Following Saturday’s practice, Temple’s ninth of the spring, Owls running backs coach Andrew Pierce and tailback Joquez Smith spoke with reporters.

You can listen to those interviews here.

Andrew Pierce

Joquez Smith

Pierce, a three-time FCS All-American under current Temple head coach K.C. Keeler during his collegiate playing days at the University of Delaware, came to North Broad Street to work for Keeler after three seasons as the running backs coach at his alma mater. This past season, Pierce mentored Marcus Yarns, a first-team all-conference back who was invited to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine as a likely draft pick.

Pierce doesn’t have a running back of that caliber in his Temple backfield yet, and the Owls have just two scholarship backs on the field this spring in Sam Houston State transfer Jay Ducker and Smith. Midyear freshman enrollee DeCarlos Young is rehabilitating an injury, as is tailback Terrez Worthy, who initially entered the transfer portal after the coaching change before returning. Both players, Pierce said, should be fully healthy in time for preseason camp this summer.

That means three walk-on backs – Johnny Martin, Jordan Miller and Darius Morant – are seeing more time this spring for their new coach, a former walk-on himself out of South Jersey’s Cumberland Regional High School. Keveun Mason, an all-purpose back out of Florida’s Fort Meade High School, flipped from Delaware to Temple to follow Pierce to North Broad Street and will arrive this summer.

For now, Pierce likes what he’s seen from Ducker and Smith while Worthy and Young take mental reps in learning new offensive coordinator Tyler Walker’s scheme.

“For me, the thing about what I love is, when they get in the room, they're still learning, and they're taking the mental reps right now, those guys that are banged up,” Pierce said. “And then the guys that are out there, they're getting better every single week, so that's the exciting part about that. For me, the evaluation part is, ‘Hey, can you go out there and execute what I'm asking you to execute?’ And then the plays will come up, and they'll make the plays when the plays are to be made. But they're all doing a great job, and it's tough for those guys to be sitting out to as well, but they're getting those mental reps and trying to learn it along.”

Pierce said it’s certainly possible that Temple could add another back in the portal, and the Owls are pursuing that route, as OwlScoop reported earlier this week. Pierce also sounded very optimistic about what Temple will be getting this summer in Mason.

“I am extremely excited about him,” Pierce said of Mason, who had offers from programs like Rutgers and USF during his recruitment before first choosing Delaware. “I think he can come in here and help us do a lot of things, because he ran the 100(-meter dash) in 10.8, 10.7 (seconds). Really fast, and he's strong. And again, he showed it on tape. If you guys watch his tape, he's an explosive back, and I'm excited to get him here.”

Extra points

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyler Douglas returned to practice Saturday morning after sitting out the last two weeks with an injury to his right throwing arm. Shedding the brace he had been previously wearing, Douglas played with some energy during the scrimmage period and recorded a touchdown run and a two-point conversion. He will still have five more spring practices and then the April 12 Cherry and White game to compete for snaps with Evan Simon, Robert Morris transfer Anthony Chiccitt and walk-on Patrick Keller. … Midyear freshman tight end Ryder Kusch continues to impress. He snagged a late-practice throw from Simon, and sophomore wideout Jamar Taylor Jr. looked good as well with a reception during that same period of practice. Taylor, who played at Florida’s Lakeland High School, saw increased playing time over the last five weeks of the 2024 season and finished with 11 catches for 80 yards. Five of those receptions came in a late-October loss at ECU.

Front page photo by Landon Stafford.