HOUSTON – University of Houston senior quarterback Clayton Tune hit freshman wide receiver Matthew Golden 44 yards downfield with 42 seconds remaining to escape for a go-ahead touchdown, leading the Cougars to 43-36 win over Temple to earn bowl eligibility on Saturday afternoon at TDECU Stadium.

Houston (6-4 overall, 4-2 American) once again found itself in an offensive shootout as both teams combined for over 1,000 total yards of offense, but the Cougars emerged victorious behind Tune's 318 total yards and four touchdowns.

With the win, Houston moved to 12-2 in its last 14 American Athletic Conference matchups dating back to the start of the 2021 season, marking the Cougars' best 14-game stretch in league play since replicating the feat from Sept. 2, 2006 - Nov. 4, 2007. 

After falling behind on Temple's (3-7, 1-5 American) opening drive, the Cougars responded with a long touchdown drive of their own that was kept alive by Tune who managed to escape the pocket on 4th-and-12 to find receiver Samuel Brown for the first down.

Running back Stacy Sneed scored the first of his two touchdowns later that drive. Sneed would go on to exceed the 100-yard mark for the second time in the previous four games, also setting a new career high with 143 rushing yards. The 143 rushing yards were the most for a Cougar since Duke Catalon ran for 177 yards at SMU on Oct. 7, 2017.

On the ensuing kickoff, junior defensive back Noah Guzman caused and recovered a fumble that eventually led to a Tune 16-yard touchdown run. 

Houston scored 14 unanswered points to start the second half to take a 28-19 lead. Following another Temple score, Tune found junior receiver Nathaniel Dell for a 10-yard score to extend Houston's lead 35-26.

Dell on the day had 12 receptions for 98 yards and a score. The 98 yards vaulted him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, making him just the third player in Houston history to have multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons (Patrick Edwards 2009-11; Tyron Carrier 2008-09).