Temple Football

Temple quarterback E.J. Warner, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner, will reportedly make his first college start Saturday against Rutgers.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Warner will replace D'Wan Mathis, who was benched after losing two fumbles during last week's 30-14 win over Lafayette.

Warner, a true freshman, excelled in relief of Mathis against the Leopards. He completed 14 of his 19 throws for 173 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

"The way he handled the pressure ... he didn't flinch," Owls head coach Stan Drayton told reporters Monday. "He went out there and executed the offense, didn't try to step outside himself, went out there and put the ball where it needed to be."

Brenda Warner, the quarterback's mom, said the change atop the depth chart was made Monday, though it wasn't publicly announced at the time:

The 6'0", 190-pound signal-caller didn't generate a ton of interest coming out of Brophy College Preparatory in Arizona. He was a 3-star prospect and the No. 117-rated QB in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

He chose Temple over Colorado State, Connecticut, Hawaii and Marshall, among others.

"We loved the city and we thought it was the place I could go with high-level football in a good conference, with a good offense, that I could fit into," Warner told Ryan Wallen of OwlsDaily after his commitment in January.

His first starting test will be a tricky one as he leads Temple against Rutgers, which is 2-0 after wins over Boston College and Wagner.

The Scarlet Knights have allowed just 28 points and 457 total yards while forcing five turnovers through their first two contests.

Temple is 1-1 after dropping its opener against Duke, 30-0.

Quarterback Elijah "EJ" Warner announced Wednesday he's committed to play college football at Temple as part of the Owls' 2022 recruiting class.

Warner, the son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, is rated as a 3-star prospect by 247Sports coming out of Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix.

Brophy head football coach Jason Jewell told Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic the signal-caller is ready to conquer the challenges of college football.

"EJ is one of the sharpest and smartest football players I have ever been around," Jewell said. "He absolutely loves football and is a student of the game."

Warner held scholarship offers from several other programs, including Colorado State, Hawai'i, Marshall and UConn, before choosing Temple, per 247Sports.

Jewell explained to Obert the Broncos "asked him to do a ton" in their offense and he rose to the occasion.

"He was our point guard. Got us in the right plays and protections," Jewell said. "So happy that he landed at Temple. No doubt in my mind that he has the intelligence, quick release and arm strength to be a good football player for them."

Warner is a bit undersized (5'11'', 185 pounds) but has otherwise displayed impressive arm talent and a high football IQ. He could immediately compete for the Owls' backup quarterback role behind D'Wan Mathis after the transfer of Justin Lynch to Northern Illinois.

The elder Warner took a unique path to NFL stardom, famously spending time working at a grocery store and playing in the Arena Football League before finally getting a chance to shine leading the St. Louis Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" offense to the Super Bowl XXXIV title at the end of the 1999 season and winning the game's MVP.

The 50-year-old was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2017 and a movie about his journey, American Underdog, was released in December.

Now his son will continue writing his own football story at Temple beginning next season.

Thursday night's scheduled college football game between Rutgers and Temple in Piscataway, New Jersey, has been moved to Saturday because of flooding caused by Hurricane Ida, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported the game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET.

NJ.com's Keith Sargeant first reported the game was in jeopardy because of "growing concern" about whether roads will be passable enough for fans to attend the game should it happen.

In a statement, Piscataway Township officials recommended the game be played without fans if it occurs:

"While Piscataway is a strong supporter of Rutgers University and fervent fans of Rutgers Football, if the Rutgers-Temple football game is still going to take place this evening, the Township is calling on the University to do so without fans. Township infrastructure is overwhelmed by the damage of Hurricane Ida and evacuations are still taking place this morning. Most importantly, search and rescue operations are ongoing. Piscataway Public Works and our first responders worked through the night to help residents and significant work continues today. Roadways in the Township cannot handle an influx of tens of thousands of people coming to the football game especially with the closure of Landing Lane Bridge."

Per Sargeant, Rutgers was expecting a sell-out crowd of over 50,000 fans for Thursday's game, and it's unclear if fans will be able to attend the rescheduled game Saturday. 

According to Sargeant, figures from the National Weather Service and Rutgers NJ Weather Network show that 6.53 inches of rain fell Wednesday in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

It was also noted by Sargeant that flooding of the Raritan River has led to the closure of some major roadways.

Additionally, CNN's Jennifer Gray, Brandon Miller and Taylor Ward reported that Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in New Jersey.

Led by head coach Greg Schiano, Rutgers is looking to finish with a winning record in football for the first time since 2014.

With Schiano back last season for the first time since leaving after the 2011 campaign, the Scarlet Knights went 3-6, which was a step in the right direction after winning a total of three games in the previous two seasons combined.

Meanwhile, Temple is coming off a 1-6 season after finishing .500 or better in each of the previous six seasons, including 10-win campaigns in 2015 and 2016.

Per Action Network, the Scarlet Knights are 14.5-point favorites over the Owls should the game go ahead as scheduled.