McGill runs for 2TDs and North Texas becomes bowl eligible by beating Temple 24-17

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Makenzie McGill II ran for 155 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns and North Texas ended a five-game losing streak beating Temple 24-17 on Saturday in a regular-season ender for both teams.

The win helped North Texas (6-6, 3-5 American Athletic Conference) reach bowl eligibility. Prior to Saturday, the Mean Green hadn't won since Oct. 12 when they beat Florida Atlantic 41-37.

The game's scoring outcome was settled by halftime.

Chandler Morris threw a 14-yard touchdown to DT Sheffield on the game's opening drive for a 7-0 UNT lead. Kali Nguma added a 36-yard field 19 seconds later following a Temple turnover.

The Owls (3-9, 2-6) got on the board with Maddux Trujillo's 44-yard field goal. McGill made it 17-3 with a 39-yard scoring run. Eight seconds into the second quarter, McGill ran 51 yards to the end zone for a 24-3 edge.

Temple got two touchdowns before the half ended when Joquez Smith and Evan Simon each ran it in from the 1 to reduce the deficit to 24-17.

North Texas clinched a bowl berth for the 15th time in program history and eighth time since 2013. It's the first time in the Eric Morris era North Texas has qualified for a bowl.

Temple hasn't posted a winning season since 2019 when it went 8-5 and ended the season with a 55-13 loss to North Carolina in the Northrop Grumman Military Bowl.

The Owls have ended the last four seasons with records of 3-9.

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