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The 21,112 fans who
assembled at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the home of the NFL’s Eagles,
thought they were going to a college football game on Saturday.

Instead, they
saw a track meet – at least in the first half – between the UConn Huskies and
Temple Owls, with UConn taking over in the fourth quarter to secure a 34-20 win.

UConn gained 373
total yards and Temple 274 in the first half, which operated at a frantic pace,
exhibited as both teams scored two touchdowns in the first quarter.

Neither team
punted in the first half, which ended with the Huskies holding a 24-17 lead after
freshman Jack O’Connor connected on a 21-yard field goal as time expired.

UConn (3-3) gave
the ball away once, on downs, after choosing to run a play on fourth-and-3 instead
of attempting a field goal from the Temple 9-yard-line with 15 seconds left in
the quarter. A fumble accounted for the only change of possession that didn’t
come after a score for Temple (2-4).

A change of pace

After the half,
the game switched 180 degrees, with the track meet turning into more of a
wrestling match with tough defenses that resulted in three punts for the
Huskies and two punts and a turnover for the Owls in the third quarter.

In the first 30
minutes, Temple – the better rushing team on the season entering the game –
ran for 117 yards while UConn gained 180 on the ground. The Huskies’ more pass-centered
offense put up 193 yards while Temple had 157.

It’s good to have ya back Kenji 🔥📈#BleedBluehttps://t.co/wjpSEPS71Upic.twitter.com/UZNSeFDSIL

— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) October 10, 2026

But in the third
quarter, the fleet-footed offenses managed just 110 total yards – 88 of them to
Temple – as the defenses took over. The Owls scored the only points of the quarter
on Carl Hardin’s 29-yard field goal following a nine-play, 61-yard drive that
took 4:17 off the clock.

The day in review

UConn put both sides of the
game together in the fourth quarter, with the Huskies scoring 10 points and
giving up none. The defense held Temple to 76 total yards, recovered a fumble
and sacked senior Owls quarterback Ajani Sheppard, who finished 19-of-25
passing for 260 yards and a touchdown.

UConn
quarterback Kalieb Osborne was 17-of-23 for 257 yards with no
interceptions. The Huskies got rushing touchdowns from Osborne, Cyncir Bowers,
Kenji Christian and Trey Cornist.

Christian, who
has been dealing with a hamstring injury, scored on a 39-yard run in the first quarter – his only
carry of the day.

Trey breaks free for 51 yards 😤 pic.twitter.com/KvgekvpxAP

— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) October 10, 2026

Cornist gained
114 yards on just seven attempts, aided by a 51-yard run and a 41-yard burst.

Bowers added 84
rushing yards.

On the defense,
John Lista led UConn with eight tackles.

The Huskies broke a two-game losing streak, dropping heartbreakers to Miami (Ohio) and the Syracuse Orange.

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