PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Lafayette battled FBS foe Temple late into the fourth quarter before settling for a 30-14 final on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. Three blocked punts by the Owls, two in the fourth quarter, led to 16 points and proved to be the difference in the game.
 
Freshman quarterback Ryan Schuster completed 10-of-15 for two touchdowns a week removed from capturing Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors. Schuster also carried the ball 15 times, but finished with one rushing yard after being sacked eight times.  
 
Senior LB Marco Olivas continued to stand out for the Leopards, recording a game-high 11 tackles while also forcing a fumble. Senior Jyaire Stevens added six tackles, a forced fumbled and 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
As the game opened, Lafayette took over at its own nine-yard line. A couple of short runs and a pair of penalties forced Lafayette to punt from its own end zone. The resulting punt set up Temple at the Lafayette 39-yard line. D'Wan Mathis' 29-yard pass to Jose Barbon set up Temple's first score, a three-yard run by Darvon Hubbard.
 
Lafayette came up with its first big defensive play of the game following a career-long 57-yard punt by Jakob Trestik down to the Temple 24-yard line. On the first play of the Temple drive, Adam Port stripped the Owls' ballcarrier and Olivas was on hand to recover.
 
The Leopards took advantage, using a double reverse pass to from Schuster to Joe Gillette down to the Temple 14-yard line. On the next play, Schuster lofted a ball to Julius Young in the near corner of the end zone. Initially, Young was ruled to have stepped out of bounds and the pass was incomplete.
 
Lafayette head coach John Troxell asked for a review. It was determined that Young had stepped out of bounds but re-established himself in bounds before catching the touchdown pass. Trestik added the PAT and the game was tied at 7-7 with 6:16 left in the quarter.
 
Near the start of second quarter, the Leopard defense came up with another turnover. Stevens forced a fumble and Damon Washington recovered at the Temple 43-yard line. Lafayette could not take advantage and traded punts with the Owls, with Temple's punt forced by a Washington sack on the Temple 19-yard line.
 
A Lafayette punt gave Temple the ball at the 17-yard line with 7:53 left in the first half. With E.J. Warner in for Mathis at quarterback, Temple moved the ball down the field with a combination of run and pass. Warner, son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass from to Ian Stewart.
 
Temple came up with a blocked punt from De'Von Fox with 1:11 left before halftime. The Owls took over at the Lafayette 22-yard line and then Ed Saydee scored on a nine-yard run to give Temple a 21-7 lead at the intermission.
 
As the second half opened, Lafayette kicked off and the Leopards' defense continued to make plays. Olivas forced a fumble at the 22-yard line that Stevens recovered and returned eight yards to set up the offense at the 15. A nine-yard sack on second down put the Leopards behind the chains. Schuster picked up 15 yards on the next play, scrambling near the first down marker. The Leopards had the ball 4^th-and-2 at the Temple seven.
 
Schuster picked up the first down on the next play to keep the drive alive after an official review. After Temple stuffed a pair of Jaden Sutton runs and forced an incompletion, Troxell and offensive coordinator T. J. DiMuzio dialed up a touchdown pass. The Leopards shifted just before the snap, sending a player in motion to the right. Schuster threw back across his body to a wide-open Mason Gilbert who slipped off the line to catch his first career touchdown. Lafayette cut the Temple lead to 21-14 with 10:59 left in the third quarter. 
 
The Lafayette defense forced a 45-yard field goal attempt by Temple with less than four minutes left in the third quarter. The kick was no good and Lafayette took over. Lafayette marched down to the Temple 30 before handing the ball over on downs when Schuster's toss to Young was broken up near the goal line. 
 
Three and a half minutes into the final quarter, special teams turned the momentum back in favor of the hosts when Fox blocked his second punt of the day, this time by Brian Henesey. Temple took advantage, first with a 21-yard pass from Warner to Amad Anderson. Two plays later Warner hit Jordan Smith for a 17-yard score for a 28-14 lead with 10 minutes left.
 
Temple blocked a third punt in the final two minutes of the game that was recovered for a safety to run the final to 30-14.
 
Lafayette returns home to No. 20 William and Mary on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
 
NOTES: Lafayette played without defensive starters nosetackle Ian Grayson and linebacker Billy Shaeffer.
 
It was the first matchup between the former conference foes since Oct. 16, 1965.