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Temple makes history by beating Navy, 27-24

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Temple is bowl eligible.

Temple, a program that has defined losing football for most of the last three decades, has won six consecutive games, enough victories to earn a bowl bid for the first time since 1979.

Bernard Pierce rushed for 267 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown with 2:41 left, and James Nixon returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score Saturday as Temple beat Navy, 27-24.

The Owls (6-2) have their longest winning streak since 1974.

“This is probably our best win all season. They beat us three years in a row, and last year [a 33-27 overtime Navy win] was such a heartbreaker,” Temple nose tackle Andre Neblett said. “Now we are getting used to winning and it’s a good feeling. We have a lot more games left, we want to get as much as we can out of this year.”

Pierce, a freshman, carried the ball 29 times and became the first Temple player since Paul Palmer in 1986 to rush for more than 200 yards in consecutive games.

“He’s amazing and he’s just a freshman. I never expected him to do this well, this fast,” Neblett said.

Navy (6-3) had a five-game winning streak snapped and, because it plays a 13-game schedule, still must win again to become bowl eligible. The Midshipmen last won six straight games in 1979.

The Owls led 14-10 at halftime after Pierce’s 68-yard run and Nixon’s school-record 100-yard return.

Navy took a 24-17 lead after Kriss Proctor scored on the first play of the final period. Then the Owls scored the game’s last 10 points.

Nixon’s kickoff return came at a crucial time for the Owls as Navy had taken a 10-7 lead on a 3-yard punt return by David Wright, when Owls punter Jeff Wathne bobbled a snap and punted quickly from his own end zone. The kick reached the 10 and Wright picked the ball up at the 3 after it bounced off a teammate.

Temple was the first team this season to hold Navy without an offensive touchdown in the first half.

The 274 yards rushing by the Owls were the most against Navy since Notre Dame rushed for 280 yards in 2003.

“Pierce was a big running back. He’s strong. He broke a lot of tackles and had good vision,” said Navy rover back Wyatt Middleton, who had two interceptions.

All of Navy’s touchdowns came following a Temple miscue — the shanked punt, a fumble and an interception.

Navy rushed for 227 yards, with Vince Murray getting 115 yards on 33 carries, the third consecutive game he’s topped 100 yards.

Proctor, filling in at quarterback for the injured Ricky Dobbs, had 52 yards rushing and 31 yards passing but was intercepted in the end zone on a badly underthrown pass.

Dobbs played the Mids’ final series but couldn’t pull off a rally.

Navy converted 7 of 17 third downs and 1 of 3 fourth downs.

“We didn’t execute,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “Give Temple credit. A lot of that was all the third-and-2s we couldn’t convert. We have been converting those in the past. Today we didn’t. Normally we are very good on third and fourth down, but they beat our guys up front.