Tulsa came out firing on all cylinders at Skelly Stadium, dominating the Temple Owls 36-6 in a game that was all but decided in the first half. The Golden Hurricane offense, led by quarterback Cooper Legas and running back Brendan Jackson, jumped out to a commanding lead and never looked back.
The scoring began early, as Tulsa marched 80 yards on their opening possession, capped off by a 76-yard touchdown strike from Legas to Braylin Presley. On Temple’s first offensive play, disaster struck as Gavin Porter intercepted a pass and returned it to the Owls’ 20-yard line. One play later, Brendan Jackson took it to the house untouched, extending Tulsa’s lead to 14-0 with 5:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Temple’s next drive showed some promise but ended in another interception—this time by linebacker Chris Thompson. That turnover set Tulsa up at midfield, and they quickly capitalized. Jackson carried the ball for gains of 23 and 5 yards before punching in his second touchdown of the game from four yards out, pushing the lead to 21-0.
The Owls finally answered with a strong drive of their own, ending in a one-yard touchdown run by power back Edward Littleton. However, a failed two-point conversion left the score at 21-6.
Tulsa wasn’t done yet. On the ensuing drive, Legas found tight end Ethan Allen, who turned a short pass into a dazzling 72-yard touchdown—his third score of the season and arguably the play of the game. That made it 28-6 with 4:32 left in the first half.
Temple gambled on 4th and 13 from deep in their own territory, but Gavin Porter again made them pay, snagging his second interception of the game and returning it to the 8-yard line. Jackson wasted no time, scoring his third touchdown of the game on the next play to push the lead to 35-6.
Before the half could end, Temple launched another deep pass that was intercepted by Malachai Jones. Tulsa drained the clock and punted with under a minute remaining, but Temple’s desperation to score again backfired as Keuan Parker picked off a final deep attempt and returned it to midfield to effectively end the half.
With a 36-6 lead, Tulsa shifted to a conservative, ball-control offense in the second half. Both teams rotated in backups, and neither squad found much rhythm as the game wound down uneventfully.
Tulsa improved to 5-2 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in conference play, continuing their hot streak as they look ahead to a pivotal stretch of the schedule.
Post-Game Analysis
This was a statement win for Tulsa, who overwhelmed Temple in all three phases of the game. The offense was explosive early, with Cooper Legas throwing for two long touchdowns and Brendan Jackson racking up four rushing scores behind a dominant offensive line. Tulsa’s play-calling was aggressive and well-executed, particularly on early downs, where they consistently put Temple’s defense on its heels.
Defensively, the Golden Hurricane were opportunistic and relentless. They forced five interceptions, including two by Gavin Porter, and applied pressure that consistently disrupted Temple’s timing. The decision by Temple to go for it on fourth down deep in their own territory proved costly and only added to Tulsa's first-half surge.
Temple, on the other hand, struggled mightily with ball security and decision-making. Quarterback play was erratic, and a lack of discipline on both sides of the ball made it difficult to gain momentum. The only bright spot was the short-lived first-quarter touchdown drive that showed the Owls could move the ball when they avoided mistakes.
Tulsa now sits atop the conference standings with growing confidence and momentum. If the team can maintain this level of execution and discipline, they could be a serious contender down the stretch. Temple will need to regroup quickly, particularly on offense, to avoid further spiraling as the season progresses.
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