By Jake Russell
Something has been missing from the 2018 Navy Midshipmen. After suffering its third straight loss Saturday at the hands of the Temple Owls, that "thing" remains on the side of the proverbial milk carton.
Navy had hope heading into halftime, holding on to a 10-7 lead after a sloppy first quarter that began with a Temple missed field goal, Navy lost fumble and Temple lost fumble. The back-and-forth contest continued into the fourth quarter with a 17-17 tie until Owls quarterback Anthony Russo launched a 62-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ventell Bryant with less than 10 minutes to play.
Even honoring Navy's cele ated 1963 team that featured Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach and finished No. 2 in the country wasn't enough to spark a comeback.
A lack of offense when it mattered most sealed Navy's fate. The Midshipmen mustered just one yard of offense on seven plays in their final two drives, allowing the Owls to hold on for a 24-17 win at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
Navy (2-4, 1-2 American Conference) is currently in the midst of its third three-game losing streak since the start of the 2017 season. After starting out 5-0 last season, the Midshipmen have gone 4-10 in their last 14 games. The loss is just the third in the blue and gold's last 24 home games. Temple is responsible for two of the three losses.
When Temple (4-3, 3-0) began its season with losses to Villanova and Buffalo, it was safe to assume its season was deemed irrelevant and wasn't worth salvaging. The Owls clearly have other plans. Saturday's win marks Temple's fourth in its last five games.
The Mids return home next Saturday to face Houston at 3:30 p.m. The game will be oadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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