(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Geoff Collins achieved his first career win as a head coach Saturday in the Mayor’s Cup as Temple defeated Villanova.  It was a needed result after the rough first outing for his debut when Notre Dame dominated the Owls in the trenches last week.

Both the Owls and Cats were able to move the ball early, but timely mistakes stalled out promising drives. Temple’s second drive yielded the first points of the game. A long pass set up the Owls deep in ‘Nova territory, but the defense stood tall to hold the Owls to a field goal late in the first quarter.

The Villanova defense kept the team in the game as the offense found its feet. Despite good Owls field position, the defense stood tall and Temple missed a 48-yard field goal with just under five minutes to go in the half.

Temple was able to limit Villanova to 20 yards rushing but the Owls struggled running the ball for the second straight game. They gained 79 yards, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. In two games, the Owls are averaging 2.6 yards per rush.

The running game should be a huge emphasis as the Owls prepare for Fridays’ home game against Massachusetts.

In the end, Temple snuck away with the 16-13 win to improve to 1-1 on the season.