Simon’s 5 TDs lead Temple past Tulsa in 38–37 OT thriller

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TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Evan Simon threw his 21st touchdown of the season in overtime — and still hasn’t thrown an interception all year — as Temple outlasted Tulsa 38–37 on Saturday.

Simon was masterful once again, completing 24 of 35 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns. He connected three times with Kajiya Hollawayne, including the 1-yard strike in overtime that proved decisive, and twice with Jay Ducker.

Temple (5–3, 3–1 AAC) balanced Simon’s precision with 180 rushing yards, led by Hunter Smith’s 92 yards on just 10 carries, including a 72-yard dash that flipped field position early.

After falling behind 3–0, Simon found Hollawayne from 24 yards out to open the scoring. His pair of short touchdown tosses to Ducker helped the Owls trade blows with Tulsa before Hollawayne’s second score made it 28–24 in the third. Carl Hardin added a 52-yard field goal in the fourth for a 31–24 lead, but Tulsa tied it with 3:44 left on a Dominic Richardson run.

In overtime, Simon again rose to the moment, hitting Hollawayne for his fifth touchdown of the night — and 21st of the season. Tulsa answered with a 9-yard score from Baylor Hayes to Brody Foley, but a failed two-point try sealed Temple’s win.

Hayes finished with 296 yards and three touchdowns for Tulsa (2–5, 0–4). ___

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