Temple University Athletics
Temple University
1-2 , 0-0
Toledo
2-1 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 10 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 48 |
| Toledo | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
Temple Falls to Toledo in Heartbreaking Overtime Loss
9.19.26 | Football
TOLEDO, Ohio - Temple fell to Toledo, 49-48, in overtime on Saturday afternoon at the Glass Bowl. The Owls moved to 1-2 on the season, while the Rockets improved to 2-1.
Temple led 42-28 with 1:11 remaining in regulation before Toledo scored twice in the final 1:05, recovering an onside kick between the two touchdowns to force overtime. After the Rockets scored on their opening possession of the extra period, Ajani Sheppard answered with a 22-yard touchdown run. Temple went for the win on the ensuing two-point attempt, but the pass fell incomplete.
The Owls rushed for 261 yards and finished with 425 yards of total offense. Samuel Brown led the ground game with a career-high 109 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns in his Temple debut.
Game Highlights
- Temple rushed for 158 yards in the first half, its most in the opening half of a game since totaling 205 against East Carolina on Nov. 26, 2016.
- Joey Schlaffer caught his first touchdown as an Owl on a two-yard pass from Sheppard in the first quarter.
- Sheppard recorded his first career passing touchdown and finished with both a rushing and passing score for the first time in his career.
- JoJo Bermudez recorded a career-long 30-yard rush.
- Temple converted 9-of-15 third downs and was 4-for-4 in the red zone.
How It Happened
Temple capitalized on an early Toledo turnover when Kevin Hornbeak forced a fumble on the Rockets' first offensive play and Saboor Karriem recovered it. Carl Hardin converted a 41-yard field goal to give the Owls a 3-0 lead. After Toledo answered with a touchdown, Ajani Sheppard found Joey Schlaffer for a two-yard score on fourth-and-goal, the first touchdown pass of Sheppard's career.
Samuel Brown scored twice in the second quarter, first on a three-yard run and then on an eight-yard reception with two seconds remaining, sending Temple into halftime with a 24-14 advantage. The Owls rushed for 158 yards in the opening half.
Toledo pulled within three on its first drive after halftime, but Hardin's 48-yard field goal pushed Temple's lead to 27-21. The Rockets took their first lead since the opening quarter after recovering a Temple fumble early in the fourth, but the Owls answered immediately. Sheppard connected with Colin Chase for a 69-yard touchdown and then found Peter Clarke for the two-point conversion to make it 35-28.
Brown's 50-yard run helped set up his third touchdown of the afternoon, giving Temple a 42-28 lead with 6:40 remaining. Toledo then mounted its comeback, scoring with 1:05 left, recovering the ensuing onside kick and tying the game on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds remaining.
The Rockets opened overtime with a one-yard Connor Walendzak touchdown after a 24-yard completion on the first play. Sheppard answered with a 22-yard touchdown run on Temple's second play of overtime. The Owls elected to go for two and the win, but the conversion pass fell incomplete to end the game, 49-48.
Inside the Box Score
- Samuel Brown rushed 15 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns and added three receptions for 27 yards and another score.
- Ajani Sheppard accounted for 230 yards of total offense, throwing for 164 yards and rushing for 66.
- Colin Chase led Temple with 77 receiving yards on three catches, including a 69-yard touchdown.
- Temple possessed the ball for 33:38 and finished 4-for-4 in the red zone.
- Kevin Hornbeak forced a fumble on Toledo's first offensive snap, which was recovered by Saboor Karriem.
Rushing Milestone
Temple has rushed for at least 176 yards in each of its first three games of the 2026 season. It marks the first time since 2011 that the Owls have reached that rushing total in three consecutive games.
- Temple rushed for 227 yards against Rhode Island, 176 against Penn State and 261 at Toledo.
- The Owls totaled 158 rushing yards in the first half against Toledo, their most in an opening half since Nov. 26, 2016, against East Carolina.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
TEM 3, TOL 0
TEM - Hardin,Carl 41 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 00:55
TEM 3, TOL 7
TOL - Miller,CJ 1 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:00
TEM 10, TOL 7
TEM - Schlaffer,Joey 2 yd pass from Sheppard,Ajani (Hardin,Carl kick) 12 plays, 73 yards, TOP 06:05
TEM 17, TOL 7
TEM - Brown,Samuel 3 yd run (Hardin,Carl kick), 13 plays, 60 yards, TOP 06:24
TEM 17, TOL 14
TOL - Walendzak,Connor 2 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:37
TEM 24, TOL 14
TEM - Brown,Samuel 9 yd pass from Sheppard,Ajani (Hardin,Carl kick) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:09
TEM 24, TOL 21
TOL - Newell,Jake 9 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:31
TEM 27, TOL 21
TEM - Hardin,Carl 48 yd field goal 8 plays, 45 yards, TOP 05:20
TEM 27, TOL 28
TOL - Walendzak,Connor 9 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 8 plays, 32 yards, TOP 02:26
TEM 35, TOL 28
TEM - Chase,Colin 69 yd pass from Sheppard,Ajani (Clarke,Peter pass) 2 plays, 73 yards, TOP 00:41
TEM 42, TOL 28
TEM - Brown,Samuel 2 yd run (Hardin,Carl kick), 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:54
TEM 42, TOL 35
TOL - Miller,CJ 10 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 10 plays, 83 yards, TOP 02:03
TEM 42, TOL 42
TOL - Barnett Jr.,Daryl 23 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 2 plays, 49 yards, TOP 00:09
TEM 42, TOL 49
TOL - Walendzak,Connor 1 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
TEM 48, TOL 49
TEM - Sheppard,Ajani 22 yd run (), 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
