Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Game Preview: temple August. "All the sudden they have to convert one to an H-back and one to a tailback. That tells you where they are as a team with athleticism." The would-be quarterback turned tailback, former Penn State transfer Kevin Newsome, opted to get his diploma this summer and end his football career. So, instead, two weeks into training camp the list of candidates for the starting quarterback job was growing rather than shrinking. Junior Connor Reilly started August as the No. 1 option, but senior Clinton "Juice" Granger and freshman P.J. Walker have caught up and forced Rhule to make a tough decision. Reilly threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns during Temple's spring scrimmage, which quickly vaulted him to the top of the quarterback options. Pompey said the prolific debut of Rhule's new offense may have been as much of a reflection on a secondary still finding its footing as any major step forward made on the offensive side. "It's a continuation of the problem from last year," he said. "If you can throw the ball against them, you'll beat them." Temple's opponents completed 59.9 percent of their attempted passes last season and threw for 21 touchdowns. The Owls' secondary finished 115th nationally in pass efficiency defense. Cornerbacks Anthony Robey and Zamel Johnson are both back this season after starting last year, but both safety spots were vacated. Redshirt fresh- man Nate L. Smith, a Philadelphia native and the top recruit of the 2012 class, is the frontrunner to take over in the middle of the defensive backfield. Smith originally committed to West Virginia before deciding to stick around in his hometown. He's not to be confused with Nate D. Smith, a sophomore linebacker who made 75 tackles last season as part of a talented rookie duo. He paired with fellow freshman Tyler Matakevich as the team's top two tacklers last year. Matakevich made 101 stops and won the Big East Freshman of the Year award. "Both of these guys don't pass the eye test, so they didn't receive a lot of recruiting offers, but Tyler is all over the field. I don't understand what people didn't see in him," Pompey said. "He should have another big [year]. He's the best player on the defense." Despite their efforts, the Owls gave up an average of 199.8 yards per game on the ground. They could be fighting another uphill battle this year, and especially at Notre Dame, if Temple doesn't find a little more strength on the defensive line in its fall camp. Rhule's job gets a little bit more manageable after facing the national runner-up Irish to start the season, with games against Houston, Fordham and Idaho coming in September. Managing expectations, though, is a top priority for the energetic new head coach as he begins the tedious process of reconstructing the program he helped return from rubble once before. ✦