Toledo shuts Temple down 32-17 to win Marmot Boca Raton Bowl

Jason Candle's first career game as head coach of the Toledo Rockets will be a memorable one as Toledo defeated the 24th ranked Temple Owls 32-17 to win the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. The win gives Toledo their first 10-win season since 2001.

The contest started slow as both teams had to deal with terrible weather conditions. Temple got on the board first with a field goal as Austin Jones connected from 29-yards out to give the Owls an early lead late in the first quarter but that's all Temple's offense would muster as the offense gained just 67 yards in the first half.

In the second quarter Toledo went on a12-0 scoring run which was highlighted by a team safety, and Phillip Ely connecting with Corey Jones on a 26-yard touchdown in which Jones broke four tackles on his way to the end zone.

The first half was hard to watch as both teams combined for 266 total yards, 13 first downs and four fumbles in the torrential downpour.

It was even harder to watch since FAU Stadium didn't have enough press box seats to accommodate the amount of media members who showed up, forcing some members to watch the game off of a television in the media lounge.

Temple's offense finally showed signs of life in the third quarter with 120 yards of total offense but the Owls were unable to finish their drives with touchdowns as Austin Jones would tack on two more field goals to cut Toledo's lead to three.

After stalling for much of the second half, Toledo's offense was able to finally get going as Phillip Ely hooked up with Cody Thompson for an 80-yard touchdown to give Toledo a 19-9 lead mid-way in the fourth quarter. The touchdown pass was the second longest play in the short history of the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl.

Temple would make a mini-comeback to cut the lead to eight in the final minutes but Kareem Hunt would dash those hopes as he scooted for a 41-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach.

Phillip Ely finished his last game as a Rocket by going 20-28 for 285 passing yards with two touchdowns. Ely was named the offensive MVP of the Boca Bowl. Ja'Wuan Woodley was the named defensive MVP.