An emotional final game for Temple linebacker Shaun Bradley

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Temple senior linebacker Shaun Bradley talked before competing in the Military Bowl about how much his final game would mean to him.

An NFL prospect, he said he never considered sitting this bowl out. And even after Friday’s 55-13 loss to North Carolina, there were no regrets.

Actually, there was one. That this was his final game.

“It’s been an honor and a blessing,” Bradley said about his career at Temple, the emotion clearly visible after his final game with the Owls. “Coming out of high school, there was Temple and maybe one other school. I instantly fell in love with it.”

This was his 50th career game at Temple and 38th start. Against North Carolina, Bradley had eight tackles, giving him 257 for his career. He was a two-time first-team all-American Athletic Conference choice.

A product of South Jersey’s Rancocas Valley High School, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Bradley said it wasn’t just the four bowl games and individual honors that made it special at Temple. It was the relationships.

“The culture of it all is remarkable,” he said. “I wouldn’t have traded it, changed schools or anything. I am honored and blessed to finish my four years healthy here."

Bradley, who earned his degree this month in adult and organizational development, has one more game representing Temple. He will play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, an all-star game on Jan. 18 in at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Before the bowl game Temple redshirt junior defensive end Quincy Roche said he wouldn’t decide on whether to enter the NFL draft until after the bowl game.

True to his word, nothing changed since then. But now that it is over, the 6-4, 235-pound Roche, who was the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year, will devote his energy toward that decision.

“I don’t know what I am going to do. I have been kind of putting that off until after the bowl game,” said Roche, who earned his degree this month in communication studies. “Now I will go over it with my family and enjoy my break and see what happens.”

Roche finished with five tackles, including one tackle for loss against the Tar Heels.