Harrell Accounts for Four Touchdowns as Charlotte Outlasts Temple
Conner Harrell had thrown for just 1 touchdown all season before this one. Against Temple he put up two through the air and ran in two more, and Charlotte needed every one of them to beat the Owls 38-31.
It was tied four times (7-7, 14-14, 21-21 and 28-28), which tells you nobody was pulling away. Temple was up 14-7 late in the first half after Keveun Mason and Ajani Sheppard scored on the ground. Charlotte answered in the third quarter with a 24-yard Harrell pass to Derrick Eley and an 8-yard Harrell run, only for Sheppard to rip off a 44-yard touchdown run 51 seconds later to level it again.
The fourth quarter was a trade. Harrell hit Gus McGee from 9 yards, Peter Clarke caught a 4-yard score from Sheppard to tie it at 28, and then Harrell ran in from 10 yards with 8:40 left to make it 35-28. Charlotte never gave the lead back. Aiden Bui added a 47-yard field goal with 1:48 to go, and Carl Hardin's 28-yarder with 0:48 left only trimmed it to the final margin of seven.
The yardage was a wash, and if anything Temple won it: 455 total yards against 452 for Charlotte, with 206 rushing yards to Charlotte's 171. Neither team threw an interception. Charlotte lost a fumble, Temple lost none, and the Owls still came up short. Charlotte moves to 1-6, which is still a long way from good but a lot nicer than 0-7. Temple falls to 2-5.
For fantasy, Harrell's 37.4 points were more than six times his 5.8 average over the previous three games. Sheppard had a fine day too, at 34.4, and he did it without the win.