Sheppard finishes 96-yard drive to lift Temple past South Florida 17–13

Ajani Sheppard ran 34 yards for the winning touchdown with 3:08 remaining as Temple beat South Florida 17–13 Saturday in Tampa. The score completed a 96-yard drive and gave the Owls a late lead after they had lost a promising possession to a fumble near the goal line earlier in the half.

Temple's official report identified the winning run as a third-and-seven play. The Owls took over at their own four-yard line with 8:32 left, used a pass-interference penalty and a third-down completion to Jayce Freeman to keep moving, then finished through their quarterback's legs. The 10-play drive consumed 5:24.

Sheppard finished with 87 rushing yards on 14 carries and completed nine of 14 passes for 92 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Hunter Smith added 69 rushing yards, giving Temple 182 on the ground. The Owls gained only 274 total yards, but their longest drive came when they needed it most.

South Florida scored first through Nico Gramatica's 35-yard field goal. Carl Hardin tied the game with a 34-yard kick in the second quarter. Sheppard then found JoJo Bermudez for a 24-yard touchdown that put Temple ahead 10–3 at halftime. The Owls reached halftime with a seven-point advantage after allowing South Florida only a field goal.

D.J. Crowther's one-yard touchdown tied it in the third quarter. Temple threatened to retake the lead when a 29-yard Freeman reception and a 34-yard Smith run helped move the offense close to the end zone. Sheppard lost a fumble, however, and South Florida recovered for a touchback, according to the Owls' account.

Gramatica's 49-yard field goal put the Bulls ahead 13–10 early in the fourth quarter. They did not reach the end zone again. After Temple's winning touchdown, its defense stopped South Florida on fourth-and-eight. The Bulls got one more possession with 51 seconds left, and Asa Locks recovered a fumble on the final play.

Michael Van Buren Jr. completed 17 of 32 passes for 205 yards without a touchdown or interception. Crowther ran 23 times for 68 yards. South Florida finished with 319 total yards and converted seven of 15 third downs, but its late possessions could not reverse the result.

Temple improved to 2–3 overall and 1–1 in the American Conference. South Florida fell to 4–1 and 1–1. The Owls host UConn next Saturday after a road win that required them to recover from a lost scoring chance and move almost the length of the field in the fourth quarter.