Temple University Athletics
OWLS TAKE FLIGHT FOR BLACKSBURG, VA TO MEET THE NO. 3-RANKED HOKIES
10.21.02 | Football
Temple (3-4, 1-1) is coming off a 38-24 victory at UConn last Saturday. Senior RB Tanardo Sharps gained a career-high 223 yards on a career-high 35 carries and senior DT Dan Klecko tied a school record with four sacks. Sharps' 223 rushing yards were the third most in Temple history, behind current TU sideline reporter Paul Palmer and Zachary Dixon (241 yards) and the most since Palmer gained a school-record 281 yards on 28 carries against William & Mary in 1985. Sharps now has 14 career 100-yard games. The Owls are 10-4 in those contests. Klecko's four sacks tied the single-game record set by LB Decara Burgess versus Pittsburgh in 1997. Klecko also had a career-high 12 tackles (seven solo) and a career-high five tackles for losses (for 39 yards). He had 18 more yards in TFLs than UConn had in total rushing yards (21 total net rushing yards).
The Owls led from the opening kickoff to the final gun as junior Makonnen Fenton returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a TD for the second time in as many years against the Huskies. Temple built a 30-10 fourth quarter lead before UConn made things interesting by reducing difference to 30-24 with 9:06 remaining. A 26-yard Sharps' TD run, capping an 80 yard drive consisting of six Sharps runs, closed out the scoring. Sharps currently ranks ninth nationally with 125.29 rushing YPG.
On Monday, Klecko and Fenton were named the Big East's Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively, for their performances.
The Big East's Offensive Player of the Week honor went to Virginia Tech (7-0, 2-0) RB Lee Suggs, who had a career-high 197 yards and two TDs in Tech's 35-14 win over Rutgers on Saturday. Suggs has scored TDs in 20 straight games. Suggs and fellow RB Kevin Jones have combined for 627 rushing yards in the teams last two games. Tech leads the Big East in scoring defense, turnover margin, rushing defense, opponent first downs, sacks and fourth down conversions.
