Temple Downs UConn On Football Senior Day

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 11/30/2019 – It was Senior Day for the Temple Owls football team. This senior class will be going to a bowl game which is nothing new for this accomplished group. They also have endured three coaching changes, but were shouldering ahead. The last regular season game of the year at the Linc for the seniors.

The game started in favor of the Huskies who took a 17 – 14 lead into halftime. The emotions made for a rough start. But the Owls would explode for four third quarter touchdowns and take a 49 – 17 win at the Linc.

“It’s a big deal for these seniors,” said Temple Coach Rod Carey. “They’ve given a lot, they’ve seen a lot, they’ve gone through a lot. They are special that way.”

The seniors contributed in their final home game. Wide Receiver Branden Mack hauled in two touchdown passes of 63 and 41 yards from Anthony Russo. Mack caught 5 passes for 171 yards a career-high. Linebacker Sam Franklin intercepted a pass in the third quarter and took it home from 29 yards away giving the Owls a 42 – 17 lead. Franklin had a team-high 8 tackles. He has a special relationship with his classmates, will remember this game, and being a Temple player.

“These are memories that will last a lifetime,” said Franklin. “We wanted to be one of the best classes coming in. We had coaching changes. A lot of things weren’t stable, but the way these guys responded is something I’ll always remember. Through the ups and downs, they always helped me and made things a lot easier.”

Looking toward the future for Temple the underclassmen made their mark. Freshman running back Re’Mahn Davis scored on a 55-yard run, his longest of the season on the way to 105 rushing yards. Wide Receiver Jadan Blue became the all-time single season leader in receiving yards with 975. He broke the record of 964 yards set by Gerald Lucear in 1979. Blue caught a touchdown pass from Todd Centeio. Quncy Roche sacked the quarterback 2 times to tie the program record for number of sacks in a season with 13.

“With Senior Night you get one of two things,” Carey said. “You get their absolute best or their absolute worst. Who has to carry the load, the underclassmen. They’re not going through that emotional stuff it’s a normal game for them, and we had a lot of good contributions early.”

The regular season ends for the Owls at 8 – 4, 5 – 3 in the American placing third in the Eastern Division, but there is a bowl game left to play. Which one and where is still to be determined. The current bowl streak for the program stands at 4 consecutive, and the Cherry and White are eligible for the sixth consecutive years under three coaches; Matt Rhule, Geoff Collins and Rod Carey. And the seniors will be playing, all of them.

“I’m playing,” said Shaun Bradley. “For me I want nine wins, and I’m not going to let the team down.”

The senior class has posted 33 victories. The record of 35 wins by a class was set by last year’s team.

The seniors honored before the game were; Shaun Bradley, Linwood Crump, Anthony Cruz, Karamo Dioubate, Sam Franklin, Jovahn Fair, Jager Gardner, Randle Jones, DeAndre Kelly, William Kwenkeu, Jacob LaFree, Dana Levine, Zack Mesday, Ayron Monroe, Chapelle Russesll, Benny Walls, Travon Williams, and Isaiah Wright.

Boxscore

Written By: Glenn Papazian

Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com

Branden Mack Scoring on a 63-yard Touchdown Catch and Run

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