PHILADELPHIA _ Temple's offense, which was dormant for most of the day, woke up at the most opportune time Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Owls tied the score with 49 seconds left in regulation and then won the game in overtime, 24-17, over No. 20 Cincinnati in an American Athletic Conference game.
Temple improved to 5-3, 4-0 in the AAC as the Owls enter their bye week. Cincinnati fell to 6-1, 2-1.
Squandering chances all afternoon, Temple finally tied the score at 17 when quarterback Anthony Russo his Branden Mack on third down with a 20-yard touchdown pass. Will Mobley's conversion kick tied the score with 49 seconds left in regulation. That capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive.
In overtime, each possession begins on the 25-yard line. Temple had the first possession, and Russo hit Isaiah Wright for a 25-yard touchdown on third down.
Cincinnati then got a first down on an 11-yard run by Michael Warren to the 14-yard line. But then a muffed snap caused an 11-yard loss, courtesy of Temple defensive end Zach Mesday. On the next play Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder threw an incomplete pass, and the Bearcats were issued an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
That made it third-and-36 from the 40, and Temple's Shaun Bradley ended the game with an interception.
Temple running back Ryquell Armstead missed his second straight game with an ankle injury, and defensive lineman Freddie Booth-Lloyd, who was wearing a boot on his left foot, also sat out.
Trailing 17-10, Temple, which didn't gain a first down in the third quarter, was marching for the equalizer when Russo was picked off by Tyrell Gilbert on a third-and-goal from the Cincinnati 9-yard line with 6 minutes, 12 seconds left in regulation.
Russo was intercepted on Temple's next series by cornerback Coby Bryant. The Owls finally tied the score on their last possession in regulation. Russo completed 20 of 41 passes for 237 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
After missing a 39-yard field goal earlier in the third quarter, Cincinnati took a 17-10 lead on a 42-yard run by Charles McClelland with 6:09 left in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, Temple stopped Cincinnati for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Owls' 27.
Cincinnati took a 17-10 lead into the fourth quarter. In the first three quarters, Temple had just 128 yards of total offense.
Temple opened the scoring on Mobley's 28-yard field goal with 10:27 left in the first quarter. The field goal was set up when Michael Dogbe caused a fumble that was recovered by Jimmy Hogan on the Bearcats' 4-yard line
On the ensuing kickoff, Temple's Rob Ritrovato forced a fumble that was recovered by Sam Franklin on the Cincinnati 16-yard line. It was the second forced fumble on a kickoff this year by Ritrovato. Three plays later, Russo hit Randall Jones in the left corner of the end zone for a 16-yard TD pass.
The play was originally ruled an incompletion, but Temple successfully challenged that Jones got his feet down after beating Cincinnati's Tyrell Gilbert.
Everything was going Temple's way until Bryant intercepted an overthrown ball by Russo at the Temple 41. Four plays later, Michael Warren got outside and scored on a 24-yard run, cutting the lead to 10-7 with 4:52 left in the first quarter.
Later in the quarter, on a fourth-and-11 from the Cincinnati 33, Temple failed on a fake punt when up-man and backup quarterback Todd Centeio had a deep pass to Jones broken up by Bryant. The Bearcats tied the score 10-10 on Cole Smith's 44-yard field goal with 9:31 left in the first half.
A 37-yard attempt by Smith with 1:43 left in the half went wide left. He had made his initial try, but officials said the game was still in a TV timeout. Smith, who attempted three field goals entering the game, had three attempts in the first half, missing from 49-yard as time expired in the second quarter.
