Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE FOOTBALL FALLS TO CINCINNATI, 30-24, IN THREE OVERTIMES
9.20.03 | Football
Both teams missed field goals in each of the first two extra periods. First Owl kicker Jared Davis was wide left from 37 yards. Then Chet Ervin had his 38-yard attempt blocked by Temple owl safety Lawrence Wade. Ervin then hit the left upright on his second overtime attempt while Davis was short from 50 yards.
In the third overtime, junior quarterback Mike McGann, who passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns, completed three straight to give Temple a first down on the Bearcat seven-yard line. But three straight incomplete passes later, Davis took the field and missed wide left from 24 yards out.
For three quarters Temple had its way offensively, but unfortunately there are four quarters in college football. And that fourth quarter was all Cincinnati and its junior quarterback Gino Guidugli.
Trailing 24-10, Guidugli instrumented another brilliant fourth quarter comeback. In the period, he was 4-for-6 for 76 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 46 yards on eight carries. After throwing his first pass of the team's second fourth quarter possession into the arms of Temple defensive tackle Adam Fichter, Guidugli (29-43, 1 TD, 321 yards) hit running back Derrick Eddington on a 56-yard touchdown pass with 11:29 remaining
After the Owls then went three-and-out on their next possession, Guidugli again mounted a quick scoring drive, taking the Bearcats down the field on just four plays with Hall capping the drive with an 11-yard TD run with 8:46 on the clock.
Temple had jumped out of the gates after intermission, as Sadeke Konte recovered fumble forced by Mike Holley on the Bearcats first possession. The Owls marched down the field on the strength of Umar Ferguson's legs (13 carries, 66 yards) and McGann's arm. McGann capped the five-play, 69-yard scoring drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ikey Chuku with 11:52 remaining in the third quarter. It was Chuku's first catch since the 2001 season opener against Navy when he originally injured his knee on a one-yard reception. He missed the last two seasons due to the injury and subsequent surgeries.
The Owls then mounted a 93-yard scoring drive on their next possession as McGann went 4-for-4 through the air with his final completion, a 14-yard scoring drive to Zamir Cobb to put Temple ahead 24-10 with 3:33 left in the quarter.
It was a historic day for the Temple receiving corps as Cobb (9 catches, 120 yards), Phil Goodman (8-129) and Terrence Stubbs (6-123) became the first trio of Owl receivers to garner 100 receiving yards in a game. It also marked the first time since 1994 that two Temple receivers (Cobb and Goodman) had consecutive 100-yard receiving games. Cobb also moved into fifth place on the all-time receiving list at Temple. He now has 114 career receptions.
Temple had little problem in the first half with the Cincinnati defense, ranked nationally coming into the game in yards allowed (223 ypg.). The Owls amassed 296 of their 522 totals yards over the first 30 minutes as the quarterback tandem of McGann and sophomore Walter Washington accounted for 233 yards through the air.
Penalties, however, proved to be costly for the Owls attack as the team was hit with four offside calls, two coming on third-and-one situations. Another penalty, an unsportsmanlike call against Goodman in the end zone, helped give Cincinnati excellent field position on its final drive that tied the game at intermission.
The Bearcats opened the scoring on their first possession, capitalizing on McGann's first interception of the season. Guidugli orchestrated an eight-play, 68-yard drive capped by Hall's 12-yard touchdown run with 11:34 remaining in the opening quarter. Guidugli connected on four-of-five passes on the drive for 51 yards with a key 24-yard pass play to Hall on third-and-four from the Owl 44-yard-line to keep the drive alive.
Temple tied the game on a nine-yard touchdown run by Ferguson. Making his first career appearance in the Owl backfield, Ferguson carried nine yards up the middle for his first career touchdown with 3:32 left in the first quarter. A contributor on special teams in Temple's first two games, Ferguson rushed three times for 16 yards during Temple's 10-play, 59-yard drive. McGann also connected with Cobb on a critical fourth-and-five play from the UC 36-yard line on the drive and then ran 10 yards on the next play to set up a first down on the Bearcat 15-yard line.
On Temple's next possession, McGann hit Goodman for a 55-yard completion and a first down on the Cincinnati 14-yard line. Three plays later, McGann's pass to Stubbs in end zone went just off the senior wideout's outstretched hands. Davis's field goal attempt was then blocked by the Bearcats Andre Frasier as the UC defensive end came through the middle untouched.
The Owls came up big defensively on the Bearcats next possession, as Troy Bennett and Luis Lumpris stopped Eddington on a fourth down carry on the Temple 12-yard line for no gain.
Owl coach Bobby Wallace inserted Washington to run the Temple attack on the next series. Utilized more for his running ability in the Owls first two games, Washington burned UC with his arm, hitting Stubbs on a 71-yard pass play to the Bearcat seven-yard line. It was the 13th longest pass play in Temple history.
After Washington was sacked for an 11-yard loss, McGann came in and used his legs instead of his arm to gain 12 yards to the Cincinnati five, setting up a 22-yard Davis field goal to put Temple ahead 10-7 with 4:47 to play in the half.
Aided by Goodman's penalty, the Bearcats ended the half with a seven-play, 45-yard drive in the final 39 seconds with Chris Manfredini's 26-yard field goal as time expired knotting the game at 10-10.
Temple (0-3) next plays at Louisville (3-0), which defeated UTEP 42-14, on Saturday, September 27 (3:00 p.m.). Cincinnati upped its record to 3-0 on the season.
