Miami (Ohio) trounces Temple, 23-3

OXFORD, Ohio - Temple's offensive unit had just come off the field after a fumble by quarterback Mike Gerardi had given Miami of Ohio possession late in the third quarter Tuesday night at Yager Field. Coach Al Golden gave words of encouragement as the group assembled on the bench.

But the Owls needed more than Golden's positive words. They needed points in the Mid-American Conference contest. Miami racked up a season-high seven sacks as the RedHawks rolled to a 23-3 victory that kept their hopes alive for a berth in the MAC championship.

In the last game of the regular season for both teams, Miami's Thomas Merriweather broke loose for a 96-yard touchdown run with 9 minutes, 8 seconds left to cap the win.

Temple, the preseason favorite to win the MAC title, is 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the league. The Owls wound up with 215 yards of total offense and went 2 of 13 on third-down conversions. They also lost two fumbles and Gerardi threw a pair of interceptions.

"They did a great job on defense, we didn't protect well enough, and we had some penalties and some costly turnovers," Golden said. "It's as simple as that. It's not a tricky game in that respect."

Miami (8-4 and 7-1) entered the contest tied for first place in the MAC East with Ohio, which will end its regular season on Friday at Kent State. If Ohio wins, the Bobcats will share the division crown with Miami, but Ohio will represent the division in the MAC title game against Northern Illinois on Dec. 3. Ohio beat Miami last month.

Temple running back Bernard Pierce (hamstring) and linebacker Elijah Joseph (knee) did not make the trip. Joseph, a senior who leads the team in tackles, will not play again this season after undergoing surgery on Monday. Pierce, a sophomore, is expected to be ready if Temple lands a bowl bid.

The Owls managed only 70 rushing yards against Miami and could muster only a first-quarter field goal.

"I just couldn't seem to get anything going," said Gerardi, who completed 11 of 27 passes for 108 yards. "They showed some stuff that fooled me, and my hat is off to them because they really beat us today."

Temple's opening drive ended on a missed field-goal attempt from 47 yards out by Brandon McManus. But when the Owls got the ball back, the sophomore put Temple up, 3-0, by making a 23-yarder to cap a 12-play, 73-yard drive.

That lead did not last.

The RedHawks went on a six-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Austin Boucher to wide receiver Nick Harwell. On the play, the last two Temple defenders tripped over each other while trying to bring Harwell down at about the 15-yard line, and both fell to the ground.

Boucher, a redshirt freshman, was making his second career start. Miami's first-string quarterback, Zac Dysert, is out for the season with a lacerated spleen. When kicker Trevor Cook missed the extra point after Boucher's second career touchdown throw, the RedHawks had a 6-3 lead with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

Miami did not trail again. After linebacker Evan Harris intercepted Gerardi late in the second period and returned it 25 yards to the Owls' 31-yard line, the RedHawks increased their lead to 13-3 on an 8-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Armand Robinson with 1:39 remaining in the half.