Brown, Green Lead Temple Past Kent State 47-13

Despite losing star running back Bernard Pierce, Temple continues to roll. Just ask fellow freshman Matt Brown.

Matt Brown ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and Delano Green had two scores to lead Temple to a 47-13 win over Kent State, keeping the Owls on course for a Mid-American Conference title game appearance.

The Owls won a share of the Eastern division crown and can clinch a spot in the MAC title game by beating Ohio University on Friday night.

Brown replaced star running back Bernard Pierce, who left the game with a shoulder injury.

“I had a big role to fill,” Brown said. “Bernard is one of the best running backs in the country, so I had to pick up where we left off.”

Temple, which scored 38 straight points in the second half after trailing 10-9, won its ninth straigth win _ a school record. The Owls (9-2, 7-0) have their best record since going 10-2 in 1979, the year of their last bowl appearance.

Kent State (5-6, 4-4) quarterback Spencer Keith left the game with a shoulder injury, but connected with Kendrick Pressley for a 6-yard touchdown pass, their only time reaching the end zone.

Temple defeated California 28-17 in the 1979 Garden State Bowl --then endured losing records in 27 of the next 29 seasons. In the process, they became a punch line for football futility, after finishing the 1970s with three straight bowl games. To put this nine-game winning streak in perspective, the Owls won seven games total from 2002-05.

Nicknamed “The Bug” by Temple head coach Al Golden, because of his diminutive size and quickness, Brown had totaled 38 yards at halftime. He compared himself to San Diego running back, Darren Sproles, who at 5'6 is currently the shortest player in the National Football League.

“He's short like me, and quick,” said Brown, who's listed at 5-foot-5. “I ain't there, yet. I have work to do, but I'm on that road.”

A Brandon McManus' field goal put Temple up 12-10 early in the third quarter. The defense forced a three-and-out, and Brown took the next handoff 71 yards down the left sideline, putting him over 100 yards.

Later in the third quarter, Griffin recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown. Delano Green raced for a 52-yard punt return, and raced 50 yards for the Owls' final score. He became the first Temple player to return a punt for a touchdown in two straight weeks.

Defensive end Adrian Robinson, who turned 20 on Saturday, also pulled in his first career interception in the second quarter, and rumbled 36 yards to set up the Owls' first score. He forced a third-quarter fumble deep in Golden Flashes' territory, as Temple kept rolling.

Temple quarterback Chester Stewart, a sophomore making his third start, completed six of 16 passes for 124 yards, and a touchdown.

“We played really tough until Spencer got hurt,” Kent State head coach Doug Martin said. “They tried to fight hard, but once you lose your starting quarterback, it's a tough deal.”

Losing Pierce, who entered the game as the nation's fourth-leading rusher, with 1,349 yards and 15 touchdowns, could be big, and Golden called his injury “substantial.” The team hopes he'll be able to play Friday at Ohio.

If not, Brown will again be asked to carry the load. The way the Owls are playing, it might not matter.

“You could make a case that we played our best two games of the year,” Golden said, referencing last week's 56-17 win over Akron.
“We're finishing games right now. That's hard to teach a team. These kids have learned to do that.”

Already bowl eligible, the Owls have MAC title game in sight, and beating the Bobcats will accomplish that goal.

“We both want the same thing,” Robinson said. “And we're both one win away from it.”
      
      



 

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