A year after Villanova edged Temple; the Owls returned the favor Friday night.
Brandon McManus kicked a 43-yard field goal with eight seconds left to lift Temple to a 31-24 win over defending FCS national champion Villanova at the Linc.
"It's hard to beat champions and you can just tell all night you've got to knock the champion out," Temple coach Al Golden said.
Justin Gildea scored on a 26-yard fumble return on the last play of the game for the Owls. There was a penalty on the play and it took nearly 15 minutes for officials to sort out if the score would stand.
McManus also kicked field goals of 54, 44 and 40 yards in front of more than 32,000 fans, the second-largest crowd to watch the Owls in Lincoln Financial Field.
The Owls went ahead 22-21 on Chester Stewart's 62-yard TD pass to Michael Campbell. Stewart fumbled the snap on the next possession and the Wildcats recovered inside the 25. Nick Yako kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:56 left that put Villanova up 24-22.
But Temple would come back.
The win was not only on the field for the Owls but in the stands.
Years of futility had eroded Temple's fan base until Golden revitalized the program. Fans tailgated outside the Linc hours before the rare 5 p.m. kickoff. Only a Penn State game in 2007 ever drew more fans.
As for the Owls’ Heisman hopeful, Bernard Pierce didn’t do much for his candidacy. The sophomore running back gained 75 yards on 20 carries while failing to find the end zone.
Next up for the Wildcats is a game Saturday at Lehigh. The Owls next game is against Central Michigan Thursday at the Linc.
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