DRIPPING IN sweat, Temple's reserve quarterback walked off the Owls' practice turf on Monday after a steamy morning under the North Philadelphia sun. After stripping off his helmet, cleats and pads, he let out an exhaustive sigh.

"This is a little different than baseball," he said, laughing. "It's a lot of fun being out here, though."

Meet Connor Reilly, Temple's only dual-sport male athlete. In the first week of training camp, Reilly, a 20-year-old sophomore, is trying to work his way up the depth chart at quarterback. He is currently battling for the No. 3 position behind starter Chris Coyer and backup Clinton Granger.

If Reilly seems particularly overwhelmed compared to his competition, it's probably because he is. In a coup for the program, Steve Addazio brought newcomers Kevin Rogers (quarterbacks) and Ryan Day (wide receivers/offensive coordinator) into the Temple coaching fold this past spring.

But at the time, Reilly was busy patrolling the outfield for the Owls' baseball team, where he hit .263 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 38 starts as a freshman. He has been playing a frantic game of catch-up ever since.

"A lot of the plays are kind of similar to last year's playbook, but I am still getting back into the football mentality," Reilly said. "It's kind of like being a freshman again, in a way."

Reilly's father, Neil, played professional baseball in the Texas Rangers' system in the '80s before an eye injury forced him into retirement. Connor has played baseball all of his life and didn't step on a football field until his sophomore year in high school.

Nevertheless, he was able to get into three games last season after redshirting in 2010 - experiences, he says, that were invaluable to his development. Blessed with a strong arm, Reilly's main focus in this camp, outside of continuing to learn, is working on his mechanics.

"I throw like a baseball player, so I drop the ball," Reilly said. "Coach Rogers and I are working on instead of dropping my arm, bringing it straight back."

When he isn't on the gridiron or on the diamond, Reilly is a proud member of a military family. Shortly after his pro baseball career ended, Neil Reilly joined the Army. Lt. Col. Reilly returned from Afghanistan last September, making it home just in time to see his son's Owls take on Penn State at the Linc.

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The busy life of Temple football player Connor Reilly