Temple 35, Toledo 6

OWLS END SEASON IN HIGH GEAR
PALMER'S RUNNING SPARKS 35-6 WIN
Dec 01, 1984
By Chuck Newman, Inquirer Staff Writer
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. _ Bruce Arians was talking as much about next season as about the season that had ended only 20 minutes earlier. That made sense, given the performance that his Temple football team had given last night.
The Owls completed the rescue of what at one time had appeared to be another disastrous season by demolishing California Bowl-bound Toledo , 35-6, before an overflow crowd of 15,586 spectators in the confines of Convention Hall last night. They did it with gusto, finishing with a 6-5 record.
Sophomore running back Paul Palmer, expected to have a big season but almost a rumor for the first eight games, led Temple with a career-high 148 yards and a touchdown. He had plenty of company in the hero department, as sophomore quarterback Lee Saltz completed 7 of 14 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns, and junior defensive back Todd Bowles staged a one-man assault on the Toledo passing attack.
Then there was freshman Keith Gloster, who motored under a 74-yard scoring bomb from Saltz, finally fulfilling the promise that had been expected all season.
Arians mentioned all of them in his postgame comments, but not before citing the team, especially some seniors. "I'm very proud of a bunch of seniors who could have quit six or eight weeks ago but didn't," he said. ''They hung in there, believed in us and led a bunch of young players to a helluva football team."
The Owls finished 1984 strong after eight weeks of adversity, much of it self-inflicted. The win over Mid-American Conference champion Toledo (8-2-1) was the Owls' third straight and gave Temple its first winning season since 1979.
The victory was accomplished against a team that was ranked No. 2 nationally in points per game allowed (9.9) and fifth-best against the rush (94.3 yards per start).
And it was done decisively. The Owls rushed for 247 yards and rolled up not only a big point total but 421 yards in total offense in defeating their second bowl-bound opponent (West Virginia is going to the Bluebonnet Bowl) of the season. So you could understand Arians' emotion.
"I just wish right now we had three or four more football games," he said. "We're looking forward to next season. There were just so many bright spots."
Palmer was certainly one. The 5-foot-9, 168-pounder, who went into the season with big expectations after a 638-yard freshman year, finished with 985 yards. He collected 408 in the final three games against Cincinnati, West Virginia and Toledo .
Palmer also said he would like the season to be a bit longer. "By the middle of the season, I began thinking that some of the things that were happening to the team were my fault. I think it would be nice if we now got a chance to play a couple of more bowl teams."
Palmer was in the middle of the Owls' first two touchdown drives, ones that came after the defense had to stop four Toledo drives into Temple territory.
The Rockets scored first on a 49-yard field goal by Dave Walker and held a 3-0 lead as the Owls started their first scoring march at the end of the first period.
Palmer started the drive with four straight carries, eating up 27 yards, and Saltz finished the drive with a 26-yard bullet over the middle to receiver Willie Marshall.
Jim Cooper's extra point made it 7-3, but Toledo closed to 7-6 on Walker's 23-yard field goal 6 minutes, 59 seconds into the second period.
The Owls countered with an 80-yard, 10-play march, Palmer getting it started with a 12-yard blast and fullback Shelley Poole ending it with a 22- yard bolt over the middle on a draw play with 3:36 left in the half.
The Owls had to repel two drives into their territory at the start of the second half but then demoralized the Rockets with a 97-yard, four-play drive that ended spectacularly when Saltz unloaded a bomb that Gloster, a 5-9, 140- pound receiver who grew up in the shadows of a New Jersey drag strip, ran under to complete a 74-yard scoring play.
"Then things started to go downhill," Toledo coach Dan Simrell said. "Temple has Big 10-type talent."
That play made the Owls' margin 21-6, but another big play soon followed. Bowles, who had destroyed two Rockets pass receivers after catches on two consecutive plays, rushed in from his roverback spot on the right side and ambushed Toledo quarterback A. J. Sager from behind, forcing his pass to pop into the air.
Owls linebacker Bob Pilkauskas, refusing the fair catch, took the ball in flight and went 20 yards to the end zone as Temple went on to a 28-6 advantage.
Owls safety Anthony Young, an all-America candidate, set up Temple at the Toledo 44 with a 17-yard punt return early in the final period, and the Owls made no mistakes. Palmer - who else? - started the drive with a 6-yard run, picked up 34 yards of the drive and finished it with a 2-yard bolt around the right side.
"I think we have turned the corner," Arians said. "But it's a long backstretch. And there are three pretty good horses in front of us at the start of next year."
He meant Penn State, Boston College and Brigham Young - the Owls' first three 1985 opponents.
Even that thought didn't have that much of an effect on Arians. Not right after last night's performance.