First-year coach Tom Herman helped the Cougars to their second 12-win season and first since they went 13-1 in 2011 under former coach Kevin Sumlin and quarterback Case Keenum. Cornerback Brandon Wilson didn’t miss a beat replacing Farrow – rushing for 111 yards and two scores – and could play both ways against Temple.
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Anderson led Temple with 12 catches for 150 yards and their only touchdown. Temple began the 4th quarter in Houston’s red zone and converted on 4th and 1, but an untimely holding penalty drove the Owls back out of the red zone and forced a 3rd and 8 pass to the end zone that was broken up by Houston’s Jeremy Winchester.
Temple trailed by 21 points after Ward’s second touchdown run and scored the next 10 points to remain in range. He becomes the first Houston quarterback to run for 1,000 yards in a season.
Ward tore up Temple’s vaunted defense on the ground, amassing 148 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries en route to most outstanding player of the game honors in Houston’s 24-13 victory.
Temple’s defense held on the ensuing series, and the offense marched into Houston territory but finally stalled when Walker threw an incomplete pass behind Adonis Jennings on fourth and 3 from the Cougars’ 38. 10 plays later, Javin Webb ran the ball from a yard out to put the Cougars on top.
It’s a disappointing finish for the Owls, preventing them from going to a major bowl game, but it has still been one of the best seasons in school history. A pass interference call on Houston’s William Jackson III gave the Owls a first down at the Cougars 45 to start the drive, but from there, the Owls turned the ball over on downs after a ball floated behind WR Adonis Jennings on fourth and third.
A 39-yard field goal by Austin Jones made it 24-13 early in the fourth.
Later in the half, Ward made it 17-0 with his ninth run of 30 or more yards this season.
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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. Junior outside linebacker Tyus Bowser intercepted Walker on Temple’s fourth offensive play and returned it eight yards to the Owls’ 36-yard line. Houston would take a 7-0 lead at end of 1 QTR. The first one came when he grabbed an 11-yard reception with one hand and the second one was a 14-yard gain that came after the ball was deflected by a Houston defender. The defense of the Owls would make 2 big drive stopping plays to get the ball back, Owls would have a 4 down and temple could not pick it up as Houston would defeat Temple 24-13 in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship in front of a crowd of 35,721.
