UCLA ruins Temple’s day, wins EagleBank Bowl 30-21

Published 6:20 pm Tuesday, December 29, 2009

WASHINGTON — Temple’s first bowl game in 30 years was ruined by the Bruins.

Akeem Ayers returned an interception 2 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and UCLA shut down Temple in the second half for a 30-21 victory Tuesday in the EagleBank Bowl.

The Bruins (7-6) rallied from a 21-7 first-half deficit to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2006. That mini-slump by UCLA pales in comparison to the decades of futility endured by the Owls (9-4), whose only previous bowl appearances in school history were the inaugural Sugar Bowl in 1935 and the Garden State Bowl in 1979.