Oct. 10, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - Record-setting freshman Bernard Pierce ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and Jaiquawn Jarrett grabbed two interceptions and recovered a fumble in Temple's 24-19 win over Ball State Saturday.
Pierce's short touchdown runs allowed the Owls to hold off a second-half charge by the Cardinals, who had had taken a third-quarter lead with 13 unanswered points.
"We wanted to get down the field and swing the momentum back to our side," Temple quarterback Vaughn Charlton said. "We needed to stay positive."
Temple (3-2) has won three straight to run its unbeaten Mid-American Conference record to 3-0. The Cardinals fell to 0-6 (0-2 MAC).
"I hate the word front-runner because you don't win the league in October," Owls coach Al Golden said. "You can lose the league in October and we've found many ways to do that. We've rewritten the book on that so we'll try it this way now."
Pierce added a third game to a record he set last week, when he became the first freshman in school history to rush for 100 yards in two straight games.
"I expected to make an impact, but I couldn't tell how big it was going to be," the true freshman said. "I came in knowing that I was trying to do good things. It's good and all, but I still have a lot of room for improvement."
The Owls led 10-0 after a 27-yard field goal from Brandon McManus and a 28-yard touchdown pass from Vaughn Charlton to James Nixon. Ball State's Torieal Gibson caught a 50-yard pass from Kelly Page early in the third quarter. They took the lead when a high snap on a punt attempt was recovered in the end zone.
Down for the first time in the game, Temple stormed back with a nine-play, 60-yard drive capped by Pierce.
"He's starting to feel it," Golden said. "He's getting stronger as the game goes on. He's giving us a glimpse of what he can be. He's got to continue to work hard and become an all-around player, but right now he's doing a good job in the running game."
Dan Ifft caught a two-yard pass as time expired, for Ball State's final score.
Temple's defense also played a big role, forcing five turnovers, including three fumbles. They also recorded five sacks.
"They just run over you," Ball State coach Stan Parrish said. "They hit the gaps, the have some nice twisting schemes where they free them up. They quick and they know what they're doing."