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Rutgers wakes up in second half, downs Temple

Oct 20, 2012 - 11:59 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Rutgers made all of the necessary halftime adjustments once again.

Gary Nova threw four second-half touchdown passes in the 19th-ranked Scarlet Knights' 35-10 win over Temple.

Nova was 17-of-27 for 232 yards -- 12-of-15 for 176 yards in the second half -- with an interception for Rutgers (7-0, 4-0 Big East), which is 7-0 for the first time since 2006.

The Scarlet Knights, who tallied the final 35 points of the contest after trailing 10-0 at halftime, have outscored their opponents 69-3 in the third quarter this season.

"In the second half, we were just able to execute better," Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood said. "I wish there was a magical speech. I don't know if upset is what they needed. We were playing very good defense. Offensively, we weren't far away. Of course, when you're not far away it seems likes miles. We felt we could execute better. To me, itt was more technical coaching."

Jawan Jamison carried the ball 19 times for 114 yards and added 81 yards and a score on five receptions, while Tim Wright caught four balls for 68 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

Montel Harris ran for 82 yards on 19 rushes for the Owls (3-3, 2-1), who were looking for their third consecutive win in Big East play for the first time in school history.

After being held to 110 yards in the initial 30 minutes, Rutgers scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions in the second half and registered 271 total yards of offense.

Jamison scampered for 18 yards and added a 13-yard reception on the Scarlet Knights' opening second-half drive before Nova floated a 32-yard TD pass to Wright on a play-action seam route, which capped the 6-play, 75-yard trek.

The Owls picked up one first down on their next series before punting. Jamison concluded a 9-play, 89-yard march when he took a slip screen over the middle, broke a tackle and made a defender miss before walking into the end zone for a 32-yard score. The touchdown gave Rutgers its first lead (14-10) with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter.

Logan Ryan intercepted Chris Coyer's pass on Temple's ensuing touch and Nova flipped a 5-yard score to Mark Harrison, which finished off a 7-play, 49-yard drive.

Following a Temple three-and-out and a partially blocked punt by Leonte Carroo, the Scarlet Knights got the ball back at the Temple 26-yard line. On a 3rd-and-goal from the 10-yard line, D.C. Jefferson hauled in a 10-yard touchdown to make it 28-10 early in the fourth.

Jamil Merrell strip-sacked Coyer on the third play of Temple's next drive and Khaseem Greene picked up the loose ball and returned it for a 19-yard score to conclude the scoring with 10:58 to play in the game.

Earlier, the Owls moved the ball 55 yards in 11 plays on their opening drive, but Coyer fumbled on a 4th-and-1 at the Rutgers' 27-yard line. Two possessions later, Temple moved the ball again, but this time Coyer found Cody Booth for a 4-yard touchdown.

On the play, Coyer rolled right on a play-action bootleg, but overthrew his intended target, Kenneth Harper, in the flat. Harper tipped the ball into the air and Booth came down with the diving reception in the end zone.

Rutgers, which came in allowing just 60.8 yards rushing, gave up 74 yards on the ground in the opening frame. The Owls finished with 119 yards rushing.

After missing a 48-yard field goal two drives earlier, Brandon McManus atoned for the misfire when he split the uprights from 49 yards out to give Temple its 10-point cushion late in the first half.

"It's a tale of two halves here," Temple head coach Steve Addazio said. "We came out in the first half and played really hard, really physical, really tough."

Game Notes

Rutgers leads the all-time series between the teams, 20-15 ... Nova's streak of 165 passes without an interception came to an end ... Temple was bidding for its first win over a top-25 team since 1998.