Temple head coach Stan Drayton spoke with reporters during his weekly Monday press conference at Edberg-Olson Hall to wrap up conversation about Saturday’s 16-14 loss to Rutgers and talk about Saturday’s upcoming home game against UMass.
True Freshman E.J. Warner in his first career start went 19 for 32 for 215 yards with a touchdown and interception in the loss to Rutgers. He remains atop the depth chart this week, as Drayton said former starter D’Wan Mathis is now getting some reps at wide receiver during practice.
“He’s a tremendous athlete that can do a lot for this offense,” Drayton said. “I mean, obviously, he still has the ability to throw the football. He’s a guy who was a starting quarterback at the start of the season. Obviously there are some guys that have stepped up in that role, but he has a skill set that we have to find a position for on this football team. So he has a great mindset. He's taken all of this the right way, and he wants to help and we're gonna make sure we use the skills that God has given him to help us win.
In addition to talking about Warner and Mathis, Drayton talked about his defense, one that did not allow an offensive touchdown to Rutgers, as well as a “scrappy” UMass team that beat Stony Brook 20-3 Saturday.
You can listen to Drayton’s Monday interview here and read some excerpts from it below.
Drayton on EJ Warner’s mentality and improvement:
“He’s very mature. He is a film rat, loves the game of football. He puts the time in, the investment in, in the film room. I’m learning that he is a little bit of a quiet leader, too. He’s not just going in there and watching film by himself. He goes in there and sits down, and one day I walk in, there’s a bunch of receivers, a bunch of o-linemen, just standing around this kid, and they’re just talking ball. And those are really unique signs that you’re going to get with a freshman. Those are things you expect from your quarterback, right? But those are very unique things to see this early in E.J. But E.J. is creating his own narrative. Yes, his father (Hall of Famer Kurt Warner) was a great player, and I’m sure he instilled some football IQ in him, but E.J. is writing his own story right now, and we’re very happy to have him.”
Drayton on the improvement of the defense:
“They're buying into the system. They know what they're doing. They're feeding off each other. Great energy, gray swarm to the football, tackling. Just a lot of confidence that's being built on that side of the football. I think that's putting them in great position to make plays as a defender. That's something that we harp on, but I’d like to see a lot more takeaways to really add to their game. But just the energy and the swarm and the camaraderie that they have amongst each other, and they're feeding off of each other, it’s really allowed them to play at a high level.”
Drayton on Layton Jordan:
“The best thing that he is doing is he’s buying into the system, He’s not making mistakes. He’s a system-fit athlete. What he is doing individually are the things that we expect him to do. He’s a very wiry guy. He is hard to block in pass-rush situations. He’s tough to deal with. He’s also dropping back in coverage and takes on pullers and doing everything that defensive end/outside linebackers are asked to do. So he’s playing mistake-free football right now, and those are the things that will allow him to continue to use his skillset to the best of his ability. So he’s just bought into the system and doing a great job fitting the system.”
Drayton on UMass:
“They’re a scrappy unit. They play with a lot of passion. Defensively, very physical and they give multiple looks. You’re going to go from four down (linemen) to three down (linemen.) They have a very extensive blitz package that we need to prepare for, and we’ve really got to be locked in and be disciplined with our eyes at quarterback. The offensive line’s got to be locked in. We’ve got to play as a cohesive unit offensive against UMass offensively. Defensively, they have a quarterback (Gino Campiotti) who can throw it. He throws on time, and he’s got receivers who are making good plays for him out there. The offensive line is a very physical group. They’re very good with their hands. And particularly their left guard (Cole Garcia) is a very good position blocker. If he gets locked in on you, a lot of people have a tough time getting off him. And they have the ability to run the football. They run it about 72 percent of the time. And they’ve got a really good running back who if he gets his momentum going, he is tough to bring down on first contact. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
