Owls can credit new QB P.J. Walker for sparking offense

Source: Philadelphia Daily NewsOct.mini storage 25--IN ITS FIRST five games, Temple scored 29 first-half points.The Owls have 46 in the last two, since true freshman P.J. Walker became their starting quarterback.Saturday against Army -- in their first win since beating the same Cadets 11 months ago -- the Owls (1-6, 0-3 AAC) scored on their opening drive for the first time this season. And they didn't have a penalty on that possession, another first.The next step takes them to SMU (2-4, 1-1) tomorrow."I felt like we were finally able to get out of our own way," first-year coach Matt Rhule said. "Credit goes to P.J., but it goes to everybody. I think our energy has really been there the last 2 weeks. We're playing well early. Now we have to play a complete game."We're coaching him like he's a junior. I think that's one important thing to say. We're letting him go. He needs to experience that, because there's going to be times when we need him to win it [late]. At the end of the day, people feed off the quarterback."He doesn't just play well, he plays with energy. When he makes a mistake, he learns from it right away. The guys are excited."Walker, who started his first year at Elizabeth (N.J.) High, only figures to get more and more comfortable with time."I think the players are starting to believe in me," he said. "They want the ball in my hands, pretty much. They're helping me a lot to build my confidence."Mistakes are part of the game. They're something that you have to overcome. We know we can go out and win. But we still have to get better."Temple at SMUTomorrow, 3 p.m., Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas TV: ESPN3. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM)Records: Temple 1-6, 0-3 AAC; SMU 2-4, 1-1History: Third meeting, first since 1946. First two ended in ties.About Temple: Owls got coach Matt Rhule his first win, 33-14, over Army at the Linc...Had first two interceptions of season, first defensive TD (Nate D. Smith fumble return) in 3 years and first 100-yard receiver (Jalen Fitzpatrick) in 3 years...True freshman P.J. Walker is making his third start at QB...Owls have made only one field goal in six tries...Going from defending the option to stopping the pass, which has given them problems...PunterPaul Layton was AAC Special Teams Player of Week...Next week, the Owls are at Rutgers.About SMU: June Jones' Mustangs won at Memphis, 34-29. They led by 31 late in third quarter, and gave up two TDs on fumble returns...Lost to Texas Tech, TCU and Texas A&M from Big 12 (and Rutgers in OT)... Garrett Gilbert, who played for Texas in a BCS title game, completes 34 passes a game for 349 yards. Jeremy Johnson and Darius Joseph are among national leaders in receptions...They give up 40.8 points a game...Chase Hover has made 12 of 13 field goals.Villanova: RegroupAndy Talley knows if you coach long enough, you'll have some fantastic wins. And some horrific losses.Sometimes in the span of 2 weeks.Seven days after winning at Towson, which was ranked third in FCS, the Wildcats (4-3, 3-1 CAA) lost at No. 25 New Hampshire by one on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 14 seconds left.Now, having dropped to 18, they host No. 11 Maine (6-1, 3-0), their third straight Top 25 opponent. Next week, they're at No. 19 James Madison.Their other losses were at FBS Boston College and still-unbeaten Fordham, which is No. 9. They've also beaten then-No. 16 Stony Brook and William & Mary, which is receiving votes. Which means their so-called breather was Penn. Yeah, right.Still, nobody feels sorry for them."When you go through that stuff mentally, you ask why I am doing this, I don't need this kind of pain," said Talley, who has injury issues at wide receiver and along the offensive line. "Then you say, we'd better get right quick and move on."This is our defining game if we have any championship qualities. That's what the CAA has become. It's going to be another war. We have to figur儲存 out a way to get it done. If we can't, we'll be like everybody else out there, swinging and hoping for a chance [to get back to the postseason]."In essence, the playoffs are already underway on the Main Line.Villanova vs. MaineTomorrow, 1 p.m., Villanova StadiumTV: None. Radio: CBS Sports (610-AM)Records: Maine 6-1, 3-0 CAA; Villanova 4-3, 3-1History: Tied at 8 apiece. Villanova won last year in Orono, 35-14. Maine won here in 2011, 41-25.About Maine: Black Bears are ranked 11th in FCS. They've won three straight. Last week it was 34-20 over William & Mary ... Lone loss was at Northwestern (35-21)...Get a schedule break in that they don't have to play Towson or James Madison...Marcus Wasilewski is 143-for-211 for 1,726 yards and 14 TDs, with six picks. Wasilewski (4.7-yard average) and Nigel Jones (4.8) are the leading rushers.About Villanova: Wildcats lost at New Hampshire, 29-28, on a two-point conversion with 14 seconds left...This is their third straight game against a ranked opponent. They fell to No. 18 this week... QB John Robertson has been playing at a high level, even though two of his top receivers (Joe Price, Jamal Abdur-Rahman) have been out... Offensive line, which has had injury issues, needs to be more consistent ... This is final home game, since they'll play Delaware at Chester's PPL Park on Nov. 23... Next week they have another easy one at No. 19 James Madison.Penn: PaybackYale (3-2, 1-1 Ivy) has won once in West Philly since 1990. That was in overtime 6 years ago. But last year, the Bulldogs were the only league team the Quakers (3-2, 2-0) didn't beat. Now they get them at Franklin Field, where they've won six straight, including two this season.The other Ivy teams tied for first, Harvard (5-0 overall) and Princeton (4-1), are playing each other. Penn hosts Princeton Nov. 9 before heading to Harvard.The Quakers -- whose losses were both to 4-3 CAA teams -- ran 91 plays in last week's 21-7 win at Columbia, the same number as they had in their four-overtime home win over Dartmouth earlier this month.Junior Connor Loftus made 16 of 25 field goals his first two seasons. This year, he's 3-for-9. Two were blocked. Four of the misses were between 30 and 39 yards, including two last week."We stubbed our toe a little bit there, which is a bit discouraging," coach Al Bagnoli said. "He's in a little bit of a funk. Anybody who deals with kickers knows they're very fragile. I do know that much. He's proven he can do it. We're going to need him."These are the kind of games you need to win, to have the chance to play more meaningful games [later on]."Penn vs. YaleTomorrow, 1 p.m., Franklin FieldTV: None. Radio: WNTP (990-AM)Records: Yale 3-2, 1-1 Ivy; Penn 3-2, 2-0History: Yale leads, 46-33-1. Bulldogs won last year in New Haven, 27-13. Penn has won nine of the last 10 in West Philly.About Yale: Bulldogs lost their last two, last weekat home to unbeaten Fordham, 52-31...They lost at Dartmouth, 20-13. Penn beat Dartmouth at home in four overtimes ...Tyler Varga averages 121 yards a game rushing. Last week, Candler Rich ran for 159 on 11 carries... They've allowed the fewest sacks in the Ivies...Henry Furman has thrown for five TDs and run for six ...Deon Randall has 39 receptions, five for TDs...Has the second-best red-zone defense in FCS.About Penn: Quakers won at Columbia, 21-7, holding Lions to four first downs...Yale was the only Ivy team they lost to last year en route to the title...QB Billy Ragone (ankle) is questionable. Ryan Becker, another fifth-year guy, is quite capable. He had a TD pass last week ...Same five offensive linemen have started every game...They have one Ivy home loss since 2008 ...Usually reliable Connor Loftus missed two short field goals last week.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Philadelphia Daily News Visit the Philadelphia Daily News at .philly.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉