Anderson's big receiving day for Temple marred by fumble

HOUSTON - Robby Anderson had the most bittersweet of days during Temple's 24-13 loss to Houston in the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship game.

The redshirt senior receiver had a fumble but also a touchdown reception, along with several other clutch catches.

On Temple's second series, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Anderson fumbled after making a 14-yard reception. He was hit by linebacker Elandon Roberts, with Houston safety Trevon Stewart recovering on the Cougars' 9-yard line.

"It was poor ball security, and I was trying to gain yards," Anderson said. "There was nowhere to go, and I should have gotten down and lived to play the next play."

Other than that miscue, Anderson had the best receiving day of his Temple career. He caught 12 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. That is the second highest reception total in school history, behind only 15 by Clinton Graves in a 1972 game against Rhode Island.

"I felt kind of unstoppable today," said Anderson, who has 64 catches for 873 yards and seven receiving touchdowns to lead Temple in all three categories. He passed the 100-catch mark for his career and now has 108. "The only way they could stop me was when they were bringing over Cover 2 . . . but I don't think they stood a chance today."

Anderson scored the Owls' lone touchdown on a 13-yard pass from P.J. Walker that cut Houston's lead to 24-10 with 2 minutes, 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

All day, just as they have most of the year, Anderson and Walker had great chemistry.

"He made some great plays. I tried to put the ball in his area, just give him a chance with the ball, and he made plays," Walker said.

Now Temple awaits Sunday's bowl announcement, with the Boca Raton Bowl among the candidates. Anderson said as difficult as it was to lose the title game, the Owls still have unfinished business, and it won't be tough to shake off the defeat and get ready for a bowl game.

"This is a hurtful loss, but we have had a lot of accomplishments," Anderson said. "We played our best, but we have to come out and block out the noise and come out victorious, and the young guys have to get ready for the future so they can guarantee they win it next year."