Football Drops First Conference Contest to Army

Friday, September 25

4:00 p.m.

Temple University

1-3 , 0-1

Army

2-1 , 1-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Army West Point	7	0	7	7	21
Temple	7	0	7	3	17

Football Drops First Conference Contest to Army

9.25.26 | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

PHILADELPHIA - Temple football fell to Army, 21-17, in its American Conference opener Friday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls moved to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while the Black Knights improved to 2-1 and 1-1 in the American.

Temple took a 17-14 lead on Carl Hardin's 29-yard field goal with 7:38 remaining, but Army answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 5:57. Cale Hellums scored his third rushing touchdown with 1:41 left to put the Black Knights back in front.

The Owls drove 51 yards on their final possession and reached the Army 24-yard line, but their fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 29 seconds remaining. Ajani Sheppard finished with a career-high 242 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Sam Brown totaled 174 yards from scrimmage.

Game Highlights

Brown Does It Both Ways

Samuel Brown led Temple in both rushing and receiving, carrying 10 times for 96 yards and catching a 78-yard touchdown. He finished with 174 yards from scrimmage.

Sheppard Goes Deep

Ajani Sheppard completed 11-of-20 passes for a career-high 242 yards and two touchdowns. His scoring strikes of 78 yards to Brown and 67 yards to Colin Chase gave Temple multiple 60-plus-yard touchdowns in the same game.

Owls Keep Running

Temple rushed for 217 yards, its fourth consecutive game with at least 176 rushing yards. This is the first time since 2018 that a Temple team has rushed for at least 176-yards in four-straight games. Brown led the Owls with 96, Keveun Mason added 57 and Sheppard finished with 48.

Samuel Brown became the first Temple running back since Tanardo Sharps in 2002 to record at least 75 rushing and 75 receiving yards in the same game.
Brown became the first Owl to lead the team in both rushing and receiving yards in a game since Jahad Thomas at Memphis on Oct. 6, 2015.
Sheppard became Temple's first quarterback since Devin Scott in 1998 against Virginia Tech to throw two touchdown passes of at least 60 yards in the same game.
Temple's 78-yard touchdown to Brown and 67-yard touchdown to Chase marked the Owls' first game with multiple 60-plus-yard touchdowns since Nov. 17, 2012, against Army.

How It Happened

Army opened the scoring with a 12-play, 77-yard drive that consumed 7:10, capped by a 15-yard Cale Hellums touchdown run. Temple answered almost immediately. Ajani Sheppard found Samuel Brown down the seam for a 78-yard catch-and-run touchdown, the longest completion and reception of their respective careers, to tie the game at 7-7.

Neither team scored in the second quarter. Temple missed a 42-yard field goal, while the Owls' defense kept Army off the board on each of its three possessions in the period. The teams entered halftime tied at seven.

Army controlled the opening possession of the second half, putting together a 15-play, 82-yard drive that lasted 9:56. Hellums finished it with a 12-yard touchdown run to give the Black Knights a 14-7 lead. Temple needed just four plays to respond as Sheppard connected with Colin Chase for a 67-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14-14.

Temple took its first lead in the fourth quarter. After Brown broke a 47-yard run from deep in Owls territory, Carl Hardin capped an 88-yard drive with a 29-yard field goal to make it 17-14 with 7:38 remaining.

Army answered with another extended possession, driving 75 yards in 12 plays while taking 5:57 off the clock. Hellums scored from three yards out with 1:41 remaining to put the Black Knights ahead, 21-17.

Temple quickly moved into Army territory on its final possession and reached the Army 24-yard line, but a fourth-and-three pass was broken up with 29 seconds remaining, allowing Army to run out the clock.

Inside the Box Score

459Temple Total Offense

242Sheppard Passing Yards

217Temple Rushing Yards

174Brown Scrimmage Yards

Ajani Sheppard finished 11-of-20 for a career-high 242 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 48 rushing yards.
Samuel Brown rushed 10 times for 96 yards and caught one pass for a 78-yard touchdown.
Colin Chase totaled 92 yards from scrimmage, including a 67-yard touchdown reception.
Keveun Mason rushed 11 times for 57 yards and added 19 receiving yards.
Eric Stuart led Temple with nine total tackles, while Curly Ordonez recorded eight tackles and a team-high six solo stops.
Temple finished with 459 yards of total offense and did not commit a turnover.

What It Means

Temple moved to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in American Conference play after its second consecutive one-score loss. The Owls have rushed for at least 176 yards in all four games this season, including 217 against Army.

Big-Play History

Temple produced two touchdown passes of at least 60 yards against Army, with Ajani Sheppard connecting with Samuel Brown for 78 yards and Colin Chase for 67.

It marked Temple's first game with multiple touchdowns of 60-plus yards since Nov. 17, 2012, when the Owls defeated Army, 63-32.
Sheppard became Temple's first quarterback since Devin Scott against nationally ranked Virginia Tech in 1998 to throw two touchdown passes of at least 60 yards in one game.
Brown's 96 rushing yards and 78 receiving yards made him Temple's first running back with at least 75 yards in both categories since Tanardo Sharps in 2002.

Up Next

Temple at South Florida

Saturday, Oct. 37:30 pmTampa Bay, Fla.ESPNU