OFFENSE STRUGGLES IN 16-6 LOSS AT RUTGERS

PISCATAWAY, NJ -- The Temple defense did its job Saturday afternoon at Rutgers Stadium, forcing five turnovers and holding Rutgers out of the end zone until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.  It was not enough, however, as the Owl offense turned the ball over four times and failed to find the end zone in a 16-6 loss to the host Scarlet Knights.  Temple falls to 1-6 overall and 0-2 in Big East play while Rutgers celebrated its Homecoming festivities by improving to 4-2, 1-1.

In a game that neither team seemed to want to win, the Owls were in position to pick up their first Big East victory of the season.  With the score tied at 6-6 early in the fourth quarter, Rian "Goo" Wallace made a diving interception of a Ryan Hart pass at the Temple 26 yard-line.  After Tim Brown rushed 23 yards to the Rutgers 48, a Walter Washington pass bounced off the hands of Jamel Harris and into the outstretched arms of Ron Girault. 

Hart, the reigning Big East Player of the Week, had struggled all day, but the junior quarterback answered the bell when it mattered.  On a second down play, he hit Brian Leonard on a screen pass that went for 55 yards to the Temple 13.  Senior safety Lawrence Wade made a big pass break-up on third-and-three to hold the Scarlet Knights to a Jeremy Ito 24-yard field goal.  That made the score, 9-6, with 5:23 remaining.

The Owls then committed their fourth and final turnover.  This one came on a third down run by Washington, his second fumble lost of the day.

Hart, who threw a season-high three interceptions, finally connected with Willie Foster for an 8-yard TD, giving Rutgers a 16-6 lead with 2:55 on the clock. 

Temple did not give up as Washington marched the Owls all the way down to the Rutgers 13.  Head coach Bobby Wallace elected to go for a 30-yard field goal attempt with 1:11 remaining, but junior Ryan Lux failed on the attempt, ending the Owls' chances.

The first quarter was not one to put in a time capsule, unless it was never to be opened.  It featured more turnovers (four) than first downs (two -- both by Temple), and just 63 yards of total offense -- combined. 

The Owls squandered two scoring chances in the opening quarter.  First Washington fumbled on the Rutgers 25 on a second down play.  Then normally reliable holder Mike McLaughlin mishandled the snap on what would have been a 40-yard field goal attempt.  Washington also was intercepted by Derrick Roberson on a third-14 play from the RU 37.

The Owls finally were able to put points on the board with a 37-yard Lux field goal for a 3-0 lead with 12 minute to play in the half. 

Following a 36-yard Foster kickoff return, Hart connected with Tres Moses for a 26-yard pass play.  It was the Scarlet Knights initial first down of the contest and gave RU the ball at the Temple 29.  The Owls defense again held and Ito connected on a 43-yarder to tie the game at 3-3.  That would be all for the scoring in the half.

A turning point in the contest came on Rutgers first possession of the second half.  With third-and-three at the Temple 33, Hart lofted a pass to Clark Harris.  Junior cornerback Andrew Turner made a nice play to break-up a long gain, but was whistled for pass interference.  Wallace and his staff vehemently protested the call to no avail.

Following the penalty, the Owls defense again held Rutgers to an Ito field goal, this one coming from 27 yards to give Rutgers a 6-3 lead with 9:05 to play in the third quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Washington completed long passes to Harris (19 yds) and Phil Goodman (32 yds) on a drive that reached the Rutgers 16.  Then Temple started moving backwards due to penalties.  The Owls were called on a holding penalty and then a personal foul to set up a third-annd-40 at the RU 46.  Washington, who completed 21-of-39 passes for 219 yards, was then sacked, one of six on the day for the RU defense, to end the drive.

Temple had an opportunity to tie it on its next possession as Washington found Goodman (three catches, 71 yards) for another big gain, this time a 36-yard completion on a third-and-six play to give the Owls a first down on the Rutgers 22.  That set up a Lux 32-yard attempt that went wide right just before the quarter ended.

Turner, who was one of the Owls many defensive standouts, picked off the first pass of his career on the last play of the quarter.  That started the drive that would lead to Lux's 38-yard tying field goal.  Tim Brown had the big play in the drive, with a season-best 27-yard rush.  Washington also hit Harris, who had four catches for 67 yards, on a 17-yard pass play.

The two teams then traded turnovers.  Wallace, who led both teams with 14 tackles (nien solo), picked off his first pass of the season, second of his career.  Washington then had his second pass picked off, which led to Ito's third field goal. 

Besides Wallace and Turner, senior Sadeke Konte had a strong defensive game for the Cherry and White.  He made six solo tackles, including an 11-yard sack and the first interception of his career.  Junior Jermaine Hargraves picked up his first career interception and fumble recovery to go along with his four solo tackles.

Junior Jake Hendy had a career day as well punting the ball.  He punted five times for 179 yards and a 35.8 average.  He had a career-long 51-yarder, the longest punt this season by an Owl, and one of his punts was downed by Turner on the Rutgers one yard-line.

The Owls will next travel to Connecticut for their first Big East meeting with the Huskies on Saturday, October 23 (12 noon). The game will not be televised.

Stat of the Game:

The longest drive of the game for either team in terms of both yards and plays was a 10-play, 67-yard Temple drive that resulted in a missed 30-yard field goal by the Owls late in the fourth quarter.

Temple Game Notables:

Temple's four interceptions are a season high and the most for the Owls under the direction of head coach Bobby Wallace (1998-present). The Owls made three picks in a game twice under Wallace during the 2001 season (Toledo, Rutgers).
It marked the first time in 27 games that the Owls were held without a touchdown under Wallace. The last time Temple did not enter the end zone in a game was a 35-3 loss to Oregon State at Franklin Field in 2002.
Temple lost the game despite holding the advantage in  first downs (17-10), yards rushing (141-90), yards passing (219-193), total yards (360-283), total offensive plays (80-63), interceptions (4-2), and possession time (32:40-27:20). 
Redshirt sophomore WR Jamel Harris had a career-high four catches for a career-best 67 yards.
Redshirt junior linebacker Rian Wallace's fourth quarter interception was the second of his career (at UConn, 2002). He also made a game and season high 14 tackles (nine solo).
First-year junior cornerback Andrew Turner's interception on the last play of the third quarter was the first of his career.
First-year junior cornerback Jermaine Hargraves' second quarter interception was the first of his career. It set up a 37-yard Ryan Lux field goal to give the Owls a 3-0 lead. Hargraves also made his first career fumble recovery in the opening stanza.
Second-year senior owl safety Sadeke Konte's first quarter interception marked the first of his career. Konte also had an 11-yard sack in the third quarter.
First-year junior running back Tim Brown's 27-yard rush on the first play of the fourth quarter is the longest of his career.
First-year junior Jake Hendy saw the most extensive action of his career, punting five times for 179 yards (35.8 avg.), including a long of 51 yards and one downed inside the 20 at the one yard-line. The 51-yarder is the longest punt for Temple this season.
Sophomore wide receiver Michael Loveland started at X-WR to mark his first career start.

Temple University Athletics

OFFENSE STRUGGLES IN 16-6 LOSS AT RUTGERS

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