Following Evan Simon’s first career start in a Temple uniform last week, head coach Stan Drayton spoke of the “moxie and presence” his backup quarterback had under center. Simon gave the Owls a breath of fresh air against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 14, with 185 yards and two touchdowns through the air and Temple was one drive away from potentially tying the game.
Simon filled in for then-starter Forrest Brock, who injured his wrist in a 38-11 loss to Navy on Sept. 7. While the performance boosted the offense, Drayton remained mum on whether Simon secured the job for good, instead re-opening the battle heading into Temple’s game against Utah State.
Brock suited up for Temple’s (1-3, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) game against Utah State (1-3, 0-0 Mountain West Conference) as he did against the Chanticleers. Just like the week prior, he didn’t throw during pregame warmups and Simon got the start instead. This time, Simon might have shut the door on who the starting quarterback is for the rest of the season.
The game became the Evan Simon show, as he finished with 271 yards and five passing touchdowns on 17-27 passing after a slow start, dicing up the Aggies’ defense. His day led Temple to a 45-29 victory, their first of the season.
“There is no one that is strong-willed more so than that young man right there,” Drayton said. “You can look at all the measurables and athletic attributes but somebody needs to open that kid’s chest up and look at his heart. It’s as big as this stadium and he’s as tough as nails.”
It has been Simon’s poise and moxie when the team is behind that has given him the edge against Brock, Drayton said. The win also gave him his first as a starter since he came to Lincoln Financial Field as Rutgers’ starting quarterback on Sept. 17, 2022.
The offense began to hit its stride following a scoreless first quarter where Simon went 1-6 passing and the offense had just 27 yards. The Owls were in a 14-point hole and had three drives begin at their goal line before starting to pillage down the field.
With a minute to go before halftime, Simon dropped back to pass and was immediately pressured. Simon never wavered, instead finding running back Antwain Littleton who strolled into the endzone to tie the game.
“I’m proud of this football team,” Simon said. “We’ve battled a lot of adversity at the beginning of the game and the leadership on this team took over.”
The biggest game changer was in the third quarter when Simon delivered a 91-yard rocket to receiver Dante Wright, who dashed past every Aggie in sight to take the first lead of the game — and season. The floodgates were opened and Simon led scoring drives on the three ensuing drives to put the nail in the coffin.
“They were playing robber coverage,” Wright said. “They were gonna just double the two inside guys. So I just flipped those guys and after I get past them I’m there [in the endzone].”
In Simon’s two starts, he has turned an offense that was dead in the water into a unit full of life. Brock led the Owls to just 14 points in two games and never scored a touchdown in the first half. Simon has now scored 65 points in his two games under center and the Owls have been operating in a second gear.
“I love touchdowns,” Drayton said. I’m not real picky about how we get them. It’s good to be able to be multi-dimensional. Six different people scored [Saturday]. That’s saying a lot about our quarterback, distributing the ball in the right spots for the right cause”
While the argument can be made Simon’s performances came against weaker defenses, the Owls look completely different when the former Rutgers quarterback is taking charge. Temple looks comfortable taking shots downfield and throwing the ball deep. On two of his passing touchdowns, he was able to put the ball where only his receivers would be able to snatch it out of the air.
Drayton is still non-committal on announcing whether or not Simon earned the starting job but said that Brock “has his work cut out for him”. The locker room has rallied behind the transfer quarterback, and the starting job should be his to lose until his play says otherwise.
“[Simon is] exactly what we need right now,” Drayton said.
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