for the start of preseason camp with Temple and whether or not Northwestern did something similar:
“I actually thought I was getting away from that (spending preseason camp away from campus.) We used to go to Kenosha, Wisconsin for probably five days or nine days, maybe, get away and kind of bond with the team a bit. It was actually the same, so it felt like normal camp to me. You obviously get the beautiful view, which is nice. It’s the same. It’s the first time Temple is doing it or Coach (Rod) Carey’s been doing it, but it’s not the first time I’ve been doing it.”
Ruiz on whether or not it’s been a good thing for the program:
“I think it helps us bond together, getting away from everything … and you feel more grateful when you get back home. So you can’t wait to get back home. But it’s good for us. It’s us spending quality time together, as much time as we can, possibly. They build those relationships.”
Ruiz on what he’s seen from starting quarterback and Georgia transfer D’wan Mathis:
“I see an elite talent. I see one of a kind. I think he’s a special talent. I see he’s extended plays, but I’m not going to chirp on that as much, because I want everyone to see that for themselves when he plays. I’ll just say he’s a special talent.”
Johnson on what it means to get away for preseason camp after the challenges brought on by COVID last year and how it compares with past preseason camps:
“Definitely refreshing after last year, because we really didn’t have a true camp. The thing about us being here is it eliminates the distractions of being back home in Philly. We’re here together, bonding as a team, keeping our mental on football, on treatment, keeping our bodies good, eating. I feel like being here is just different from a lot of camps because we’re just away from everything. We’re away from family, everything. We’re just here and just focused, so I feel like it’s going to pay off that we came here. Just focused on football, all football.”
Johnson on which younger cornerbacks have stood out in camp so far:
“I really like Jalen (McMurray) and Andrew (Garwo.) They came along well. They’re taking to coaching. They’re listening to the older guys and the coaches, taking notes in the meeting rooms. You probably already know Nate Wyatt, Elijah Clark, Ty Mason. They’re all good. They’ve been doing their thing for the last couple years. They’re listening, they’re taking notes. Everybody’s coming along well. I like our (cornerback) room.”
Clark, who played at New Jersey’s Sayreville High School, on who he knows in the Rutgers program beyond transfers like Christian Braswell, Ifeanyi Maijeh and David Nwaogwugwu and what it will mean to go against them in the Sept. 2 season opener:
“It means a lot to me. I live 15 minutes away from there. I won a 7-on-7 championship there. I won a state championship there. I know a lot of people who go there who don’t play football and play football as well, so I’ve just got to show out.”
Clark on what he can take from starting against ECU last year and what he can learn from all of the challenges that came with the complications brought on by COVID:
“That (ECU game) was kind of an extreme moment. So now that I got that out of the way, I can handle almost anything now.”
Clark on the performance of the receivers beyond starters like Jadan Blue and Randle Jones:
“Those two (Blue and Jones) have done great. I would say Jose Barbon has been stepping up. And also, surprisingly, Ronnie Stevenson has also been stepping up as well. He’s been playing pretty well as well.”