Temple University Athletics
Temple University
CONNECTICUT
Football Moves To 3-0 With 30-16 Win Over Connecticut
9.18.10 | Football, Pierce4Heisman
Win is first over BCS program since 2004 and sets school record for consecutive home wins
PHILADELPHIA - Heisman trophy candidate Bernard Pierce rushed for 169 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Temple to a 30-16 win over visiting Connecticut Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. With the win, the Owls opened the season at 3-0 for the first time since 1979 and set a new school-record with their eighth straight home win. It also marked the first win over a BCS school since a 34-24 victory over Syracuse in 2004.
"It's a big win because we are 3-0, and because it was against a real physical opponent," Temple coach Al Golden said. "An opponent that had gone into South Bend and won, gone to play South Carolina and won. That's the significance of it.
I think we are a Division I team now. I don't know the final count, but I bet we played 56 people in the game. We lost a lot of tough games as we were growing up, (and that was) because of a lot of things. But also (because) we were tired."
The victory did not come easy for the Owls, as Temple trailed 16-14 with under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. UConn RB Jordan Todman, who rushed for a career-high 192 yards on 26 carries, was stopped short on a third down play by senior LB Elijah Joseph. While Joseph, a Hartford, CT native, held Todman, junior DE Adrian Robinson made the play of the day, taking the ball out of Todman's hands and running down the right sideline for a 24-yard touchdown. The Owls two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, making the score 20-16 with 8:28 to play.
"I saw Peanut (Joseph) grab him, and then I saw the ball and it was loose. I ripped it out, and it was Murder She Wrote from there," Robinson said.
Temple's defense, which was strong for most of the game against the Huskie team projected as a Top 25 program by many preseason publications, forced a UConn punt four plays later, and senior PR Delano Green returned it 47 yards to the UConn 4.
Pierce, who rushed for 140 of his season-high 169 yards in the second half, ran it in from two yards out for his career-high tying third TD of the afternoon. That gave Temple a 27-16 lead with 5:54 remaining.
"Bernard started to take over, and I was reluctant to take back" Golden said. "It turned into an in between the tackles game...He took a couple of hits and I am real proud of the way he performed."
Again, the Owls defense shut down the Huskie offense, but Green fumbled the ensuing punt with UConn's Mike Lang recovering at the Temple 29. For the third consecutive series the Cherry and White defense held UConn without a first down and Dave Teggart's 38-yard field goal attempt went wide left.
Pierce broke two long runs, first a 38-yarder to move the ball into Huskie territory and then a 37-yarder which fell one shy of the end zone. The Owls had to settle on a 32-yard field goal by sophomore Brandon McManus, his seventh of the season, to account for the final score.
Connecticut started the game strong, moving the ball down field on the strength of Todman's strong legs, before a holding penalty eventually helped to stall the drive at the Temple 19. Teggart then connected on the first of his three field goals, a 36-yarder, to make it 3-0.
At the end of the quarter, the Owls went to a trick play that backfired. Senior punter Jeff Wathne hit junior DT Muhammed Wilkerson with a lob pass on fourth-and-four, but Wilkerson was pushed out of bounds one yard shy of the first down marker.
Temple's defense held UConn to just three yards on the ensuing possession with senior OLB Amara Kamara stopping senior QB Zach Frazer for no gain on third down. Teggart missed on his 48-yard attempt to keep the score at 3-0.
Then the Owls offense came to life with junior QB Chester Stewart (11-21-0 159 yds, 1 TD) first connecting with junior WR Joe Jones for 33 yards to the Huskie 36. It was one of four grabs for Jones who finished with 73 receiving yards. Two plays later Stewart hooked up with Pierce on a 27-yard touchdown, the sophomore running back's first career TD reception, to make it 7-3.
UConn added a 26-yard field goal on an impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive to end the half.
The second half opened badly for Temple as Todman made an impressive 59-yard TD run, his longest of his career, on the third play from scrimmage, to put the Huskies back on top, 13-7 Pierce then went to work, rushing for 55 yards on seven carries in the Owls' second possession of the quarter, capping it with a one-yard TD run to put Temple back in front, 14-13.
The Huskies answered quickly as Frazer (16-31-0, 150 yds) led his charges into Temple territory on a 16-yard pass play to Michael Smith. That gave UConn a first down at the Temple 36. The Owls defense then forced the Huskies into settling on a 47-yard Teggart field goal, his third of the day, making it 16-14.
The fourth quarter was all Temple, as the Owls ammassed 109 yards of offense and 16 points while holding UConn to a mere 34 yards on 17 plays.
Joseph led the Owls with nine tackles (eight solo) while senior FS Jaiquawn Jarrett (seven tackles) and sophomore FS Justin Gildea each added six solos. Junior OLB Tahir Whitehead had 3.5 tackles for loss of 17 yards and the Owls' lone sack (-10 yds).
Temple now heads to Happy Valley undefeated for the first times since 1945 to take on nationally-ranked Penn State next Saturday (3:30 p.m.). The game will be televised by The Big Ten Network and broadcast on SportsRadio 610 WIP.
