Once again, Gary Nova comes up big in a Rutgers win. (Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)
PHILADELPHIA — When Rutgers and Temple previously met in Big East play, the outcome often determined which team avoided finishing in the conference cellar.
Times have changed and so have the fortunes of both football programs.
On Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, good fortune continued to shine on Rutgers. A 21-point third quarter lifted the Scarlet Knights to a 35-10 victory over Temple in a battle between teams that started the afternoon undefeated in Big East play.
The victory lifted Rutgers, No. 15 in the BCS standings, to 4-0 in the conference and 7-0 overall. The Owls slipped to 3-3 and 2-1.
Trailing 10-0 at the half, Rutgers wasted no time getting on the board in the second half. Gary Nova’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Tim Wright capped a 75-yard drive on the opening series to bring the Scarlet Knights to within 10-7. This seemed to fire up the entire Rutgers’ sideline along with their fans, which comprised about half the announced crowd of 35,145.
“The beginning of the third quarter is when a lot of football games are won and lost,” junior corner Logan Ryan of what that opening drive meant to the whole team. “It has a lot to do with momentum and I think we did a great job setting the tone with that first drive.”
The second drive was more impressive. Though Temple’s Brandon McManus launched a 53-yard punt that forced Rutgers to start at its own 11, an energized Nova led an 89-yard drive that was capped by another 32-yard touchdown pass. Nova found Jawan Jamison underneath and the running back did the rest in racing to the end zone for a 14-10 lead with 5:09 remaining in the quarter.
“I pride myself in catching the ball and making the first man miss,” said Jamison, who had 114 yards rushing and 81 receiving. “I don’t get to catch the ball too many times, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity.”
Any chance Temple had at regaining at least some of the momentum was snuffed out by Ryan, who intercepted a Chris Coyer pass and returned it 17 yards to the Temple 49. From there, Nova drove Rutgers to its third touchdown of the quarter and a 21-10 lead when the sophomore found receiver Mark Harrison cutting across the end zone from 5 yards out.
“We ran the ball better in the second half and that opens up the one-on-ones in the passing game,” said Rutgers coach Kyle Flood. “We did an exceptional job of executing all the pieces of the puzzle in the second half.”
Nova certainly did his part. He completed 11 of 13 passes for 166 yards in the third quarter and his reward was sitting out most of the fourth quarter after throwing for 232 yards and four touchdowns on the day.
“The offensive line did a tremendous job in the second half and the receivers did a great job of going up and getting it,” said Nova. “We were not worried (trailing at the half). We just knew we had to keep attacking and keep doing what we were supposed to be doing.”
After a McManus punt was partially blocked by Leonte Carroo, Rutgers extended the lead to 28-10 early in the final quarter when Nova threw his fourth scoring strike of the day, a 10-yarder to D.C. Jefferson. The 6-foot-6 tight end went up and over a couple of Temple defenders to make the catch.
Fifty seconds later, linebacker Khaseem Green returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown with 10:51 remaining to cap the scoring.
While many on the Temple side of stadium made their way to the exits after Rutgers’ fourth touchdown, they had plenty to cheer about through the first 30 minutes when an upset seemed a reality. A tenacious defense that limited Rutgers to four first downs and 110 yards and a ball-control offense gave the Owls a 10-0 lead at halftime.
“We played like crap in the third quarter and let the game get away from us,” said Temple coach Steve Addazio. “We have a lot of football left and there will be a lot of good football left for us.”
Rutgers has certainly played a lot of good football, though now is not the time to look ahead.
“Where we are right now does not get us to where we want to go,” said Flood. “We went 1-0 today and we need to enjoy each win and focus on each game.”
Notes: Rutgers has allowed 41 points in its four Big East wins. … Rutgers leads the all-time series 20-15, including the 1986 game that Temple had to forfeit. … The schools played each other every season from 1977 to 2004. The series was halted when Temple left the Big East. … Rutgers is 7-0 for the fifth time in its 143-year history and the second time since joining the Big East in 1991. … Since 1974 Temple has played 76 ranked opponents and is 2-74. … The Big East suspended Temple senior safety Vaughn Carraway for Saturday’s game as a result of a flagrant foul against Connecticut last week. Carraway was the Owls’ fourth-leading tackler. … Temple wore black uniforms for the first time since 2001.
