Bernard Pierce was held out of the end zone in the Owls loss

The Toledo Rockets took out the frustration of being 1-3 on the Temple Owls on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field winning 36-13. The Rockets won by using two early turnovers by the Owls to build their lead and a defense that held Temple’s Bernard Pierce out of the end zone for the first time this season.

“We played really well and the team will definitely be rewarded,” said Rockets head coach Tim Beckman. “We always have cake and steak after a win.”

The Owls (3-2) moved the ball on their first possession but the drive stalled inside the Toledo 10-yard line when Pierce was thrown for a six-yard loss on second down and then quarterback Chester Stewart couldn’t connect with Pierce on a screen pass that looked like it would’ve gone for a touchdown. Temple did score on the drive when Brandon McManus kicked a 30-yard field goal; the Owls have scored first in all five games so far this season.

Toledo (2-3) went three-and-out on their first two opportunities with the ball but after their second possession Matt Brown was unable to cleanly field the punt and the Rockets recovered at the Temple 10-yard line. Three plays later, Austin Dantin scored from a yard out and Eric Page ran in a two-point conversion.

“You can’t turn the ball over,” said Temple head coach Steve Addazio, “and on the other side we’ve got to stop them and get off that field. I felt like momentum got away from us and we never grabbed it back.”

Now trailing for the first time in the first half this season, the Owls turned it over again when Stewart overthrew a wide open Evan Rodriguez. The Rockets extended their lead when Morgan Williams went 32 yards up the middle on a fourth-and-one play.

Stewart would redeem himself on the first play of the second quarter when he found Rodriguez in the left flat and the big tight end steam rolled down the side line for a 55-yard touchdown.

After a penalty against Temple gave Toledo a first down at the Owls 33, the Rockets used some trickery to add to their advantage. Dwight Macon, the third-string quarterback, lined up in shotgun formation and handed the ball to Page, who rolled to the right. Macon running to the left, easily caught the throwback pass from Page, broke the tackle of Kee-ayre Griffin – the only Owl who read the play – and went in for the score.

Temple missed a field goal at the end of the first half and had a three-and-out to start the third quarter. The Rockets used a short field and went 58 yards to go up 29-13, David Fluellen capped the drive when he took a pass from Dantin and went 20 yards.

Perhaps the Owls last shot to start a comeback ended when Pierce fumbled at the Toledo 34 at the end of a 33 yard catch and run. Addazio challenged the play saying that Pierce stepped out of bounds before he fumbled but this time the video review went for Toledo and the Owls had committed their third turnover of the game.

Rock Hoffman can be contacted at RdvSports@yahoo.com