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Ward’s legs carry UH past Temple in AAC title game
Posted On Dec 06 2015
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ABOUT HOUSTON (11-1, 7-1): Greg Ward Jr. has completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 2,502 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions and has rushed for 893 yards and 17 scores. He becomes the first Houston quarterback to run for 1,000 yards in a season.
“You have to contain him, but have to keep him in the pocket”, Temple coach Matt Rhule told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ward and the Cougar offense responded, driving 71 yards, with the Cougars quarterback running it in from 10-yards to make it 24-3. After converting a fourth-and-one from the Houston 30, the Owls settled for a 39-yard field goal from Jones to bring the score to 24-13.
Temple kept fighting and scored on the next series when Walker hit Anderson in the back of the end zone on a 13-yard scoring pass. Anderson had 12 receptions for 150 yards and the one touchdown.
Since taking over the Houston football program 11 months ago, Tom Herman’s name has been linked to seemingly every possible major job opening, but 24 hours before the Cougars were to face Temple in the AAC title game, Herman ended the speculation and announced he’d remain at the school. I wish we would have won, but we got down, and our kids fought back.
Greg Ward, Jr. ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns to secure Houston’s spot as the Group of Five representative and earn the Cougars a trip to either the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.
The Owls cut the lead to 17-3 with a 40-yard field goal by Austin Jones about two minutes before halftime. “Disappointed, yes, but we are going to play in a bowl game”.
Tyus Bowser intercepted Walker on Temple’s first possession when he launched the ball under heavy pressure from Elandon Roberts.
The Owls failed on its final fourth-down try when Walker fielded a bad snap and scrambled for 9 yards to the Houston 19, two shy of a first down with 1:58 left.
Early in the third quarter, Temple had a fourth and 4 from the Houston 31, but Walker threw an incompletion after having his pass tipped by 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end Cameron Malveaux.
