Nov 19, 2003 3 min read

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Temple kicker Jared Davis set himself and nodded his head. The snap was perfect and so was the hold. He planted his left foot and swung his right leg forcefully. It was up. It was good.

It was three days too late.

Davis – who missed an extra point on the final play of Saturday’s 24-23 overtime loss to No. 12 Virginia Tech – returned to practice Tuesday to prepare for No. 21 Pittsburgh having received a vote of confidence from his coach and the rest of his Owl teammates.

“Everyone in the program has said nothing negative,” Davis said. “They’ve just been telling me to keep my head up. They’ve really helped me get through this.”

To beat Virginia Tech, the Owls knew that they had to play the perfect game. They almost did.

Temple had no turnovers – the first time in 28 games the Hokies didn’t force one_ and committed just one penalty while the defense held Heisman Trophy candidate Kevin Jones to a quiet 150 yards rushing.

“That was probably the most fundamentally sound game that we’ve played since I’ve been at Temple,” sixth-year coach Bobby Wallace said Tuesday.

Until the final play of the game, Wallace’s assessment was accurate.

Trailing 17-0 in the fourth quarter, Temple stormed back and tied the game on Davis’ 37-yard field goal. After falling behind in overtime, the Owls answered with a touchdown of their own.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Davis shanked the extra point, missing wide left and ending Temple’s chances for a season-salvaging upset victory.

“He went from making the biggest kick of his career (tying the game at 17) to feeling awful about the way the game ended,” Wallace said. “I’ve seen him miss right, I’ve seen him miss short. But I never saw him miss left.”

One major bright spot for the Owls on Saturday was the play of sophomore quarterback Walter Washington. Starting his third game in place of the injured Mike McGann, Washington rushed for 151 yards, making him the first quarterback in Temple history to eclipse 100 yards on the ground.

Washington’s rushing total was also the second-highest for a quarterback in Big East history. Only the Hokies’ Michael Vick ran for more yards in a single game (210, vs. Boston College in 2000).

Still, the humble Washington saw plenty of room for improvement.

“It’s an honor to be in the same category (as Vick),” said Washington – who also threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns. “But I don’t think I played all that well. My passing wasn’t on cue and my accuracy wasn’t where I want it to be.”

With the devastating near-upset behind them, the Owls must now regroup for the final home game of the season against another ranked team and another Heisman candidate.

Pittsburgh and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will visit Lincoln Financial Field this weekend, giving the Owls one more chance at a monumental upset and a going-away party for this group of seniors.

It will be an emotional day for Wallace, who said no group of seniors has tried to lead as much as this year’s class. Short on talent, but long in heart, they have left quite an impression on their coach.

“There’s disappointment in the fact that they never were able to get us a winning season,” Wallace said. “I know that weighs heavily on a lot of their hearts. They worked extremely hard from the end of last season. It just didn’t work out exactly how they wanted it to.”