Temple prevails for seventh win in a row

THERE'S A SCENE late in the movie "Sabrina," the mid-1990s remake of the 1950s classic, where Harrison Ford's character is at the airport to catch a flight across the pond in the hopes of winning back the heart of the chauffeur's daughter, played by Julia Ormond. The attendant asks if it's his first time on the Concorde. He says yes. But then, she wants to know, this can't be his first trip to Paris.

"It's my first everything," a discombobulated Ford sheepishly admits.

Welcome to Temple football, where every week is about covering more new ground.

Last night at Lincoln Financial Field, the Owls (7-2, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) continued their inexorable march toward the MAC title game.

But not before they got pushed to the limit by a team they had pretty much buried.

They beat Miami (Ohio), which now has lost 15 of its last 16, 34-32, on an 18-yard field goal by true freshman Brandon McManus with 3 seconds left. It's their seventh consecutive win, which is something they hadn't done since 1973-74, when they won their last eight in Wayne Hardin's fourth season and added the first six in his fifth.

But they led 21-3 in the second quarter, and 31-13 heading into the fourth. It should have been over. But it wasn't. Miami, which had more than 200 yards of offense in the final 15 minutes, scored touchdowns on three straight possessions while holding Temple to back-to-back three-and-outs. Good thing the RedHawks missed a pair of two-point conversions, or this could have been Fraud Five material.

Miami went up by one with just over 2 minutes left, on a 2-yard run by Thomas Merriweather.

Temple took over on its 36. Bernard Pierce, another true freshman, ran for 18 yards. Chester Stewart threw a 31-yard pass to Joe Jones. Two plays later, Pierce gained 11 yards to the 2. When Pierce was stopped at the 1, McManus had to be the hero from straightaway.

Was there ever a doubt?

"I have complete faith in Brandon McManus," said coach Al Golden. "He never gets fazed."

In the old days, it probably wouldn't have had a happy ending.

The last time the Owls played at the Linc under the lights, they squandered a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost to Villanova on a field goal at the buzzer.

Now, it's nothing but high hopes.