Temple gets goal-line stands to upset Terps

PHILADELPHIA – Kenny Yeboah put Temple ahead on a one-handed touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, and the Owls used two clutch stops at the goal line to beat No. 21 Maryland 20-17 on Saturday.

The Owls (2-0) defeated an unbeaten Maryland team for the second straight season and got coach Rod Carey off to a nice start in his first season on Temple’s sideline. Yeboah used his outstretched right hand to snag Anthony Russo’s pass with 7:27 left in the game to put Temple ahead 20-15, but Maryland wasn’t going down easy – and Temple’s D pushed back.

Temple linebacker Shaun Bradley – the game program cover boy – stuffed Anthony McFarland on fourth-andgoal with 3:27 left to seemingly seal the win. But Temple got the ball back and Adam Barry shanked a punt from the end zone to give Maryland first-andgoal at the 10.

Again, the Owls held the Terrapins, and a fourth-down pass was incomplete with 2:14 to go to complete the upset. Anthony Russo’s intentional safety finished off the scoring.

The Terps had been favored by seven points. Russo threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns for the Owls. McFarland ran for 132 yards and Josh Jackson threw for 183 yards and was sacked four times for the Terps.

The Terps (2-1), who had opened with two straight blowout wins, made a series of plays in the third quarter to shake out of a road malaise. McFarland, who had four touchdowns rushing in his first two games, gave Maryland a 9-7 lead when he scored on a 4-yard run early in the third. That got a rise out of thousands of Maryland fans who had made the 130-mile trek north to watch the Terps try and stay unbeaten.

Then, Jackson hit Tyler Mabry with a 17-yard pass to put Maryland ahead 15-13 – the 2-point conversion was missed.

Temple had its supporters, too, at the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, and the announced crowd of 30,610 wasn’t far off the actual mark. It was the biggest home game of the season and the parking lots were stuffed with tailgating fans hungry for a win.