After making his collegiate debut late in the third quarter against Toledo in a 33-7 loss last Saturday, Temple football freshman quarterback, Mike McGann, will start Saturday against Bowling Green.
“This is a situation I feel Mike has earned by his performances on the practice field,” said Coach Bobby Wallace. “I think his performance on Saturday, under the circumstances, was impressive.”
McGann will replace senior Devin Scott, who holds six Temple passing records. Scott split time with Mike Frost last season. He also started at quarterback during his freshman year, completing 25-of-69 passes for 459 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
“I told [third-string quarterback] Mac [DeVito], Devin and Mike that we’ve been through this before and Devin has handled it well,” Wallace said. “Hopefully [Mike will] play well, I don’t know if he’ll stay healthy or how he’s going to play, so Devin and Mac both have to be ready to play if we go to them.”
McGann, who turns 19 on Saturday, played seven series against Toledo, completing five-of-17 passes for 60 yards and connecting with senior wide receiver Greg Muckerson for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
McGann seemed a little rusty in his debut, but that was expected, it will take him time to get situated with the system. McGann displayed a cannon-like arm in several attempts to go deep against Toledo, but struggled under pressure, leading to two interceptions.
“He rushed things, but I like when he rushes things,” Wallace said. “When he gets his feet set he’s got perfect balance when he delivers the ball. He’ll slow down when he gets experience. There’s no question about his arm to put the football in there.”
McGann’s arm is his best feature. His is the strongest of the three quarterbacks on the roster and will look to exploit Connecticut. The new signal caller should help take some pressure off of tailback Tanardo Sharps by spreading the ball to his wide receivers, notably Sean Dillard, the team’s fastest player.
Dillard was one of Scott’s favorite targets. McGann will look to keep him involved.
“I am pretty comfortable with Mike and I think he’ll get the ball out to me,” Dillard said. “He likes to lead me when he throws the ball because of his arm strength.”
McGann, a Havertown native, attended St. Joseph’s Preparatory School on Girard Avenue. There he was the leader for a team that went 12-1 overall, undefeated in the regular season and earned a berth in the Catholic League Red division championship game.
In his senior year, McGann completed 97 of 221 passes, for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns. McGann was given numerous honors including Prep’s Offensive Player of the Year, a third-team all-state selection by the Sporting News and was ranked amongst the Top 50 players in the state.
McGann has shown the coaching staff that he is the quarterback of the future.
“Mike began to show great talent on the practice field and we’re just trying to get him involved as fast as he can and the best way to do it is to prepare him as a starter,” Wallace said.
Expectations are uncertain, but coming off of a disappointing loss against Toledo, the Owls have plenty to play for. McGann has been chosen to reboot the offense and help put some points on the board.
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