Football Stays Unbeaten with Thrilling 25-23 Win at UMass

Saturday, September 19

Gillette Stadium - Foxborough

3:00 p.m.

Temple University

3-0

UMass

0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Temple

Massachusetts

Football Stays Unbeaten with Thrilling 25-23 Win at UMass

9.19.15 | Football

Box Score

FOXBORO, Mass. - Junior quarterback P.J. Walker set a career-high with 391 yards passing and led a last-minute drive that set up sophomore kicker Austin Jones' 32-yard game-winning field goal to lift Temple to a 25-23 win over Massachusetts Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The Owls move to 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2010.

Walker, whose 391 passing yards is third most in Temple history, finished the game completing 28 of 48 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions. On the final drive, he hit four key completions, including a 12-yard pass to senior wide receiver John Christopher with 12 seconds left at the UMass 15 yard line to set up Jones' game-winning kick.

After the Minutemen took a 23-20 with 1:20 to go, redshirt-junior Praise Martin-Oquike blocked the point-after attempt and junior LB Stephau n Marshall recovered before flipping to senior DB Will Hayes took the lateral and returned the ball for a defensive PAT to close the gap to 23-22.

The Owls defense, for the second week in a row, made a play when the team needed it. They created two turnovers in the game, including a late interception by Marshall. The defense also held the Minutemen to 45 yards rushing on the afternoon and kept pressure on senior quarterback Blake Frohnapfel. Senior linebacker Tyler Matakevich registered nine tackles to lead the way while Nate D Smith recorded an 11-yard sack to stifle a Minutemen drive in the second half. The team won the time of possession battle in every quarter and finished the game with 35:09 of ball control.

Temple jumped out to a 14-0 lead with sophomore WR Adonis Jennings pulling in his first TD reception as an Owl on a 23-yard strike from Walker in the final minutes of the first quarter. Then, following a fumble recovery by senior DL Matt Ioannidis on the ensuing UMass possession, junior RB Jahad Thomas ran 14 yards untouched for the Owls' second score.

The Minutemen responded with a long TD throw from Frohnapfel to Rodney Mills for 46 yards to cut the lead to 14-7. UMass' Blake Lucas connected from 34 yards out to make it 10-7. Jones matched that for the Owls from 33 yards away to make it 17-10. Frohnapfel then led the hosts down the field, finding Mills for a five yard score to tie the game right before halftime.

The Owls took the second-half kickoff and marched 55 yards on 13-play, six-plus minute drive to set up Jones for his second field goal of the game, this one from 37-yards out. That would account for all of the scoring until the game's final minutes as the second half would be a defensive battle.

With just under three minutes to play, Marshall picked off Frohnapfel at midfield. It looked then as if the Owls would be able to run out the clock, but Thomas then gave the Minutemen the ball back via a fumble just two plays later.

Frohnapfel then led his team on an eight-play, 59 yard drive, hitting Wilson on a 16-yard go-ahead touchdown with 1:20 on the clock to make it 23-20. Martin-Oguike then made the play of the day, blocking the extra point with Marshall and Hayes taking it all the way back for a two-point play to make it 23-22.

Walker then led the Owls on a 10-play drive over the final minute and change to set up Jones' winning kick from the left hash. The Temple QB completed six of nine passes on the winning drive with Jones making his seventh field goal on the season in seven attempts.

Thomas, who leads the conference in all-purpose yards, had 164 on the day (66 rushing, 67 receiving, 31 return). Christopher led Temple with seven catches for 72 yards while the offense compiled 458 total yards to UMass' 438.

The Owls will enjoy a bye week before completing their current three-game road trip with a Friday night game at Charlotte. Kickoff for October 2nd is set for 7:00 p.m.

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