Temple University Athletics
QB P.J. Walker is the triggerman for Temple's high powered offense
Photo by: Timothy D. Sofranko
Bomb Squad on Broad Street
11.20.13 | Football
Explosive Offense Rings in a New Era of Temple Football
-by Andy Esworthy
When Head Coach Matt Rhule was hired in December of 2012, the new look Temple Owl's offense took a sharp turn on Broad Street heading towards 10th and Diamond at a fast and furious speed. Rhule and Offensive Coordinator Marcus Satterfield would breathe new life into the Owls offense, introducing a pro-spread, which is a drastic change from the power running game Temple has showcased in recent years.
In Temple's last two seasons, the offense averaged 201.2 yards rushing per game in 2012 and 256.5 yards rushing per game in 2011. This is in comparison to 120.8 yards passing per game in 2012 and 126.8 yards passing per game in 2011.
Right away the difference in offensive philosophies was noticed in camp as there was a three-way quarterback battle, and the quarterbacks were going to be heavily relied on to throw the ball multiple times a game as well as have the ability to break the pocket and run. The three quarterbacks (Clinton "Juice" Granger, Connor Reilly and P.J. Walker) were taking snaps in the shotgun formation and spreading the ball around, utilizing a multitude of weapons in the newly formed offense.
By mid-season P.J. Walker emerged as the signal caller for the Owls. He has sparked the offense into hitting new heights since taking over against Louisville and starting every game from that point on. Since the game in Cincinnati, the offense is averaging 413 yards a game, which would rank Temple 63rd nationally in Total Offense, and show a jump from 85th (380.3 yards) overall for the entire season.
"My favorite part about this offense is the aggressiveness of it," Walker said. "I love the way coach [Satterfield] attacks the game, and I feel like it rubs off on me when I am out there playing."
Walker, who with four starts has seen only five true freshman quarterbacks in the nation start more this year under center, has shown that Temple has a dual-threat quarterback to build around for its promising future. The Newark Star-Ledger's High School Football Player of the Year in 2012 has dazzled with his rocket arm and the decision making tendencies of a quarterback with a wealth of experience.
"It's very exciting to be able to be able to get the ball to playmakers and just watch them make plays, I'm fortunate that I am surrounded by so many gifted athletes on this team."
Since his first career start under the lights on a prime-time nationally televised game on ESPN against Cincinnati, Walker has averaged almost 225 yards passing including averaging three touchdowns a game to go along with a 65 percent completion rate (69-106) and only four interceptions.
Walker will be the first to admit he is not the only one responsible for the offense soaring to new heights. Rhule and Satterfield have surrounded their play-making quarterback with a myriad of weapons at his disposal. Ten different Owls have scored touchdowns this season, including seven who have scored multiple touchdowns over the course of the year.
The workhorse for the Temple offense is junior running back Kenneth Harper. Harper leads the team with 11 overall touchdowns. (nine rushing, two receiving). Harper is having his breakout year with the team after having to watch Bernard Pierce, Montel Harris and Matt Brown tear through the Temple record books his first two years on campus.
"This offense keeps defense's on its toes; you don't know what we are going to do or who we are going to go to next," Harper said. "I really believe we can make our way up and down the field at will when this offense is clicking."
In his third year with the Owls, Harper leads the team with 102 carries for 463 yards, accounting for an average of 51.4 yards per game. He is also a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball, where he has 18 receptions for 181 yards and back-to-back weeks with a TD grab.
"I like being able to showcase my ability to catch the ball out of the backfield," Harper said. "It's exciting, and adds another dimension that opposing defenses have to worry about."
Providing a 1-2 punch in the backfield for the Owls is the highly regarded freshman running back Zaire Williams. Williams, who Satterfield said reminds him of the great Eric Dickerson with his powerful running style, has taken advantage of the playing time granted to him in his early collegiate days. The newcomer to Broad Street has wisely formed a tight-knit relationship with Harper, as well as fellow backfield mate Jamie Gilmore, to where they all can be seen dissecting defenses together and sharing strategies with one another.
On the season Williams has carried the ball 91 times for a team leading 486 yards, including the season long run of 50 yards against SMU. He had his best game of the season in the win against Army where he ran 19 times for 94 yards and a score. Williams, like Harper, is also showing opposing defenses that he is a threat to catch the ball. He has 10 receptions for 125 yards this season.
Harper and Williams combined have totaled 1,255 yards of all-purpose yards this season, producing almost 140 yards per game for the Owls offense.
Smart quarterback play and establishing the running game has proved effective, as opposing defenses have had to respect the running game. The results are open passing lanes that allow Walker to highlight his scope of targets on the outside.
Leading the Owls receiving core is walk-on turned senior captain and one of the nine toughest guys on the team: Ryan Alderman. The 5-9 175 pound receiver from Downingtown, Pa., may not seem to have the ideal size to be a leading receiver, but he has a heart the size of a heavyweight champ with his back against the ropes.
He has appeared in 45 games for the Cherry and White, the most of anyone on the roster, and this season has 28 receptions for 385 yards including two touchdowns. His career long is a 51-yard TD pass from Connor Reilly against Idaho, and also was the first career score for the 5th year graduate student.
Jalen Fitzpatrick is the dynamic "do it all" playmaker for Temple. Originally a high school quarterback from Harrisburg, Pa., Fitzpatrick came to the Owls and understood the best way to contribute would be as a receiver. He has thrived under the new pro-spread offense and is having a career year.
Currently he has 29 receptions for 328 yards including three touchdowns. His best game of the season was against Army where he had four catches for 128 yards and one touchdown. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. As an encore to his Army performance, Fitzpatrick took an end-around from quarterback P.J. Walker against SMU and connected with fellow wideout Robby Anderson for an 83-yard touchdown. It was the third longest passing play in Temple history.
The home-run hitter for the Owls is redshirt sophomore Robby Anderson. Anderson leads the Owls in receiving yards, accumulating 430 yards on 23 catches and has done so in only seven games.
Anderson cemented his name into the Temple record books against SMU when he set the single game receiving yards record with 239 yards on nine receptions. He also had two touchdowns that game, the first being his first career score, and was on the receiving end of Fitzpatrick's 83-yard TD toss.
Representing everything that Coach Rhule and his tough guy mantra entail is receiver John Christopher. With a team first attitude, Christopher is willing to do it all in order to come out with a victory. A sophomore from Ormond Beach, Fla., Christopher has established himself as one of the toughest guys on team, represented by his wearing of a number one through nine jersey.
On the year, Christopher has 18 catches for 196 yards. He had back-to-back games with a touchdown against Army and SMU, and in the latter made an incredible acrobatic catch that was featured on SportsCenter's widely popular "Top 10 Plays of the Day."
Two upperclassman who stand out as team first guys and have demonstrated the willingness to make sacrifices and not let their ego's affect team spirit are Chris Coyer and Juice Granger.
Granger and Coyer are both graduate students who formerly played the quarterback position. Coyer, who led the team to a New Mexico Bowl win and MVP of the game honors for himself, added 20 pounds in the offseason to make the switch to H-back. Granger was in a competitive quarterback battle all through the summer, but with the emergence of Walker, Granger has now switched to a hybrid WR/TE position where he can still take advantage of his athleticism. Both have found the endzone this year and continue to contribute offensively.
"It makes my life a lot easier to have so many weapons on offense," Walker said. "It definitely has taken a lot of pressure off me because the more plays they make, the more they make the team and myself look good."
When Head Coach Matt Rhule was hired in December of 2012, the new look Temple Owl's offense took a sharp turn on Broad Street heading towards 10th and Diamond at a fast and furious speed. Rhule and Offensive Coordinator Marcus Satterfield would breathe new life into the Owls offense, introducing a pro-spread, which is a drastic change from the power running game Temple has showcased in recent years.
In Temple's last two seasons, the offense averaged 201.2 yards rushing per game in 2012 and 256.5 yards rushing per game in 2011. This is in comparison to 120.8 yards passing per game in 2012 and 126.8 yards passing per game in 2011.
Right away the difference in offensive philosophies was noticed in camp as there was a three-way quarterback battle, and the quarterbacks were going to be heavily relied on to throw the ball multiple times a game as well as have the ability to break the pocket and run. The three quarterbacks (Clinton "Juice" Granger, Connor Reilly and P.J. Walker) were taking snaps in the shotgun formation and spreading the ball around, utilizing a multitude of weapons in the newly formed offense.
By mid-season P.J. Walker emerged as the signal caller for the Owls. He has sparked the offense into hitting new heights since taking over against Louisville and starting every game from that point on. Since the game in Cincinnati, the offense is averaging 413 yards a game, which would rank Temple 63rd nationally in Total Offense, and show a jump from 85th (380.3 yards) overall for the entire season.
"My favorite part about this offense is the aggressiveness of it," Walker said. "I love the way coach [Satterfield] attacks the game, and I feel like it rubs off on me when I am out there playing."
Walker, who with four starts has seen only five true freshman quarterbacks in the nation start more this year under center, has shown that Temple has a dual-threat quarterback to build around for its promising future. The Newark Star-Ledger's High School Football Player of the Year in 2012 has dazzled with his rocket arm and the decision making tendencies of a quarterback with a wealth of experience.
"It's very exciting to be able to be able to get the ball to playmakers and just watch them make plays, I'm fortunate that I am surrounded by so many gifted athletes on this team."
Since his first career start under the lights on a prime-time nationally televised game on ESPN against Cincinnati, Walker has averaged almost 225 yards passing including averaging three touchdowns a game to go along with a 65 percent completion rate (69-106) and only four interceptions.
Walker will be the first to admit he is not the only one responsible for the offense soaring to new heights. Rhule and Satterfield have surrounded their play-making quarterback with a myriad of weapons at his disposal. Ten different Owls have scored touchdowns this season, including seven who have scored multiple touchdowns over the course of the year.
The workhorse for the Temple offense is junior running back Kenneth Harper. Harper leads the team with 11 overall touchdowns. (nine rushing, two receiving). Harper is having his breakout year with the team after having to watch Bernard Pierce, Montel Harris and Matt Brown tear through the Temple record books his first two years on campus.
"This offense keeps defense's on its toes; you don't know what we are going to do or who we are going to go to next," Harper said. "I really believe we can make our way up and down the field at will when this offense is clicking."
In his third year with the Owls, Harper leads the team with 102 carries for 463 yards, accounting for an average of 51.4 yards per game. He is also a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball, where he has 18 receptions for 181 yards and back-to-back weeks with a TD grab.
"I like being able to showcase my ability to catch the ball out of the backfield," Harper said. "It's exciting, and adds another dimension that opposing defenses have to worry about."
Providing a 1-2 punch in the backfield for the Owls is the highly regarded freshman running back Zaire Williams. Williams, who Satterfield said reminds him of the great Eric Dickerson with his powerful running style, has taken advantage of the playing time granted to him in his early collegiate days. The newcomer to Broad Street has wisely formed a tight-knit relationship with Harper, as well as fellow backfield mate Jamie Gilmore, to where they all can be seen dissecting defenses together and sharing strategies with one another.
On the season Williams has carried the ball 91 times for a team leading 486 yards, including the season long run of 50 yards against SMU. He had his best game of the season in the win against Army where he ran 19 times for 94 yards and a score. Williams, like Harper, is also showing opposing defenses that he is a threat to catch the ball. He has 10 receptions for 125 yards this season.
Harper and Williams combined have totaled 1,255 yards of all-purpose yards this season, producing almost 140 yards per game for the Owls offense.
Smart quarterback play and establishing the running game has proved effective, as opposing defenses have had to respect the running game. The results are open passing lanes that allow Walker to highlight his scope of targets on the outside.
Leading the Owls receiving core is walk-on turned senior captain and one of the nine toughest guys on the team: Ryan Alderman. The 5-9 175 pound receiver from Downingtown, Pa., may not seem to have the ideal size to be a leading receiver, but he has a heart the size of a heavyweight champ with his back against the ropes.
He has appeared in 45 games for the Cherry and White, the most of anyone on the roster, and this season has 28 receptions for 385 yards including two touchdowns. His career long is a 51-yard TD pass from Connor Reilly against Idaho, and also was the first career score for the 5th year graduate student.
Jalen Fitzpatrick is the dynamic "do it all" playmaker for Temple. Originally a high school quarterback from Harrisburg, Pa., Fitzpatrick came to the Owls and understood the best way to contribute would be as a receiver. He has thrived under the new pro-spread offense and is having a career year.
Currently he has 29 receptions for 328 yards including three touchdowns. His best game of the season was against Army where he had four catches for 128 yards and one touchdown. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. As an encore to his Army performance, Fitzpatrick took an end-around from quarterback P.J. Walker against SMU and connected with fellow wideout Robby Anderson for an 83-yard touchdown. It was the third longest passing play in Temple history.
The home-run hitter for the Owls is redshirt sophomore Robby Anderson. Anderson leads the Owls in receiving yards, accumulating 430 yards on 23 catches and has done so in only seven games.
Anderson cemented his name into the Temple record books against SMU when he set the single game receiving yards record with 239 yards on nine receptions. He also had two touchdowns that game, the first being his first career score, and was on the receiving end of Fitzpatrick's 83-yard TD toss.
Representing everything that Coach Rhule and his tough guy mantra entail is receiver John Christopher. With a team first attitude, Christopher is willing to do it all in order to come out with a victory. A sophomore from Ormond Beach, Fla., Christopher has established himself as one of the toughest guys on team, represented by his wearing of a number one through nine jersey.
On the year, Christopher has 18 catches for 196 yards. He had back-to-back games with a touchdown against Army and SMU, and in the latter made an incredible acrobatic catch that was featured on SportsCenter's widely popular "Top 10 Plays of the Day."
Two upperclassman who stand out as team first guys and have demonstrated the willingness to make sacrifices and not let their ego's affect team spirit are Chris Coyer and Juice Granger.
Granger and Coyer are both graduate students who formerly played the quarterback position. Coyer, who led the team to a New Mexico Bowl win and MVP of the game honors for himself, added 20 pounds in the offseason to make the switch to H-back. Granger was in a competitive quarterback battle all through the summer, but with the emergence of Walker, Granger has now switched to a hybrid WR/TE position where he can still take advantage of his athleticism. Both have found the endzone this year and continue to contribute offensively.
"It makes my life a lot easier to have so many weapons on offense," Walker said. "It definitely has taken a lot of pressure off me because the more plays they make, the more they make the team and myself look good."
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