Temple jumped out to a 17-0 lead and cruised to a 20-10 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, in front of 18,721 fans at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday afternoon, in Philadelphia.

The Owls improved to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the American Athletic Conference, while Tulsa fell to 2-5 and 0-3 in the conference. It was homecoming day for Temple, and both teams were coming into this game after a week off.

Maddux Trujillo put Temple on the scoreboard first with a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter. The Owls then scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and led 17-0 at halftime.

Tulsa struggled to get their offense going and had only 88 yards of total offense in the first half, while Temple accumulated 242 total yards in the half.

Things in the third quarter, Tulsa’s Anthony Watkins scored on a 63-yard pass play from Kirk Francis, with 8:59 remaining in the quarter. Then on the team’s next possession, Seth Morgan kicked a 46-yard field goal to bring the Hurricane within seven points of the Owls.

With 12:50 left in the fourth quarter, Trujillo kicked his second field goal of the game, this one from 41 yards out, for the final score of the game.

Temple used a dominant passing game with 10 different receivers, to rack up 397 yards of total offense, including 316 through the air and 81 on the ground. Tulsa totaled 245 yards on offense, with 175 through the air and a season-low 75 on the ground.

“For us to move forward as an offense [spreading the ball around] is exactly what needed to happen,” said Temple head coach Stan Drayton. “[Dante Wright] is not the only playmaker in that room on that side of the ball. It’s time for those other guys to be exposed.”

Cooper Legas was the starting quarterback for Tulsa, completing three-of-four passes for 17 yards through the air and 21 rushing yards. Kirk Francis replaced Legas and went on to complete 11-of-23 passes for 153 yards, including a season-long 63-yard touchdown, and one interception.

Temple’s quarterback Evan Simon completed 30-of-46 attempts for 297 yards and a touchdown with one interception.

Tulsa’s Anthony Watkins led the team in rushing and receiving, picking up 23 yards on the ground and 73 yards receiving, most of which came on that 63-yard pass from  Francis on Tulsa’s first possession of the second half.

Both teams made several mistakes in the game, and they were real pronounced late in the second quarter, when Francis had a pass intercepted at the Temple 48-yard line, and on the Owls next possession, Tulsa’s Jehlen Cannady intercepted a Simon pass at the Tulsa 20-yard line, on the final play of the first half.

Tulsa needs to win four of their last five games in order to become bowl eligible.

Tulsa is home on Saturday to host UTSA (3-4, 1-2 AAC) at H.A. Chapman Stadium at 2:30 p.m., for homecoming.