Temple University Athletics
Saturday, October 15
Bright House Networks Stadium - Orlando
7:30 p.m.
Temple University
4-3 , 2-1
26
at
25
UCF
3-3 , 1-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Temple
7
7
6
6
26
UCF
11
14
0
0
25
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Temple Shocks UCF 26-25 Behind Late Heroics
10.15.16 | Football
ORLANDO — Despite trailing for the entirety of the game, Temple battled back to stun UCF on the road with a last second touchdown, stealing a 26-25 victory over the Knights Saturday evening at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Down five with just 32 seconds remaining, senior QB Phillip Walker orchestrated a four-play, 70-yard drive to bring the Owls back from the brink, capped by a dramatic eight-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior WR Keith Kirkwood.
Walker threw four consecutive passes on the game-winning possession, the first three to redshirt sophomore WR Ventell Bryant for 20, 16 and 26 yards apiece. The final pass came over-the-top to Kirkwood as the Knight defense anticipated a spike with under 10 seconds left, leaving the junior to make a leaping grab near the back edge of the end zone.
For the game, Walker finished 12-of-24 passing with 167 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The receiving corps continued to flourish, as Bryant and Kirkwood combined for 113 yards on seven receptions with the lone score.
A quick start by both offensive units mellowed out as the first two quarters progressed, with Central Florida taking control in front of its home crowd. The Knights opened the game with a drive that culminated on a 55-yard pass down the left sideline for a touchdown.
On the ensuing drive, though, Walker gave Temple a spark, crafting a response to the early UCF score.
Under pressure and back-peddling, Walker slipped a screen past two charging defensive linemen to waiting senior RB Jahad Thomas, who then proceeded to weave his way 28 yards past would-be tacklers into the end zone.
A number of big plays plagued the Owl defense throughout the first half, as UCF scored on the aforementioned 55-pass and 63-yard sprint early in the second quarter, building a commanding 25-7 advantage.
Temple chipped away at the lead minutes before halftime, utilizing its powerful run game and a drive-capping seven-yard rush by Thomas to close the gap to 25-14. With the ground touchdown, his second of the day, Thomas claimed the NCAA active title for consecutive games with two-or-more scores, now stretched to five straight on the season.
The senior finished the day with a team-high 120 yards on 27 carries for one touchdown on the ground along with three receptions for 33 yards and a score.
A few key defensive stops helped along the way as well, shutting down the Knights on two consecutive possessions after the 63-yard burst. The Owl front seven proved particularly potent in containing UCF late, generating seven sacks — two from senior DL Haason Reddick — on freshman QB McKenzie Milton.
The third quarter saw some dominant ground-and-pound play from Temple, as the Owls opened the period with a sustained 14-play, 61-yard drive capped by freshman PK Aaron Boumerhi's first career field goal, a short 32-yarder.
The following possession saw a similar result, as the run-centric offense pushed the ball down deep into UCF territory before Boumerhi once again drilled his attempt, this time a tough 47-yard kick. The Owls finished the quarter with an impressive time-of-possession, owning the ball for 11:18 of the 15:00 minutes.
The defense continued to make plays into the fourth quarter, as redshirt senior CB Nate Hairston intercepted Milton just as UCF seemed to be gaining some semblance of momentum. After two Owl turnovers-on-downs, Temple continued to dominate defensively, holding the Knights to back-to-back three-and-outs trailing by only five points.
With the victory, Temple jumps back into the driver's seat in the Eastern Division, owning a 4-3 (2-1 American) record with the teeth of the conference schedule upcoming. UCF, meanwhile, falls to 3-3 (1-1 American) on the season.
Next up, the Owls face a rolling South Florida squad sitting at 6-1 (3-0 American) back in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday night.
Video Highlights | Coach Rhule Press Conference | Box Score | Game Action Gallery | Post-Game Quotes
Down five with just 32 seconds remaining, senior QB Phillip Walker orchestrated a four-play, 70-yard drive to bring the Owls back from the brink, capped by a dramatic eight-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior WR Keith Kirkwood.
Walker threw four consecutive passes on the game-winning possession, the first three to redshirt sophomore WR Ventell Bryant for 20, 16 and 26 yards apiece. The final pass came over-the-top to Kirkwood as the Knight defense anticipated a spike with under 10 seconds left, leaving the junior to make a leaping grab near the back edge of the end zone.
For the game, Walker finished 12-of-24 passing with 167 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The receiving corps continued to flourish, as Bryant and Kirkwood combined for 113 yards on seven receptions with the lone score.
A quick start by both offensive units mellowed out as the first two quarters progressed, with Central Florida taking control in front of its home crowd. The Knights opened the game with a drive that culminated on a 55-yard pass down the left sideline for a touchdown.
On the ensuing drive, though, Walker gave Temple a spark, crafting a response to the early UCF score.
Under pressure and back-peddling, Walker slipped a screen past two charging defensive linemen to waiting senior RB Jahad Thomas, who then proceeded to weave his way 28 yards past would-be tacklers into the end zone.
A number of big plays plagued the Owl defense throughout the first half, as UCF scored on the aforementioned 55-pass and 63-yard sprint early in the second quarter, building a commanding 25-7 advantage.
Temple chipped away at the lead minutes before halftime, utilizing its powerful run game and a drive-capping seven-yard rush by Thomas to close the gap to 25-14. With the ground touchdown, his second of the day, Thomas claimed the NCAA active title for consecutive games with two-or-more scores, now stretched to five straight on the season.
The senior finished the day with a team-high 120 yards on 27 carries for one touchdown on the ground along with three receptions for 33 yards and a score.
A few key defensive stops helped along the way as well, shutting down the Knights on two consecutive possessions after the 63-yard burst. The Owl front seven proved particularly potent in containing UCF late, generating seven sacks — two from senior DL Haason Reddick — on freshman QB McKenzie Milton.
The third quarter saw some dominant ground-and-pound play from Temple, as the Owls opened the period with a sustained 14-play, 61-yard drive capped by freshman PK Aaron Boumerhi's first career field goal, a short 32-yarder.
The following possession saw a similar result, as the run-centric offense pushed the ball down deep into UCF territory before Boumerhi once again drilled his attempt, this time a tough 47-yard kick. The Owls finished the quarter with an impressive time-of-possession, owning the ball for 11:18 of the 15:00 minutes.
The defense continued to make plays into the fourth quarter, as redshirt senior CB Nate Hairston intercepted Milton just as UCF seemed to be gaining some semblance of momentum. After two Owl turnovers-on-downs, Temple continued to dominate defensively, holding the Knights to back-to-back three-and-outs trailing by only five points.
With the victory, Temple jumps back into the driver's seat in the Eastern Division, owning a 4-3 (2-1 American) record with the teeth of the conference schedule upcoming. UCF, meanwhile, falls to 3-3 (1-1 American) on the season.
Next up, the Owls face a rolling South Florida squad sitting at 6-1 (3-0 American) back in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday night.
Video Highlights | Coach Rhule Press Conference | Box Score | Game Action Gallery | Post-Game Quotes
Team Stats
TEM
UCF
Total Yards
364
296
Pass Yards
167
210
Rushing Yards
197
86
Penalty Yards
69
110
1st Downs
24
14
3rd Downs
3
2
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
37:18
22:42
1st Quarter
TEM 0, UCF 8
UCF - SMITH, Tre'Quan 55 yd pass from MILTON, M. (COCHRAN, Aaron pass) 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 1:11
TEM 7, UCF 8
TEM - THOMAS,Jahad 28 yd pass from WALKER,Phillip (BOUMERHI,Aaron kick) 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:00
TEM 7, UCF 11
UCF - WRIGHT, Matthew 42 yd field goal 8 plays, 47 yards, TOP 3:00
2nd Quarter
TEM 7, UCF 18
UCF - KILLINS, Adrian 16 yd pass from MILTON, M. (WRIGHT, Matthew kick) 5 plays, 64 yards, TOP 1:34
TEM 7, UCF 25
UCF - MILTON, M. 63 yd run (WRIGHT, Matthew kick), 2 plays, 64 yards, TOP 0:32
TEM 14, UCF 25
TEM - THOMAS,Jahad 7 yd run (BOUMERHI,Aaron kick), 9 plays, 71 yards, TOP 4:10
3rd Quarter
TEM 17, UCF 25
TEM - BOUMERHI,Aaron 32 yd field goal 14 plays, 61 yards, TOP 7:21
TEM 20, UCF 25
TEM - BOUMERHI,Aaron 47 yd field goal 6 plays, 13 yards, TOP 3:16
4th Quarter
TEM 26, UCF 25
TEM - KIRKWOOD,Keith 8 yd pass from WALKER,Phillip (THOMAS,Jahad rushfailed) 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:31
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
12
TD
2
YDS
167
INT
1
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
RB
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