Temple University Athletics
Temple University
*SYRACUSE
Football Closes Out Season with 38-20 Loss to Syracuse
11.23.12 | Football
PHOTO GALLERY
POSTGAME NOTES
POSTGAME QUOTES
VIDEO:
Addazio
Brown
Granger
Harris
McManus
PHILADELPHIA - Junior QB Juice Granger had his best day as an Owl, completing 16-of-23 passes for 173 yards and one TD and rushing for 61 yards and another score, but it was not enough as Temple fell to Syracuse, 38-20, Friday at Lincoln Financial Field in its final game of the season. The Owls close the year at 4-7 overall and 2-5 in BIG EAST play. The Orange improve to 7-5, 5-2.
Senior Montel Harris had another strong day in his final game as a college player. The Temple running back became the ninth Owl to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He had his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 27th of his career, compiling 106 yards on 21 carries to end the 2012 campaign with 1,054 yards to rank eighth on the TU all-time list.
Seniors CJ Hammond and Vaughn Carraway put in solid days in their final game donning the Cherry and White. Hammond set career highs with two catches and a team-best 64 yards while Carraway made 10 tackles - one shy of his career best - and recovered a fumble.
The Owls jumped out to a 10-0 lead over the Orange as Granger, making his second career start, led TU on scoring drives on two other its first three possessions.
Senior PK Brandon McManus, who ends his career with a school record 338 points, connected on a 47-yard field goal on the game's opening drive. After not one, but two Syracuse fumbles, Granger connected with red-shirt freshman John Christopher for a 12-yard touchdown. Granger also helped set that up with a 30-yard run to the SU 10 yard-line, his longest career run from scrimmage.
The Orange scored on their first two possessions of the second quarter. First senior QB Ryan Nassib (16-28-0, 215 yds, 1 TD) hit Marcus Sales on a slant pattern for a 24-yard TD. Then Adonis Ameen-Moore broke off an 18-yard touchdown run, one of his two TDs on the game.
McManus extended his school record for career field goals to 60 with a 22-yarder on the Owls' ensuing drive to cut the deficit to 14-13. A 23-yard reception by Christopher gave Temple the ball at the Syracuse 5, but the Orange defense held the Owls to just the field goal.
Harris, serving as the team's punt returner as senior Matt Brown misses his final game due to injury, fumbled an Orange punt at the Temple 47. That led to a 26-yard field goal by Ross Krautman to give the Syracuse a 17-13 advantage at the half.
Temple's defense held Syracuse on its first possession of the third quarter with the Owls taking over on downs at their own 33.
Two plays into the drive Granger hit Hammond on a 45-yard pass play to the Orange 10. On the next play, the junior QB ran to paydirt for his first rushing TD of his career to put Temple ahead, 20-17.
The veteran Syracuse squad responded with two 75-yard scoring drives, the first took 12 plays and was capped by a Ameen-Moore four-yard TD with the second an 11-play possession culminating with a three-yard TD run by Prince-Tyson Gulley.
That broke the momentum of the young Owl team, which mustered only one first down on its next two drives before Keon Lyn picked off Granger and ran it 31 yards for a game-sealing touchdown to make it 38-20 with 2:37 remaining. Lyn would intercept Granger in the end zone to ice the contest.
Besides, Harris, Carraway, McManus, Brown and Hammond, it was also the last college game for DB Justin Gildea, DE Marcus Green, DB Maurice Jones, WR Darryl Shine, LB Ahkeem Smith, OL Martin Wallace and DL John Youboty. All were honored during a pregame ceremony.
Freshman LB Tyler Matakevich led the Owls with 14 tackles, and finished the season with a team-high 101. He also forced and recovered a fumble.
Temple will now go on its most intense off-season conditioning program in preparation for the 2013 campaign which opens on August 31 at the nation's current top-ranked team, Notre Dame.
