Temple’s Homecoming Hangover: Fast Start, Same Frustrating Finish

By Jawn Kruk | Side Jawn Sports
October 12, 2026

Well, that party went to hell pretty quickly.

Temple gave us fireworks early Saturday against UConn, then left us staring at the scoreboard wondering where the hell the rest of the offense went. The Owls lost 34–20 at the Linc, dropping to 2–4. Homecoming is supposed to give you something to celebrate. This one gave us another reason to complain on the ride home.

For a minute, we had something cooking…

Ajani Sheppard hit JoJo Bermudez for a 79-yard touchdown on Temple’s first offensive play. One snap, one score. That’s how you answer somebody punching you in the mouth.

Then Colin Chase threw a 29-yard touchdown to Peter Clarke on a trick play, tying it at 14 in the first quarter. A receiver throwing a touchdown? Beautiful. Give me a little creativity with my Saturday football.

Carl Hardin’s second-quarter field goal put Temple ahead 17–14. The problem? After those two early touchdowns, the Owls managed only two field goals the rest of the game.

You can’t throw a welcome party in the first quarter and start stacking the chairs before halftime.

The numbers make this more annoying:

Sheppard finished 19-for-25 for 260 passing yards and a touchdown. Chase’s 29-yard trick-play touchdown brought Temple’s team passing total to 289 yards. Bermudez led the Owls with 96 receiving yards on two catches, including that 79-yard touchdown. Clarke added five receptions for 88 yards and a score, while Keveun Mason ran for 88 yards on 13 carries. Temple produced 437 yards of total offense.

There were guys making plays. There was enough production to give this team a chance. That’s what makes the final score aggravating: the offense showed you what it could do, then couldn’t keep putting touchdowns on the board.

And the defense didn’t exactly make life easy. UConn piled up 505 yards, including 248 on the ground. Trey Cornist rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown. When somebody can keep moving you backward like that, your early highlights only buy you so much time.

The plays that hurt:

Mason’s fumble late in the first half gave UConn another possession, and the Huskies turned it into a field goal for a 24–17 halftime lead.

Temple got within 24–20 in the third quarter. Still a game. Still a chance.

Then came the fourth-quarter strip sack of Sheppard. UConn followed with a touchdown drive, capped by Cyncir Bowers’ eight-yard run, to make it 31–20 with 7:52 left. That’s the kind of sequence that takes “we can steal this” and turns it into a long, irritated sigh.

The good, the bad, and the ugly:

The good: The explosive passing plays, Sheppard’s accuracy, and real contributions from Bermudez, Mason, and Clarke. There’s talent here. Saturday gave us reasons to believe that.

The bad: Two fumbles at costly moments and a defense that allowed far too much on the ground.

The ugly: No Temple touchdowns after the first quarter. Zero fourth-quarter points. You don’t get credit for finishing strong because your opening act was entertaining.

My take:

I’ll keep backing Temple. But backing your team doesn’t mean putting a pretty bow on a frustrating loss.

The Owls showed enough to get us invested, then didn’t finish the job. That’s the part they have to fix: turn promising possessions into touchdowns, protect the football, and make opponents earn their yards.

Charlotte comes to the Linc Saturday, October 17, at 1 p.m. Another home game. Another opportunity.

Let’s give the fans something to take home besides a headache. I’ll be in the End Zone, loud and proud.