The Cougars are likely heading to the Peach Bowl by virtue of being the highest-ranked non-Power Five team in the final College Football Playoff rankings due out Sunday.
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ABOUT HOUSTON (11-1, 7-1): Greg Ward Jr. has completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 2,502 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions and has rushed for 893 yards and 17 scores.
Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer shredded the Owls for 299 passing yards and a touchdown with 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and USF’s Quinton Flowers torched them for 230 yards and two touchdowns through the air with 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Temple quarterback P.J. Walker (11) throws a pass against Houston during the first quarter of the American Athletic Conference championship football game, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Houston.
The loss knocked the Bears out of contention for the Sugar Bowl. Houston was victorious winning the game 24-13, their 1st conference title since 2006.
Ward was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player thanks to his legs. The scramble was Houston’s longest rushing touchdown of the season.
On the legs of Houston QB Greg Ward Jr., the West Division Champion Cougars rushed for 253 yards. Temple fell into a 17-point hold in the second quarter, and while it tried to claw its way back, the deficit was too much – especially since the Owls turned the ball over on downs on their last two drives.
Javin Webb later scored on a 1-yard run. He becomes the first Houston quarterback to run for 1,000 yards in a season. But the Owls sabotaged their late rally with back-to-back poor shotgun snaps with under three minutes to play – the second one was picked up by Walker and he ran 9 yards but was stopped 2 yards shy of a first down with 1:58 remaining.
Houston cornerback William Jackson set a school-record by breaking up seven passes.
Temple put points on the board with less than two minutes to go in the half on a 40-yard field goal by PK Austin Jones.
After the teams exchanged punts, Houston took a 10-0 lead when Ty Cummings finished off a nine-play, 42-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal.
Facing pressure from AAC tackling leader Elandon Roberts, Walker threw an off-balanced floater that was intercepted by Tyus Bowser and returned 8 yards to the Owls’ 36. Houston would take a 7-0 lead at end of 1 QTR.
Temple drove 52 yards on its next possession, which was stalled when redshirt-senior wide receiver Robby Anderson fumbled the ball at the Houston 11-yard line.
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Houston took the turnover 39 yards, including a 27-yard pass from Ward to Chance Allen, but the Owls forced the Cougars to punt.
