Temple Football Practice Notebook – 8/10

Tagged under: News, Pennsylvania Colleges, Temple

Mike Livingston | August 10, 2026

Week two of fall camp is underway at 10th and Diamond.

Temple practiced Saturday under humid, steamy conditions, but the weather did little to slow the Owls down.

Head coach K.C. Keeler saw plenty of back-and-forth action between the offense and defense, calling it a step forward for a team hoping to make a bowl game this season.

“Today was a good day where I saw some good back-and-forth,” Keeler said. “The offense would make some plays, and the defense would make some plays.”

Tuesday will bring another important checkpoint: Temple’s first practice in full pads.

Smolik Sticks to the Script

Jaxon Smolik spoke Saturday about one of the messages he and the quarterbacks continue to hear from the coaching staff: Take what’s there. That mentality showed up during one of the first team periods.

Smolik found himself under pressure with Quante Gillians closing in. Rather than trying to force something downfield, Smolik escaped the rush and dumped the ball off to Keveun Mason.

Mason took care of the rest. The running back turned upfield, made defenders miss and picked up a sizable gain and a first down. It was a simple play, but exactly the type of decision Smolik discussed earlier in the day.

Clarke Is Still Clarke

Peter Clarke is back for his senior season, and the tight end continues to look like one of the Owls’ most important offensive weapons.

Clarke broke out last season, catching six touchdown passes, and Temple will need similar production from the London native this fall. Saturday provided another glimpse.

Ajani Sheppard found Clarke over the middle with a ball that was placed where only his tight end could make a play. Clarke went up over the defender, twisted his body and came down with the 20-yard reception.

Cunningham Making Life Difficult

Temple’s defensive line has been a consistent talking point throughout the offseason. Saturday was no different.

Sophomore Troy Cunningham showed why he has generated attention up front, bull-rushing his blocker and getting into the quarterback’s lap. The pressure forced the quarterback to speed up his clock and eventually throw the ball away. Cunningham never got home for the sack, but the play still accomplished its purpose.

Corners Answer the Call

Denzel Chavis and Adrian Laing each had their moments later in practice.

Both cornerbacks were isolated in man coverage against the same receiver on separate plays. Both times, the quarterback took a shot toward the far sideline. Both times, Chavis and Laing were in position.

Rather than simply playing through the receiver, each cornerback attacked the catch point, getting a hand through the receiver’s hands to break up what could have been big gains.

Two incompletions. Two reminders that Temple’s secondary isn’t going to make things easy. Now comes the physical test.

With full pads coming tomorrow, the Owls will get their first chance to see which of Monday’s flashes translate when the hitting gets a little more real.

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