The Temple Owls dropped to 1-1 on Saturday with a 36-27 home loss to Maryland. The Owls had a disastrous second quarter which they could not overcome with a 24-point second half. Quarterback Chris Coyer hit two huge touchdown passes as they mounted a furious comeback, but a late touchdown drive by the Terps put things out of reach in the final three minutes.
The ugly first half forced the Owls to try and do things through the air -- not the strength of their offense. But Coyer hit C.J. Hammond for a 62-yard touchdown strike for the Owls second score of the third quarter. It was a nice throw by Coyer, who went up top for the deep ball to cut the lead to 12. Coyer would strike again and cut the the lead to just two with seven minutes to play, connecting with Jalen Fitzpatrick on a 35-yard touchdown. But the offensive fireworks could not get the Owls the lead.
Maryland had a 23-point second quarter that featured three Perry Hills touchdowns and a Temple safety. The game swung in a matter of minutes and would prove to be the difference in the end.
The Owls were double-digit favorites entering the game, looking to build on their blowout in College Park last year. It's a disappointing loss but they'll now have a week to regroup before taking on Penn State in Happy Valley in two weeks.
For more on Temple and their return season in the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias. For the opponent's perspective, visit Testudo Times. And for all your college football coverage on Saturdays, check out SB Nation's NCAA football hub.