AMHERST, Mass. — Evan Simon threw six touchdown passes and Temple scored 42 unanswered points after the first quarter to beat Massachusetts 42-10 on Saturday in the season opener at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

The win was Temple's first road victory since a Sept, 11, 2021 win at Akron, snapping a streak of 20 consecutive losses in road games. It made a winner of Owls' head coach K.C. Keeler in his first game with Temple.

Simon, who completed 19 of 25 passes for 248 yards, spread his scoring throws to five different receivers. He connected with Peter Clarke for touchdowns of 21 and 29 yards, hit Kajiya Hollawayne from 24 yards, Terrez Worthy from 13, and Ryder Kusch twice in the fourth quarter on short scores.

After UMass (0-1) took a 10-7 lead on Rocko Griffin’s 18-yard touchdown run and a 40-yard field goal by Derek Morris, the Owls (1-0) seized control with three second-quarter touchdowns in a seven-minute span. Simon’s 29-yard strike to Clarke capped a 99-yard drive, and his 13-yard pass to Worthy in the final minute made it 28-10 at halftime.

Jay Ducker powered Temple’s ground game with 128 rushing yards on 19 carries, including a 55-yard burst that set up a score. Jojo Bermudez caught seven passes for 87 yards, while Clarke finished with 85 yards on four receptions.

Griffin ran for 94 yards for the Minutemen, and Jacquon Gibson had 12 catches for 132 yards, but UMass turned it over twice and converted just 3 of 11 third downs. Temple’s defense produced two sacks and an interception while holding the Minutemen scoreless over the final three quarters.

The Owls outgained UMass 467-302 and held the ball for nearly 34 minutes. Kusch’s second touchdown with 6:26 remaining capped the scoring.