Tuesday notebook: Owls could get healthier this week
Four Temple football players were made available to the media Tuesday as they reflected on their 47-13 loss last week to No. 18 SMU and talked about facing UCF on Saturday in Orlando.
The Owls only brought 51 scholarship players to Lincoln Financial Field against the Mustangs between COVID protocol and injuries, and Temple once again played without many of its key starters like quarterback Anthony Russo, linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley and tight end David Martin-Robinson.
The injuries didn’t stop once the game started.
After catching a 75-yard touchdown pass from Trad Beatty in the first offensive play of the game, wide receiver Randle Jones later left the game with an undisclosed injury. Beatty, who started his second consecutive game in place of Russo, also left the game after taking a hard sack toward the end of the first half.
Coach Rod Carey said Monday that Beatty and Jones will not play Saturday against the Knights.
Due to Beatty’s injury, the Owls had to rely on Re-al Mitchell for the rest of the game. Mitchell finished the game completing 11 of his 21 pass attempts and amassed 103 passing yards and 66 rushing yards. With 35 seconds left in the game, Mitchell found tight end Aaron Jarman in the end zone for his first touchdown pass as an Owl.
Temple was also playing its first game without running back Re’Mahn Davis, who announced his intention to opt out of the season and transfer from the program last week. In his place, Tayvon Ruley rushed for 66 yards on 15 attempts and scored a touchdown in the first quarter.
The Owls hope to be healthier this week as Russo and Martin-Robinson returned to practice Tuesday. Russo was nursing a shoulder injury that kept him out the past two games and Martin-Robinson just returned from COVID protocol. Carey said if Russo responds well in practice this week, he will make the start against the Knights. If not, Mitchell will make his first start in an Owls uniform.
Here are some excerpts from conversations with each of the players made available to reporters Tuesday.
David Martin-Robinson on the team’s chemistry through COVID protocol and injuries:
“I feel like just this whole season with this series of events that’s happened with this team that it’s always been next man up. So it’s like, all right, someone’s out, the next guy has to step in. You don’t really have time to think about chemistry. You just gotta work together, make it happen.”
Martin-Robinson on returning to practice:
“I’m juiced up. Today, I felt like I was flying around at practice. Even between drills and stuff, I was just moving just because I could again.”
Defensive tackle Daniel Archibong on adapting to COVID 19 and injuries:
“I mean we’re used to the change at this point with everything that’s going on this year and the vast number of changes that we’ve had to kind of deal with. At this point, we’re just numb to it. We’re just used to it. We just adapt.”
Archibong on facing UCF’s offense:
“Everybody knows how fast their offense is. Probably one of the fastest in the nation, but that’s fine. Really the key to winning the game is first of all, you gotta get lined up. So we made it really easy on defense this week. So we really just gotta get lined up and on film you’ll see a lot of people, they won’t be lined up and that’s when they get a big play on them or something like that. So we simplified the defense a little bit so we can play it faster and not get caught in situations where we’re kinda out of place.”
Right guard Vincent Picozzi on the offense’s recent struggles:
“I don’t think there’s really a missing ingredient. It’s just more execution on the offense’s part. The defense did really well stopping them and getting us the ball back and when we got the ball in our hands. [It was] just one thing after another, one mental error here or there. We were just kind of beating ourselves more than anything at all, so that was where the frustration came, but that was pretty much it.”
Picozzi on playing with Re-al Mitchell versus Anthony Russo:
“It’s definitely a different adjustment than having Russo in there, who has a pocket pass or he hands off the ball or he can throw it and the occasional run. But definitely going really good. Re-al’s been really good in the backfield, communicating the plays to us, but also gives us the opportunity to show what we can do on the line of scrimmage, driving guys off the ball and just going out there and playing our game.”
Picozzi on Tayvon Ruley’s play:
“He’s a phenomenal teammate. Just like myself, he started as a walk-on, so he’s been working his butt off, working his tail off from the time he got here and it’s shown on the field. Whenever he gets the ball in his hands, he wants to do something magical with it, so it’s just a matter of putting things together. But overall, he’s a great teammate and comes to work every day in practice, in the weight room. You see him in the trainer before and after practice, taking care of every little bump and bruise, just so he can get out there and play the best and play the most.”
Re-al Mitchell on slowing the game down against SMU:
“I think it’s something that when you’re out there, it’s nothing you can really prepare for. But I’ve been in college for a minute, so if anything I think compared to a freshman taking his first snaps, it’s different than a guy who’s been in college and taking his first snaps, so it’s not as overwhelming or anything like that. I mean, we’re all relatively the same age and skill set out there. It’s really not that stressful. It’s really just doing what you’ve been practicing all week and trying to execute as well as you can.”
Mitchell on how seeing extended playing time has helped his confidence:
“I think it’s helped a lot. I mean obviously you practice for so long and you watch other guys do it and being able to make some of those plays that you watch definitely gives you confidence that you can do it and it’s just something to build off of, so I know next time I’m out there, better things will come.”