With his team facing a 10-point first-quarter deficit Friday night at Akron, Temple quarterback Chester Stewart was not fazed.
"We're not a team that panics," Stewart said after the game by telephone before hustling off to catch the team bus.
With Stewart throwing for two touchdowns and running for two others, the Owls more than recovered. They ran off 49 consecutive points while holding the Zips (2-8, 1-5 Mid-American Conference) scoreless the rest of the way in a 56-17 rout in front of a crowd of 10,921.
"We executed and worked the game plan," said Stewart, who was 6-of-11 passing for 145 yards. "We got a little sloppy, and coming back like that felt great. It's always a good feeling when you can lead your team to victory."
Temple is 8-2 overall and first in the MAC East Division with a 6-0 mark. The Owls will play at home against Kent State on Saturday, and at Ohio on Nov. 27. Ohio is 5-1; Kent State and Bowling Green are 4-2.
"Kent State will be our focus all week . . . just one at a time," said Stewart, who had scoring runs of 8 yards and 1 yard on a night when no fewer than seven Owls scored touchdowns.
Temple has put together an eight-game winning streak for the first time since 1973 - the most wins for the Owls since the 1979 squad went 10-2 and won the Garden State Bowl. That was the program's last postseason appearance.
The Owls' game at Ohio has been picked up by ESPNU, and the kickoff will be at 11 a.m. instead of 2 p.m.
Contact staff writer Kevin Tatum
at 215-854-2583 or ktatum@phillynews.com.
