Georgia Tech hands Temple second straight loss
RECAP BY NICK MAZZARELLA
PHOTO BY ELIJAH WILKES-WILLIAMS
Well, the high of the first two games wasn’t going to last forever.
The Owls dropped their second straight game Saturday afternoon to No. 18 Georgia Tech 45-24, falling to 2-2 on the season.
After a delayed start due to weather in Atlanta, the Owls got the ball to begin the game, and potentially have a statement drive. Unfortunately, it did not go that way, as on three plays, they only managed to gain two yards on a second-down run from Jay Ducker.
The Yellow Jackets wasted no time marching down the field with quarterback Haynes King dumping a screen pass to running back Jamal Haynes for a quick 34-yard gain. That connection between King and Haynes was really putting in the work, as the two combined for 71 yards and a touchdown on Georgia Tech’s first drive of the game.
Temple’s second drive didn’t really look much different, as they punted the ball away again. But hey, they did manage to get a first down; progress is progress.
Georgia Tech’s momentum continued, this time getting its other guys involved. King found wide receiver Malik Rutherford for a touchdown this time around to put the Yellow Jackets up 14-0.
Let’s just say the first quarter was much of the same, as Temple punted again and Georgia Tech scored again. It was 21-0 GT after one quarter played.
The second quarter was a turnaround for Temple, as the Owls managed to find their footing thanks to Evan Simon’s legs. Simon rushed for a 34-yard gain to set the Owls up in the red zone, and Ducker finished off the drive, punching it in for the Owls to make it a 21-7 game.
From there, Temple’s defense held Georgia Tech scoreless with just nine yards of offense for the Yellow Jackets in the second quarter.
On Georgia Tech’s first drive of the third quarter, King mishandled a snap, fumbling it, with Temple linebacker Eric Stuart jumping on it to set up the Owls at Georgia Tech’s 34-yard line.
The Owls took full advantage with Simon hitting wide receiver JoJo Bermudez wide open up the middle for a 28-yard TD to make it a 21-14 game and put the Owls in striking position with still a good bit left in the game.
Unfortunately, Georgia Tech took over from there, going on a 17-0 run to pad the lead to 38-14. During this stretch, the Owls struggled with penalties and inconsistent play on both sides of the ball.
Temple was only able to scrounge up a couple of points late in the game with kicker Carl Hardin hitting from 41 yards out and backup quarterback Gevani McCoy connecting with wide receiver Xavier Irvin for a score.
It wasn’t the prettiest day for Temple’s offense as they struggled with inconsistency, but Ducker stood out, running for 76 yards on 14 attempts, including a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Owls battled but were overpowered in the end by Haynes, with the senior running back totaling 107 yards on 12 attempts.
The Owls will take the next week off before looking to rebound in front of the home fans on October 4th at the Linc against UTSA.
