BY ROCK HOFFMAN
College Football Editor
Tulsa scored 24 unanswered points en route to a 27-16 win over Temple on Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field. Golden Hurricane running back Deneric Prince had 231 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Temple (2-5, 0-3 American) struggled to get any rhythm on offense and gave up 299 yards on the ground. They did create three turnovers and recorded seven sacks.
“This one burns a little bit because I know the investment our guys have been putting in,” said Temple head coach Stan Drayton, after the Owls' third loss in a row. “[We] had a tough one against UCF a week ago (a 70-13 loss) and they came in and prepared their tails off. [They] did a great job of responding. So, I’m disappointed for them.”
In the first quarter, neither team did much on offense but less than five minutes into the game, the Owls were up 10-0 thanks to two interceptions. On the Golden Hurricane’s second offensive play, Layton Jordan intercepted Davis Brin and went 35 yards for the touchdown. It was Jordan’s second interception return for a touchdown on the season, he’s the first Owl to have a pair of pick-sixes in a season since Sean Chandler did it in 2015.
On Tulsa's next play, Jalen McMurray intercepted Brin, which would lead to a 32-yard field goal by Camden Price. Late in the first quarter, the Owls moved to the Tulsa 11-yard line but turned it over on downs.
In the first quarter, Brin dropped back to pass seven times – his first two attempts were intercepted, he was sacked on his next three tries and his last two attempts were incomplete. However, something happened once the second quarter started. A little over two minutes into the quarter, the Golden Hurricane started a drive at their six-yard line and Brin was four-of-five passing for 49 yards including an 18-yard catch and run by Prince that put Tulsa (3-4, 1-2 American) on the scoreboard at 10-7.
Tulsa worked a two-minute drive to perfection and took the lead on a three-yard shovel pass from Brin to Ethan Hall. A key play on the drive was a third-down pass interference call against the Owls that gave the Golden Hurricane a first down at their 40. Brin completed four of his next five passes and Tulsa had a first-and-goal at the Owls’ four-yard line.
Midway through the third quarter, the Owls got a play from a single-digit player on defense, Jordan Magee stripped Prince after a 25-yard run then was on the bottom of the pile with the ball. However, the offense came up empty, after converting on one fourth down, Price missed from 49 yards, and it remained 14-10. It didn’t stay that way, as Tulsa quickly moved to the Temple 11-yard line, it was there that the Owls' defense toughened, forced a 24-yard field goal by Zack Long, and stayed within one score.
That would change when Prince went 84 yards – untouched. It was the fourth-longest-scoring run in Tulsa history.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Owls finally put a drive together, they matriculated the ball down the field as E.J. Warner was five-of-nine for 88 yards. Amad Anderson Jr. was on the receiving end of three of those passes for 76 yards including a 23-yard touchdown. Drayton elected to go for two which failed, and the Owls were still, technically, down one score but they turned it over on downs on their last meaningful possession. Warner, who finished 23-of-48 for 196 yards and one touchdown, threw an interception (the Owls' only turnover) on the game's final play.
Email Rock Hoffman at rock@footballstories.com