A Temple cheerleader looks on during the game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Temple Owls on September 14th, 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
In Saturday's game against Utah State, Temple University kicker Maddux Trujillo broke Philadelphia Eagles' kicker Jake Elliott's record for the longest field goal ever made at Lincoln Financial Field.
Trujillo kicked a 64-yard field goal, beating Elliott's previous record of 61-yards.
It was the longest kick in the history of Lincoln Financial Field in either a college football or NFL game.
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The kick was also the longest made field goal at the top level of college football since 2008 when UTEP’s Jose Martinez also hit a 64-yard field goal. Temple’s previous school record was 56 yards, set by Doug Bitterlich in 1975 at Akron.
Temple University came away with a win -- with the help of Trujillo's kick -- as Evan Simon's 91-yard scoring pass to Dante Wright with four minutes left in the third quarter gave Temple the lead for good to help the Owls beat Utah State 45-29.
Simon's scoring play to Wright gave Temple (1-3) a 24-21 lead and helped ignite a three-touchdown Owls fourth quarter.
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Simon threw a 16-yard score to Daniel Evert with 11:57 left.
Later, he tossed a two-yarder to Peter Clarke with 6:02 left before running it from the one for the game's last score with 3:22 remaining.
Simon threw for 271 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 49 yards on 11 carries and the touchdown.
Spencer Petras threw for 293 yards and a touchdown for the Aggies (1-3).
Herschel Turner ran it in from the 4 to start the second quarter for a 7-0 Utah State lead.
Three minutes later, Petras threw a 26-yard touchdown to Jalen Royals for a two-score lead.
Temple countered when Simon threw a 32-yard score to Antonio Jones with 7:50 before halftime. With 1:10 remaining before halftime, Simon threw a 17-yard touchdown to Antwain Littleton to tie it.
Less than a minute later, Utah State went back up when Rahsul Faison ran it in from 20 yards out.
Temple then reduced the deficit to 21-17 when Trujillo kicked his 64-yard field goal as time expired before intermission.
On Monday, Temple University's Assistant Athletic Director Rich Burg announced that Trujillo was named American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week and quarterback Evan Simon was been named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll for Week 4.
Trujillo, who Burg said was named the Special Teams Player of the Week, set an American Athletic Conference record with a 64-yard field goal against Utah State on Saturday.
This field goal, tied for eighth furthest in NCAA history, is the longest made kick since 2009, noted Burg.
Simon, named to the AAC Honor Roll, started at quarterback on Saturday in the place of an injured Forrest Brock said Burg.
The start was Simon’s second consecutive, who totaled six total touchdowns—five passing and one rushing. Simon threw for 271 yards and helped erase multiple early deficits en route to Temple’s first win of the season, said Burg.
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