Temple wins, sits in three-way tie atop MAC East

KENT, Ohio - Kent State entered the game against Temple leading the nation in two defensive categories, but on Saturday it didn't even have the best defense on the field.

The Owls forced three turnovers and limited the Golden Flashes to 223 total yards as they earned a 28-10 victory at Dix Stadium.

The win kept Temple (8-2, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) tied for the top spot in the MAC East with Ohio (7-3, 5-1) and Miami of Ohio (6-4, 5-1). The Owls control their own destiny, facing both teams to finish the regular season.

Kent State (4-5, 3-3) fell two games back in the division.

"This was a pivotal game for us - no question," Temple coach Al Golden said. "Kent State came in with energy and ready to play, and we knew we'd get their best shot. We played well today."

With its fourth consecutive victory, Temple tied school records for the most wins in two consecutive seasons (17) and the most wins in three straight seasons (22).

Senior wide receiver Michael Campbell reached the 1,000-yard milestone in career receiving with 137 yards. He is No. 16 on Temple's career receiving list with 1,074 yards. Saturday was the third 100-yard receiving game of his career; that ties him for eighth on the school's all-time list.

The Owls essentially won the game on third down. While the Temple offense converted 7 of 14 opportunities, Kent State was 2 for 13. As a result, Temple dominated time of possession, 38 minutes, 54 seconds to 21:06.

Muhammad Wilkerson registered a career-high three sacks to spark a Temple defense that held Kent State to just 16 rushing yards on 21 attempts.

"We knew Kent's defense was the best in the MAC and we came in with a little chip on our shoulder and wanted to prove we have the best defense in the MAC," Wilkerson said.

The Owls fell behind, 3-0, after one quarter but seized momentum with two second-quarter touchdowns.

After a failed Kent State field-goal attempt, Temple marched 80 yards on 14 plays to take a 7-3 lead. The drive chewed up 7:55 and was capped by a 9-yard TD run by quarterback Mike Gerardi.

Things went from bad to worse for Kent State on the ensuing kickoff. Temple kicker Brandon McManus recovered a Kent fumble on the runback at the Flashes' 25. Gerardi connected with Rod Streater on an 8-yard scoring pass and McManus added the PAT for a 14-3 halftime advantage. He has succeeded on 36 consecutive extra-point attempts.

Temple added a third-quarter score after recovering another Kent State fumble.

In the fourth quarter, the Flashes blocked a Temple punt for the second time in the game and recovered the ball in the end zone with 4:19 remaining to cut the deficit to 21-10.

In just his third start, Gerardi threw for a career-high 368 yards, the most in one game for a first-year starter at Temple since Adam DiMichele's 322 against Northern Illinois in 2006.

"We know one big play can change the game," said Gerardi, a redshirt sophomore. "Our players just try to keep up that energy. Toughness is our brand here, and Coach sets a great example of that.

"I've just prepared to be the starter the last few years, and I've learned a lot from Chester [Stewart]. I really look up to him, and I still learn a lot from him."

Temple rushed for 97 yards against the Kent State's defense, which had gone in tops in the country at 65.9 yards per game.

The Owls now can look ahead to what amounts to back-to-back MAC East title games. They will host Ohio on Nov. 16 and travel Nov. 23 to play Miami of Ohio.

"We know we have to focus, because these games ahead of us will be big challenges," Golden said. "The tough thing about college football is that the offenses are so diversified. We'll face a completely different offense next week. And we've got to start preparing now, because Ohio has already had two days to get ready for us."