The Marmot Boca Raton Bowl featured two of the best Group of 5 teams against each other in a very equal matchup. Many people predicted that the Temple Owls and the Toledo Rockets would keep it close throughout the game and they lived up to the predictions.
The conditions in Boca Raton were horrendous. It seemed that one of the defenses would give in first before the rain would let up.
Temple had all the momentum in the first quarter as they were able to contain Toledo to only 23 yards. However, Temple only came up with a field goal from Austin Jones to get on the scoreboard first.
The second quarter saw a huge swing in momentum from Temple to Toledo. On the first drive of the quarter, Temple quarterback P.J. Walker mishandled a handoff to running back Jahad Thomas that hit the ground and rolled out of the back of the endzone for a safety. Toledo capitalized on the ensuing drive as quarterback Phillip Ely found wide receiver Corey Jones for a 26 yard touchdown strike. As time expired in the half, Jameson Vest hit a 38 yard field goal to put Toledo up 12-3 at the half.
Both Temple and Toledo were dominant in the third quarter during the regular season, but Temple shined more in this game. They had two strong drives and got into the redzone but couldn’t find the endzone and settled for two field goals to make it 12-9. Temple’s defense was able to stop Toledo for adding onto the lead.
Both teams did an excellent job of limiting turnovers but the one turnover of the game came at an inopportune time. Following a laser throw from Ely to Cody Thompson for an 80 yard touchdown, Temple was knocking on the redzone but Walker threw an interception to kill all the momentum they had built on the drive. Toledo once again capitalized off of a Temple mistake and drove 74 yards to score from a Kareem Hunt rushing touchdown from a yard out. While Temple did block the extra point, being down 25-9 killed any hopes of a comeback. Temple did get on the board with a late touchdown from a Kip Patton run and a two point conversion, but Toledo responded with a 41 yard touchdown rush from Hunt to crush any other hopes of a comeback.
The onside kick by Temple sparked quite a bit of controversy, as TV images showed Temple kicker Tyler Mayes falling on the ball. The officials took some time getting to the bottom of the pile. The internet made sure to state their dissatisfaction with the call, including ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.
Phillip Ely made sure Toledo was walking out with a win in his final collegiate game. Ely finished the game with 285 yards and two touchdowns, going 20 for 28 on his passes.
Toledo moves to 10-2 on the season, recording the first 10 win season since 2001. The bowl win gives them their second straight year with a win in a bowl game. Toledo rebounded nicely following their loss to Western Michigan in their last regular season game.
Temple drops to 10-4 on the year, losing their second straight game. Temple failed to record their first ever 11 win season in school history and will drop out of the Top 25 to end the year. Despite not being able to close the season out on a high note, Temple still had possibly their best year in school history.