Houston Spoils E.J. Warner’s Historic Day, Taking Down Temple In A High-Scoring Affair
Written by: Zachary Silverstein
Photo by: Houston Athletics
E.J. Warner’s program record 486 passing yards wasn’t enough as the Owls fell to the Cougars 43-36 in Houston.
Temple wasted no time putting points on the board, marching down the field on a 10-play, 79-yard drive, which ended in a 13-yard touchdown reception by tight end David Martin-Robinson. The Owls were picking up right where they left off against USF one week ago when they scored 54 points.
Houston took the field, looking to respond, but quarterback Clayton Tune was picked off in the end zone by Muheem McCargo. Tune threw a perfect deep ball right into the hands of Jayce Rogers, but it was dropped and landed right in McCargo’s hands. It was a perfect example of being in the right place at the right time.
After stopping Temple on 4th & three, Houston tied the game at seven. The Cougars went on a 12-play, 54-yard drive, which spanned 5:04. Tune handed the ball off to running back Stacy Sneed, who ran it in for a 2-yard touchdown.
Houston’s special teams came up big when they forced Corey Cuascut-Palmer to fumble on the kickoff. The Cougars recovered the football and went on a quick 6-play, 33-yard drive, which was capped off with a 16-yard rushing touchdown by Tune. Kyle Ramsey’s successful extra-point attempt made the score 14-7 Houston.
The Owls refused to quit, finding the end zone after a 13-play, 75-yard drive. After finding themselves in a fourth-down situation on the Houston 10-yard line, the Owls set up to kick the field goal, but they caught the Cougars sleeping when punter/placeholder Mackenzie Morgan caught the snap and raced to the end zone. The extra point, however, was missed by placekicker Camden Price.
After forcing Houston into a three-and-out, Temple’s offense came on the field and scored quickly. A 43-yard deep ball reception by wide receiver Jose Barbon put Temple at the Houston 2-yard line. On the very next play, quarterback E.J. Warner handed the ball off to running back Edward Saydee, who ran it in for the score. The Owls went for two to regain the points they lost on the missed extra point the previous drive but came up short.
The score at halftime was 19-14 Temple. Warner was 18/23 for 232 yards and one touchdown.
Houston opened the second half with a bang, needing just three plays to find the end zone. The Cougars put together a 3-play, 72-yard drive which was capped off by a 23-yard rushing touchdown by Sneed. His second touchdown on the day.
Temple’s offense came on the field looking to respond, but were stopped on 4th & seven at Houston’s 38-yard line. The Cougars offense then came on the field and picked apart the Owls defense, putting together a 10-play, 62-yard touchdown drive. This time, it was a 10-yard reception by tight end Christian Trahan. Houston found themselves leading 28-19 after the successful extra-point attempt.
Temple was able to respond with a big drive of their own. Wide receiver Amad Anderson Jr. ‘s 5-yard touchdown reception capped off an 11-play, 70-yard drive, cutting the deficit to two points after the successful extra-point attempt by Price.
Unfortunately for the Owls, the defense couldn’t hold up, surrendering a 10-yard touchdown reception to wide receiver Nathaniel Dell on the following drive, making the score 35-26 after Ramsey’s extra point.
On the following drive for Temple, E.J. Warner had wide receiver Zai Baines wide open in the back of the end zone on third and goal but overthrew him, forcing the Owls to settle for a 22-yard field goal.
The Cougars’ offense was having no trouble marching down the field, but then Jacob Hollins came up clutch, forcing Sneed to fumble. Temple’s Kobe Wilson recovered the ball, giving the offense a chance to take the lead, and they did just that with wide receiver Zae Baines capping off a 12-play, 73-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown reception. Price’s successful extra point put the Owls up 36-35.
With Houston finding themselves trailing with just 1:22 remaining, it seemed as though the game was in Temple’s hands. But the Cougars’ offense went on an incredible 5-play, 71-yard touchdown drive spanning just 42 seconds. Wide receiver Matthew Golden was able to get behind the Owls’ secondary, allowing Tune to hit him in stride for the game-winning score.
The Owls were marching down the field themselves, but simply did not have enough time to get the ball into the end zone. Time expired after a 9-yard reception by David Martin-Robinson put Temple at Houston’s 25-yard line.
The Owls will head back home to Lincoln Financial Field where they will take on Cincinnati this Saturday, November 19.
