Temple Scores Twice on Pick-sixes, Beats Rhode Island 38-14
Temple's defense scored 14 of its 38 points. Jamarcus Pierre took an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Tyree Alualu returned another 63 yards in the fourth. Take both away and Temple still wins 24-14, but it is a much more nervous afternoon.
It began as a game. Jaxon Smolik hit Jayce Freeman from 18 yards on Temple's first score, Rhode Island's Tyler Budge answered with a 35-yard pass to Marquis Buchanan, and it was 7-7. That was the only tie. Carl Hardin kicked a 33-yard field goal to put Temple back in front, and Pierre's pick-six made it 17-7. Budge ran in from a yard out with 2:22 left in the half to cut it to 17-14, but Keveun Mason scored from a yard out with 16 seconds left to make it 24-14 at halftime.
Mason added a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:05 left in the third for a 31-14 lead, and Alualu's return with 8:53 to go finished it. Temple had 373 total yards (231 rushing on 42 carries and 142 passing), lost a fumble and sacked Rhode Island twice. Rhode Island never scored after Budge's run.
Temple starts 1-0 and Rhode Island 0-1. Two defensive touchdowns in one game is the sort of thing that makes a 24-point win look more comfortable than the offense alone would have.
Mason was the clear fantasy star with 33.2 Promethium points on 20 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The next best Temple scorer had 8.8.