Walker and Thomas Look To Continue Shared Success

PHILADELPHIA - Quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas are no strangers to sharing accolades on the gridiron. As seniors at Elizabeth High School in New Jersey, they led the Minutemen to a 13-0 record and the North II Group 5 sectional title. They led an offense that racked up an astounding 493 points, more than tripling opponents' scoring.

Three years later, the two find themselves in a similar position to impact a program and play into the postseason. Walker returns as starting quarterback for the Temple Owls and has Thomas with him in the backfield. Both contributed to the 2014 season that saw the team improve to 6-6 become bowl-eligible. Neither is satisfied with that result. Both enter with a better understanding of the offense and a desire to add another championship to their shared resume.

Walker begins 2015 as the veteran leader of the offense after making all 12 starts under center in 2014. He passed for 2,315 yards and 13 TDs, one of which was a 20-yard pass play to Thomas that sealed the victory over Tulsa. Thomas led the team in rushing, just beating out his high school classmate for the honor, on his way to eclipsing 1,000 all-purpose yards. In the offseason, their friendship and competitive spirit helped in the strength and conditioning programs. "I see him working out as hard as he can; I work out as hard as I can… I feed off his energy," said Walker of his backfield partner. Thomas noted that connection helps the two maintain a high level of performance: "We know each other well. We know when each one of us is playing the way we're capable of, we just talk to each other and compete."

The two friends from North Jersey enter 2015 with an experienced offense that looks to improve and draw some attention in a loaded American Athletic Conference. This past week saw two big additions, in Adonis Jennings' successful transfer to Temple from Pitt and 2013 standout Robby Anderson earn academic reinstatement after successful summer classes. Walker is excited about the possibilities the pair of 6'3 wideouts bring. Walker hopes they can "take the top off the defense" but knows the team needs to run the ball to avoid becoming "one-dimensional."

Thomas sees similar advantages in adding to the wide receiving corps. "It does a lot to open up the run game." Lining up two deep ball threats not only keeps the secondary from creeping into the box on run plays, it will also open up room for the explosive Thomas on pass plays, who averaged 26 yards per catch in 2014. He also points to the returning members of the offensive line affording Walker more time to unleash those deep balls to challenge defensive backs.

Expectations are high for the Owls team in addition to their two offensive playmakers. Walker earned a spot on the Manning Award watch list reserved for the top quarterbacks in the nation, while Thomas made the Doak Walker Award watch list honoring the nation's best runners. The top goal remains the conference championship, raising that trophy on December 5^th. Led by two guys with a track record for success, things are looking good for the American's football championship to land on North Broad.

Walker and Thomas Look To Continue Shared Success

Players Mentioned

Robby Anderson

Adonis Jennings

Jahad Thomas

Phillip Walker

Temple University Athletics