Toledo vs. Temple: Score and Reaction for 2015 Boca Raton Bowl

Toledo won its third bowl game in four years with a 32-17 win over No. 24 Temple on Tuesday night in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium. 

The win is Toledo's 10th of the season, the first time it's won that many games since 2001. The Rockets had to tough out a late Temple comeback attempt as the Owls scored their first touchdown of the day with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game and followed it up with a controversial onside-kick attempt.   

Special teams aside, Toledo was fueled by the play quarterback Phillip Ely, who completed over 70 percent of his passes for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He outdueled Temple's P.J. Walker, who overcame a slow start to finish the day with 236 yards and an interception.   

Temple could only muster 67 total yards in the first half, yet it scored the game's first points with a field goal with a minute to go in the first quarter.

Toledo's defense provided its first points of the game a minute into the second quarter when a bad transfer between Walker and running back Jahad Thomas shot into the end zone, resulting in a safety.

ESPN's Jordan Loperena posted the replay:

The Rockets came right back on the next drive and took the lead when Ely hit Corey Jones for a 26-yard touchdown less than two minutes after their safety. They ended the first half with a 38-yard field goal to extend their lead to nine.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, that was a good thing for Toledo:

On the other hand, Temple only produced five yards of total offense in the second quarter.

The Owls' start to the second half was much better. They recorded more yards on their first drive than they recorded in the entire first half but could only settle for a field goal. It was a record-setting one for Austin Jones, though, per Temple's Twitter feed:

Jones continued his busy day, hitting another field goal on the team's next drive to make it 12-9 with 6:11 to go in the third, but Temple's inability to put the ball in the end zone burned the Owls. 

After the teams traded punts and the fourth quarter began, Toledo looked to put the game out of reach with an 80-yard touchdown throw from Ely to Cody Thompson to put the Rockets up 10. It was a mid-range throw from Ely, who hit Thompson in stride, allowing the receiver to turn on the jets, per ESPN CollegeFootball:

To add insult to injury, Juwan Haynes picked off Walker at the Toledo 26-yard line. Ely then led the Rockets on a methodical 12-play, 74-yard scoring drive capped off by a Kareem Hunt one-yard touchdown run. 

Fueled by a pair of Toledo penalties, Temple scored its first touchdown of the game with 2:50 left in the game, a two-yard rush by Kip Patton. A two-point conversion brought the Owls within eight just to make Toledo fans feel a bit uneasy. 

A frantic onside kick didn't do much to calm things down either, as a brilliant effort from Tyler Mayes rolled right down the middle of the field and looked to have been recovered by the kicker. But after a maddening scrum for what seemed like an entire minute, the ball was awarded to Toledo. 

ESPN CollegeFootball shows the replay:

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit wasn't a fan of the call:

Fans were just as bewildered as Herbsreit, as ESPN CollegeFootball shows:

Fox Sports' Jason McIntyre didn't like the call either:

The Rockets iced the game with a 41-yard touchdown rush by Hunt, who weaved through a Temple team that was visibly upset at the official's decision after the failed onside-kick attempt.

Temple's best season since 1979 ended in bitter disappointment after two straight losses to end its season at 10-3 overall. In what was just their fifth bowl appearance ever, the Owls have to wait a little longer for their first postseason win since 2011. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com