Temple gets their revenge in win over Georgia Tech

Temple’s run game propelled the Owls to a 24-2 victory over their former head coach’s new team on Saturday night.

“The loss obviously hurts really, really bad then multiply it by how personal it was,” said Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins. “But at the end of the game the amount of guys that came up and shared a little story about how we impacted their lives or how we made a difference, those moments are special.”

Georgia Tech saw their offense put up zero points with just above 200 total offensive yards while their defense struggled to contain Temple’s running backs.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do,” said Temple head coach Rod Carey. “We wanted to come out and run the ball. We ran it when they knew we were gonna run it, when we wanted to run it, the whole deal.”

Re’Mahn Davis and Jager Gardner rushed for 136 and 71 yards respectively including two rushing touchdowns for Davis in the first half. 

“We just wanted to keep our foot on the gas and let them argue with each other while we stay together as a whole,” said Davis.

The Owls offensive line played a big role in establishing the run game early by pulling guards and centers to help create space for their backs. 

Granted, Georgia Tech’s defense has struggled all season against the run so Temple was sure to go back to attacking the inside and it didn’t fail them.

“It wasn’t the greatest game from me, there’s a lot for me to watch on film tomorrow and correct going into ECU,” said Temple quarterback Anthony Russo. “But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who gets in the end zone.”

Russo finished the day with just 127 yards on 9 of 22 passing with one goal line interception early in the first. 

The Yellow Jackets also have a reputation of playing two quarterbacks in a game. Neither quarterbacks, Tobias Oliver nor James Graham, found any success through the air. 

Temple’s front seven stepped up big time with a team-leading eight tackles from Shaun Bradley and six from Isaiah Graham-Mobley. Benny Walls added a 74-yard scoop and score and a pick from the back of the end zone. 

Up next, the Owls will head down south on a short week to face East Carolina University this Thursday.