Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Football

Temple Rallies Past No. 20/21 Cincinnati To Claim First Place

PHILADELPHIA -- Anthony Russo threw a tying, 20-yard touchdown pass with 49 second left to Brandon Mack, and then a 25-yard TD to Isaiah Wright in overtime as Temple handed No. 20/21 Cincinnati it first loss, 24-17 on Saturday.


Russo was 20 for 41for 237 yards passing, with three touchdown passes and three interceptions for the Owls (5-3, 4-0 American). He led a seven-play, 75-yard drive in the closing minutes to tie the game with the TD to Mack.

Cincinnati (6-1, 2-1) got a first down on its first play of overtime, but an errant snap behind quarterback Desmond Ridder left the Bearcats with second-and-21 and a personal foul pushed them even further back. Ridder was intercepted on third-and-36 by Shaun Bradley to end the game.

Temple receiver Randall Jones caught five passes for 67 yards and scored a touchdown.

The Bearcats dominated the middle quarters after falling behind 10-0.

Cincinnati's Michael Warren II and Charles McClelland combined for 202 yards on the ground.

McClelland's 42-yard dash with 6:09 left in the third quarter broke a 10-10 tie and gave the Bearcats their first lead. Warren had 132 yards on 25 carries and scored a 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Ridder was 14 for 33 for 111 yards.

The Bearcats picked off Russo twice in the final six minutes, but Temple's defense kept holding and giving the offense a chance. Temple got the ball back after a Cincinnati punt with 2:37 to play and Russo took over from there for a tying drive.

After turning the ball over twice in the first half, the Bearcats' defense was dominant before Temple's final drive. Normally a strong dual-threat option, Desmond Ridder struggled with Temple's pressure and ran for only nine yards.

Two short fields set up a 10-0 Owls lead, but the offense really struggled to find its footing in the second and third quarters. Temple's defense forced enough pressure to get the ball back in its offense's hands and keep the game alive.