Stan Drayton led off his weekly press conference Sunday by saying he wasn’t going to name a starting quarterback, but Temple’s third-year head coach was more than willing to say that middle linebacker D.J. Woodbury and safety Andreas Keaton would be starters at their respective positions.
The two single-digit seniors, along with wide receiver Dante Wright, spoke with reporters Monday about their preparation for Friday’s season opener at No. 16 Oklahoma.
Woodbury, a graduate of South Jersey’s Burlington City High School, is looking to anchor a position that graduated two of the program’s best players from last season in Jordan Magee and Yvandy Rigby. Woodbury has moved to the middle after spending a lot of time on the edge and said the adjustment has been smooth.
“I remember when they made the adjustment earlier last year when they asked me if I wanted to try ‘Mike’ and ‘Will,’” Woodbury, who will be wearing single-digit No. 0 as an ode to his basketball number in high school, said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I'll try it’ because I want to help the team any way I can.’
“Once I got there, it was like playing Madden, just like a video game. … When you know what you're doing and you're starting to understand concepts, it's just easier at Mike rather than being on the edge.”
The NCAA back in April approved headset communications for FBS games, and Woodbury will have a headset in his helmet on defense to relay to his teammates the instructions that come in from his defensive coaches. It’s not such a bad time to don the new technology considering Temple is opening at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which boasts a seating capacity of 86,112.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Woodbury tallied 24 tackles last season before succumbing to a season-ending injury back on Sept. 28 at Tulsa. Returning from the injury to earn a starting spot and a single digit was a byproduct of how Woodbury approached his rehabilitation.
“Last year, when I got hurt, a lot of people thought I could have taken it as an L (a loss), but I didn't. I took it as a learning point,” Woodbury said. “What can I learn from this and what can I gain? Just got to sit back and become a smarter football player.”
Perhaps his biggest motivator, however, is Woodbury’s son, Deonte Jamar Jr.
“There's no better feeling [than being a father],” Woodbury said with a wide smile. “The time we spend together, it's like the world is gone when I'm with him. I just cherish everything about him and I thank God for him. He's been a blessing in my life.”
Us vs. them
Andrea Keaton played at Oklahoma during his freshman season at Western Carolina back in 2021, so he's played in that atmosphere before. In one of the loudest and liveliest college football atmospheres, he said signaling will be be critical.
Asked Monday about specific offensive players who might stand out to him when watching film of Oklahoma, Keaton didn’t bring up the names like that of quarterback Jackson Arnold. He instead focused on Oklahoma as a team.
“It’s just us versus them,” Keaton said.
In his first season at Temple, Keaton managed to garner the most single-digit votes and thus had the first crack at choosing a number. He’ll wear No. 2.
“It means a lot, and I can see here at this program it's a big thing,” Keaton said of the single-digit honor. “So of course, I take it with a grain of salt and I appreciate it. Now, the work starts even more and it's even more work. I appreciate it and I'm ready to take that responsibility and I do feel good that this team has my back and trusts that I can lead.”
The Wright approach
Wide receiver Dante Wright, like Keaton and Woodbury, will don a single digit this season, switching to No. 5 from No. 10. After catching 39 passes for 507 yards and four touchdowns last year for the Owls, the Colorado State transfer will enter his sixth collegiate season this fall.
Like Keaton, Wright didn’t get into too many details about specific players when asked about a very talented Oklahoma secondary that helped the Sooners lead the nation in interceptions per game last season with 1.5.
Wright said the back end of Oklahoma’s defense is “a pretty talented group.”
“But our receivers are talented, too,” Wright said, “so it’ll be a good matchup for us.”
In answering another question about Oklahoma’s defense, Wright did bring up No. 15. That’s Kendel Dolby, who tallied 49 tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions and two sacks out of the “cheetah” position, which acts as a third safety.
“They’ve got really good eye discipline, so that’s something we’ve got to exploit and attack,” Wright said. “I think that’s something we’ll try to take advantage of.”
How, Wright was asked, can Temple take advantage of a defense he said has good eye discipline?
“Just make [the play] look like something else when it's not,” Wright said. “That's really it, though. They do a good job with their eyes, so we're gonna make them have bad eyes.”