Temple was unable to close out Houston despite a halftime lead and a late comeback

Temple entered its game against Houston as a 19.5-point underdog, but certainly gave oddsmakers a run for their wisdom, in a narrow 43-36 loss to the Cougars on Saturday.

It was the Owls (3-7, 1-5 AAC) that led, 19-14 at halftime, but in a second half in which Temple was outscored, 29-17, Houston (6-4, 4-2) would do just enough to prevail.

Trailing, 35-29, Temple quarterback E.J. Warner led the Owls on a 73-yard touchdown drive, connecting with wide receiver Zae Baines for a 6-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 22 seconds remaining in the game. However, Temple’s comeback was halted when Houston quarterback Clayton Tune connected with wide receiver Matthew Golden for a 44-yard game-winning touchdown, converting a two-point conversion to ice the game.

Warner, who finished a monster day going 42-of-59 for 486 yards and three touchdowns, nearly led the Owls to back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

However, it was Houston’s back-to-back touchdowns on its first two second-half drives and a strong rushing performance from running back Stacy Sneed that proved too much. Sneed finished with 143 yards and two touchdowns. The Cougars finished with 486 total yards.

The small things continue to hurt the Owls. At the beginning of the second quarter, Houston defensive back Noah Guzman stripped and recovered Temple safety Corey Cuascut-Palmer’s fumble on a kickoff return at the Owls’ 33-yard-line.

A few players later, Tune sprinted for a 16-yard touchdown to extend the Cougars lead, 14-7.

In the second quarter, first-year coach Stan Drayton made a bold decision to give the Owls a much needed spark. Temple punter Mackenize Morgan ran for a 10-yard touchdown on a fake field-goal attempt at the 5:59 mark, but kicker Camden Price would miss the extra point, allowing the Cougars to hold onto a one-point lead.

Temple’s momentum continued when Warner connected with wide receiver Jose Barbon for 43 yards to the Owls’ 2. Running back Edward Saydee then rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to take the lead. Temple failed to convert a two-point conversion attempt, only extending its lead to 19-14 prior to halftime.

In the third quarter, the Owls slowed down on offense, but Warner reignited his team when he found wide receiver Amad Anderson. Jr for a five-yard touchdown at the 1:11 mark.

This AAC matchup developed into a showcase of talented quarterbacks.

Warner continues to improve each week. His counterpart, Tune, is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He ranked 11th in passing yards and was tied third for touchdowns in the FBS prior to kickoff. Tune would have his day with Temple’s defense, finishing 29-of-40 for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

Temple’s run game combined for 47 yards after running back Edward Saydee’s 334-yard combined performance against South Florida last week.

Temple returns to the Linc to play Cincinnati (8-2, 5-1) on Saturday. Time and TV are both TBD.