With Temple football’s preseason camp officially 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.
On Monday, head coach Rod Carey, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Knowles and linebackers Kobe Wilson, George Reid, Audley Isaacs, Yvandy Rigby and Jordan Magee spoke to the media after the team’s fifth practice at SUNY-Maritime College football facility in The Bronx.
Carey said he knows when the team will be leaving the Bronx to return to the team’s Edberg-Olson Hall football facility but didn’t want to reveal the date because he doesn’t want the players to know when they are leaving just yet.
Monday’s interviews were focused on Temple’s competition at both MIKE and WILL linebacker.
“It’s a really good battle to watch,” Carey said. “If I had to bet right now, I would bet that all five of them are going to play, and I don’t think that is because Will [Kwenkeu] and Geroge [Reid] have gotten worse. I think they have gotten better. I just think that’s how good the young three guys have gotten, too. I think that could be one of our deepest frontline groups on the entire team.”
The competition at MIKE is between Kwenkeu and Rigby, who transitioned from BUBO this offseason. At the WILL spot, Reid is battling with Wilson, who saw some playing time late in 2020.
While those players are locked into their spots, Magee is cross-training at both linebacker positions, giving the Owls some needed versatility.
Knowles said he would be willing to try different rotations, including switching them out every other drive if they were all playing well, but added nobody has clearly separated themselves as a starter.
Temple’s rotation could change based on matchups with the younger players seeing more reps against pass-heavy offenses because of their speed, and the older players seeing more reps against run-heavy offenses.
The players and coaches also shared their thoughts on multiple position battles, the team’s mindset, the progress of different transfers and their individual roles on the defense.
Here are a few excerpts from the rest of their press conference.
Carey on how the team is performing so far:
“I am really pleased with where we are at. Defensive is a little bit ahead of the offense, which with my coaching career, I think that is pretty normal. The offense has certainly had its moments where it has executed at a high level. It just hasn’t sustained it yet. Special teams are looking better and more consistent.”
Carey on quarterback D’Wan Mathis:
“The first day, specifically, I think he was trying to do too much, but other than that, when he’s been in there, I think the ball is going to the right place and the execution is pretty high. With him, I’m pretty pleased with that right now.”
Carey on Trey Blair moving from safety to running back:
“Although we moved him after spring practice, he’s had a lot of time at the position. He’s had a lot of repetition at the position, so those are coming, but you can see him really growing every rep and it certainly felt like we had a need and an opportunity for him at running back more than having enough safeties. I think he would’ve made a good safety, too.”
Carey on the kick return position:
“I’d say we’ve had 20 reps to see our returners go against a scout team or another team, and we are not tackling those returners. You got [Jadan] Blue back there, Cameron Ruiz has done it before, Amad Anderson, and Malik Cooper is a guy we are going to look at too back there.”
Carey on the running back battle:
“I hope someone separates. I hope maybe two guys separate, but certainly when you look around, Tavon [Ruley] and Kyle [Dobbins] probably have the most experience, and that’s not a ton. It’s a challenge getting everybody reps, but we are certainly doing that.”
Carey on transfer offensive lineman Richard Rodriguez:
“[Rodriguez] is really progressing very well. I think he’s in that mix to be one of the top backups right now and out of that group, there could be two, three, four guys who become backups. What I’m for with those two, three, four guys is they start to challenge our top guys. I could see that happening in [Rodriguez’s] case”
Carey on the BUBO position:
“I don’t know if we have a guy that is just clear-cut the guy. Kwantel Raines is running out there with the ones, and he’s a good player, and I like what he is doing. Then you got [Muheem McCargo], who has played a little bit, and then you got [D.J. Woodbury], who is really coming into his own, and you got [Thomas Joe-Kamara], who played some last year. Certainly, Kwantel would have to have the edge right now.”
Knowles on Kentucky transfer defensive tackle Jerquavion Mahone:
“He’s done a good job. He comes in, he’s got some twitch to him. He’s good in the pass rush. When he got to us, he had been out of football for a while, so he was a little light. He’s done a good job in the weight room getting his weight up a little bit. He’s definitely going to be in the running for that top two-deep and playing time.”
Knowles on the defensive line rotation:
“They are doing a good job so far. That is going to be a battle for the next couple of weeks that is constantly changing, putting different guys in with the ones, and what I am happy with is there are a lot of options.”
Knowles on Washington State transfer defensive end Will Rodgers:
“He’s long, and he’s athletic. He played a lot on the inside, so you figure they moved him around on the inside. He was playing three-technique a lot, so I knew he would be tough, and that’s what we have seen.”
Knowles on the cornerback position:
“I think there is some good competition, but for me, I think that is a position where you can never have enough. I like where we are at right now. We gotta stay healthy and keep competing. There are six guys who we feel like could possibly help you.”
Reid on his relationship with the team’s younger linebackers:
“All of them are smart. All of them are fast. They came here to play. Nobody ever really comes here to sit around, so that’s what I expected out of all of them. I’m always here to help coach them up and be like another coach for them, because I already have a really good understanding of the playbook.”
Reid on who has stood out at running back:
“They all look great all the time. The one that really stands out to me is [Edward] Saydee. Saydee has always been good with his plays. He’s swift, and he’s been holding onto the ball real tight.”
Isaacs on his rehab from last season’s knee injury:
“It’s been a process. One thing I can say is that my teammates have been behind me 100 percent the entire way. It was a lot when it first happened because it was my first major injury ever. The whole process was good once I started getting back to running, lifting and getting back with the team for spring ball it was pretty much full go.”
Isaacs on where is he playing in fall camp:
“So for me, I’ve always had that same swing - MIKE, WILL and at times BUBO if needed. More so it is whatever the team needs. Back at [the team’s game against Memphis last season], I was playing BUBO, but my entire career I’ve been playing MIKE and WILL.”
Magee on playing both MIKE and WILL:
“I feel like I’ve definitely been getting good work. I’ve been getting reps with both the ones and the twos at both MIKE and WILL, so I just feel like me being versatile will help the team win.”
Magee on the team’s current mindset:
“I feel like we as a team are starting to come together more being up here in the Bronx. I feel like it is a good experience for us to get away and really focus on football and get to the goal we want to get to.”
Rigby on transitioning from BUBO to MIKE:
“I started at MIKE linebacker when I first started at Temple University, then they moved me to outside linebacker. Just cause I started at it first it was easier for me to transition because I already run most of the plays. The transition was pretty easy for me.”
Rigby on how impactful his playing time from last season was:
“That experience is going to help me dramatically. Just having a feel for the game. Gameday is different than practice and just understanding how to create a routine and how to approach the game. Playing last year really helped me a lot and dramatically for this year because I know what to work on and what not to.”
Wilson on being a part of the team’s leadership council during a time when the program is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the transfer portal:
“It has kinda been weird at the same time because we can’t have certain guys in there because they might not be vaccinated. Also, we got some new guys coming in from the portal, so just trying to get those guys on the same page, the same program. It has kinda been difficult, but everything is coming along nicely, especially right when camp is happening.”
Wilson on what he’s improved in his game this summer:
“I believe I got better with my playbook over the summer. Last year, I was kinda just playing based off a lot of instincts. I knew some of the plays, but now I’m better in my playbook as Coach Knowles would say. I’m getting better with pass-offs and being patient and all of that, but I still got a lot more to improve on as well.”
- RB
- RB
- PRO
- WR
- TE