Temple Upsets East Carolina 20-10
Player of the Game:
Praise Martin-Oguike, Defensive End, 4 Tackles, 3.5 Tackles for a Loss, 1.5 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 FG Blocked
East Carolina couldn’t stop turning the ball overs. And that was the difference.
Despite out-gaining the Temple Owls 432 to 135 in total offense, the Pirates lost 20-10 on Saturday because they lost 5 fumbles, while Temple didn’t turn the ball over once.
Tavon Young set the tone early with a 63-yard fumble return to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead. They eventually went up 20-3 and pulled off the upset, as East Carolina kept giving the ball away.
The star of the show was defensive end Praise Martin-Oguike, who had only 4 tackles, but every play he made changed the game. He forced 2 fumbles and blocked a field goal. That probably ended up being the difference in the game.
The Owls are now 5-3 and in prime position to be bowl eligible soon. With Memphis, Penn State, Cincinnati, and Tulane coming up, they can at least get to 6-6 and should be thinking 7-5.
This was a huge upset win, regardless of how it happened. You can say that Temple was out-gained massively, it doesn’t change the fact that if East Carolina was shot in the foot 5 times, Temple pulled the trigger. They consistently made huge plays when needed, and that’s what it takes to win.
With the First Pick
As for East Carolina, the Pirates’ hopes of a New Years Day Bowl are likely dashed after that loss. They will probably drop out of the Top 25 as well, and the loss is not a good look for the AAC trying to have at least one elite team.
But they can still win the conference and do a lot of good things this year. They just have to make sure they hold onto the football from now on.
Otherwise, this season could get worse.