Temple lets another fourth quarter lead slip away in 21-17 loss to Army
Army scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to take the four-point lead, and the Owls' last gasp stalled for the program's third straight loss.
Temple returned to Lincoln Financial Field on a short week following its collapse to Toledo last week. However, the Owls opened American Conference play with a 21-17 loss to Army.
The Black Knights scored on quarterback Cale Hellums’ 3-yard touchdown run with 1 minute, 41 seconds left to give his team the four-point lead and cap a 12-play drive.
The Owls tried to respond on their final drive, but a fourth-and-3 pass from quarterback Ajani Sheppard to Jayce Freeman fell incomplete at Army’s 23-yard line with 29 seconds remaining.
“They made one more play than we did,” Temple coach K.C. Keeler said. “I just thought the kids battled all day long, and even when [Army] scored there at the end, our guys battered a drive. We just had to make one more play and we didn’t make that play.”
» READ MORE: Ajani Sheppard to start against Army as Temple navigates shortened week after two straight losses
First quarter frenzy
After receiving the opening kickoff, Temple (1-3, 0-1 American Conference) secured two first downs on their first three plays. Running back Keveun Mason and wide receiver Colin Chase combined for 36 yards in that stretch before running back Sam Brown added a first down of his own.
The Owls’ drive stalled out after Army (2-1, 1-0 American) made a fourth down stop on a Brown run.
The Black Knights took over on offense and used their option attack for moderate gains on the ground to move into Temple territory. Hellums and Samari Howard consistently exposed holes in Temple’s defensive line.
After Army entered the red zone, Hellums capped the 12-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Black Knights a 7-0 lead.
The Owls quickly tied the score. Sheppard connected with Brown on a play-action pass, who fled from the pack and scored a 78-yard touchdown reception to put Temple on the board.
“I think they had like two guys over top of Peter [Clarke], which left me open, and Ajani gave me a shot,” Brown said. “At that point, it was just beating the safety.”
On its next possession in the second quarter, Temple ended its series with a missed a 42-yard field goal from Carl Hardin with 8:20 left in the half. Over the next five drives between the two teams, neither team scored again before the halftime break.
Big gains
After halftime, Army found themselves with a fourth-and-1 on its own 27-yard line, but a Hellums 2-yard rush extended the drive. That quick rush proved consequential for Temple.
Army used runs of eight and 11 from Howard and Jake Rendina, respectively, to reach Temple’s 38-yard line. Its final three plays of the drive combined for 40 yards and a touchdown. Hellums capped off the series with a quarterback keeper, faking a handoff to burst to his right and score from 12 yards out to give Army a 14-7 lead.
In similar fashion to the first quarter, the Owls swiftly responded. Sheppard stood comfortably in the pocket and found Chase deep on the fourth play of the drive for a 67-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
“The corner was low so I knew Ajani was going to give me a shot,” Chase said. “So I kept my angle skinny, and fully over the defense and got the perfect ball.”
After stalling Army’s next drive, Temple used a 47-yard Brown rush and a 22-yard Ryder Kusch reception to reach field goal territory before the drive stalled. Hardin buried the kick to give Temple the 17-14 lead with 7:38 left in the game, which preceded Army’s late score.
Brown finished as the team’s leading rusher (10 carries, 96 yards) and receiver (78 yards), while Sheppard finished 11-of-20 for 212 yards and two touchdown passes. Hellums led Army with 104 yards on 22 carries.
Temple outgained Army on offense, 459-315.
Up next
Temple will head south to face South Florida next Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPNU).
