“Temple did not beat us, we beat our own selves,” ECU running back Chris Hairston said. “We were moving the ball down the field and we just beat ourselves, penalties and turnovers. That’s what held us back.”
Temple (7-0, 3-0 AAC) had a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, after ECU (4-4, 2-2 AAC) stopped the Owls in the red zone, forcing an 18-yard field goal. The Pirates were flagged twice on the drive, surrendering a free 30 yards, bringing Temple into field goal range.
With both defenses playing great, the offenses seemed to catch a few streaks of fire in the second quarter, as the Pirates marched 80 yards and scored on a one-yard touchdown rush by Hairston to take a 7-3 lead.