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The No. 10 Louisville Cardinals will stay undefeated, as Teddy Bridgewater's five passing touchdowns highlighted a 45-17 victory that was close early, but wasn't a contest after halftime.
The game was tied at 17 in the second quarter, but Bridgewater and the Cardinals pulled away with four unanswered touchdowns. Although Bridgewater's passing numbers stole the show, the Cardinals also did work on the ground, with Jeremy Wright rushing for 100 yards on only 10 carries and Senorise Perry adding 64 more. Louisville shut out Temple after the the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, holding the Owls' quarterbacks to 5-of-15 passing.
Bridgewater spread the ball around well, with tight end Ryan Hubbell more than doubling his season production thanks to a 72-yard touchdown that was good enough to lead all receivers by itself. Bridgewater completed passes to nine different receivers.
Things started out nicely for the Owls as Matt Brown ran back the opening kickoff, and they kept the game close on the strength of 111 first-half yards and a touchdown that tied the game at 14. But that was pretty much the extent of Temple's offense: Harris had only 14 yards in the second half, and Chris Coyer threw the ball just eight times, completing two passes for 20 yards. Coyer played poorly, fumbling the ball three times and actually ending the game as the Owls' leading receiver, as he was the target of a wide receiver pass in the first quarter. After his third turnover, he was benched for backup Clinton Granger to start the fourth quarter.
Box Score Hero: Bridgewater's five touchdowns and 323 yards passing came on only 28 passes. He struggled on the team's first few drives, but spread the ball long, short, and to both sides of the field in a dominant performance. He gave way to Will Stein late in the game with the win in hand.
Rankings Ramifications: The top ten ranked Cardinals should have been worried about the upset bid early, but they got the comfortable victory. They'll keep climbing and stay the top team in the Big East.
But Did They Cover?: Louisville easily cleared the 13-point spread.
For More On This Game:
For more on Cardinals football, visit Louisville blog Card Chronicle, plus Big East blog Big East Coast Bias. For more on Temple football, visit SB Nation Philly and Big East Coast Bias.
Next Week's Schedule: Louisville heads on the road to play Syracuse, while Temple returns home to face Cincinnati.
