CFB: Temple wins 55-52 shootout over Eastern Michigan
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Adam DiMichele threw a school-record six touchdown passes and rushed for another to lead Temple to a wild 55-52 win over Eastern Michigan today.
DiMichele completed 21 of 37 passes for 370 yards and six scores — including a school-record four TDs to Bruce Francis. DiMichele also scored on a 3-yard run that put Temple up 48-38 with 6:53 left in the fourth.
Francis caught nine passes for 125 yards with touchdowns of 3, 31, 4 and 10 yards as the Owls (4-7, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 4-0 all-time against Eastern Michigan dating to 1993.
The Eagles, meanwhile, dropped their fifth straight game and fell to 2-9 and 1-6 in the conference. They had not played in three weeks since losing 31-10 at Western Michigan on Nov. 1.
Temple took a 24-21 halftime lead on DiMichele's 8-yard touchdown pass to Joe Jones with 47 seconds left in the second quarter. The Owls got a 35-yard field goal from Jake Brownell for a 27-21 lead early in the third and the two teams traded scores for the rest of the game.
The Eagles got a 2-yard touchdown run from quarterback Andy Schmitt with 37 seconds left in the game. Eastern Michigan nearly recovered an onside kick after the ball briefly bounced around. Marquise Liverpool landed on the ball and the Owls ran out the clock.
Schmitt set school records for completions, attempts and yardage for Eastern Michigan. Schmitt, who was 50-of-76 for 484 yards and three touchdowns, also scored twice on the ground.
Jacory Stone caught 18 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown while Tyler Jones had 17 receptions for 185 yards and two scores. The school mark for receptions in a game is 20 set by Kenny Christian against Temple on Sept. 23, 2000.
Temple's 55 points were the most since it defeated Connecticut 56-7 on Nov. 24, 2001. The 107 combined points is the most in a Temple game since the Owls joined Division I-A in 1971. Temple had an 82-28 win over Bucknell in 1966.
DiMichele set a Temple record with his fourth career game of at least 300 yards passing.
