Recap: Temple vs. Miami-Ohio

By Sports Network

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Freshman Brandon McManus kicked an 18-yard field goal with three seconds remaining, lifting Temple to a 34-32 win over Miami-Ohio, as the Owls won their seventh straight game despite blowing an 18- point lead in the final quarter.

Another freshman, standout running back Bernard Pierce, carried the ball 40 times for 178 yards and had three touchdowns for the Owls (7-2, 5-0 MAC), who have their first seven-game winning streak in a single year since they captured their final eight of the 1973 season. That was part of a 14-game winning string for the school.

Temple strengthened its chance at going to a bowl game for the first time since the 1979 Garden State Bowl where the Owls beat California, 28-17, at Giants Stadium. The Owls have clinched their first winning record since 1990.

Head coach Al Golden has the Owls flying high with three games remaining before a possible trip to the MAC championship contest. They play at Akron, home against Kent State and at Ohio to close the regular season. The final two foes are currently 4-1 in the MAC's East Division.

Chester Stewart completed 6-of-11 passes for 143 yards for the Owls.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert had a spectacular night, completing 31-of-51 passes for 426 yards with three touchdowns and an interceptions, although he was sacked five times. Armand Robinson caught 10 passes for 118 yards for the RedHawks (1-9, 1-5), who beat Toledo this past Saturday.

Pierce's 14-yard TD run late in the third moved Temple to a 31-13 lead, but Miami came charging back.

Dysert threw 24 yards to Steve Marck for a TD 1 1/2 minutes into the fourth and Robinson hauled in a 14-yard scoring pass with 8:52 remaining, although the RedHawks didn't convert the two points and trailed 31-26.

Dysert then drove the visitors 84 yards in 13 plays and Miami capped the march with a two-yard TD run from Thomas Merriweather with 2:36 remaining.

A 31-yard connection from Stewart to Joe Jones set up the Owls at the Miami 15, and after a few rushes from Pierce to melt the clock, McManus hit the game-winning kick.

Pierce scored on a one-yard run early in the first, but Trevor Cook kicked a 20-yard field goal midway through the stanza.

Vaughn Charlton converted a fake field goal with a one-yard TD run for Temple later in the first and Pierce's seven-yard scoring rush in the second ballooned the lead to 21-3.

Robinson caught an 11-yard TD pass with 3:41 left in the half and Cook's 26- yard kick with 11 seconds left made it 21-13 at the intermission.

McManus split the uprights from 42 yards out nearly six minutes into the third quarter.