COLLEGE FOOTBALL : East Roundup : Palmer Has Big Day, but Temple Is Upset by Syracuse, 27-24

Temple’s Paul Palmer gained 187 yards in 39 carries, scored 2 touchdowns and set an NCAA record, but the Owls were upset by Syracuse, 27-24, as Tim Vesling kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired Saturday at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.

Palmer, who went into the game as the nation’s leading rusher and all-purpose runner, broke by one yard the NCAA three-game consecutive rushing record of 774 yards set by Michigan State’s Eric Allen in 1971.

Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson completed 13 of 25 passes for 185 yards and rushed for 89 more. He scored on a 14-yard keeper early in the second quarter and later in the period directed a 99-yard drive, capped by a seven-yard run by Harold Gayden that gave the Orangemen (2-5) a 14-0 halftime lead.

The Owls (5-3) were shut out in the opening half for the first time this season, although they drove 66 yards to the one-foot line in the second quarter only to have quarterback Lee Saltz stacked up on fourth down.

Temple scored 17 points in the third quarter. The Owls got a safety, after a bad snap on a punt, and touchdown runs of seven and one yards by Palmer.

Gayden scored from 15 yards out early in the fourth quarter, after a fumble recovery by Mike Kmetz, to put Syracuse ahead, 24-17. But Temple tied the game on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Saltz to Shelley Poole with 10:42 remaining.

Pittsburgh 56, Navy 14--Quarterback John Congemi, executing new Coach Mike Gottfried’s run-and-shoot offense to perfection, buried the Midshipmen at Pittsburgh by completing 30 of 43 passes for a school-record 446 yards and 5 touchdowns--3 to Keith Tinsley.

Congemi threw three scoring passes to lift Pittsburgh to a 21-7 halftime lead, then tossed two more during the Panthers’ 35-point third period in which Pitt’s defense scored three touchdowns, two on interceptions.

Congemi hooked up with Tinsley on touchdown pass plays of 29, 19 and 17 yards while breaking Matt Cavanaugh’s school record of 387 passing yards in the third period.

Congemi left the game with 13:50 remaining. Tinsley, a former defensive back converted to wide receiver a month ago, caught 9 passes for 157 yards.

The victory was the first by Pitt (4-2-1) over Navy (3-4) since 1983 and extended the Midshipmen’s losing streak to three games.

Rutgers 35, Army 7--The Scarlet Knights used a ball-control offense, got two touchdown passes from Scott Erney and two touchdown runs by Curtis Stephens as they won at East Rutherford, N.J.

Rutgers, which had scored nine points in its two previous games, ran 88 plays compared with 53 for Army and held the ball for 40:51 in outgaining the Cadets, 527 yards to 197.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Rutgers (4-2-1). Army is 3-4.

Boston College 19, West Virginia 10--At Morgantown, W. Va., the Eagles beat the Mountaineers for the first time since Jack Bicknell became the Eagles’ coach in 1981.

Bicknell was 0-5 against West Virginia.

Brian Lowe’s school-record four field goals and an Eagle defense that turned away West Virginia three times from inside the 15-yard line produced the victory.

Lowe’s field goals came from 37, 38, 41 and 41 yards as Boston College (4-3) won its third straight and beat West Virginia (2-5) for the first time since 1977.

Penn 24, Yale 6--Chris Flynn scored two short-yardage touchdowns as the unbeaten Quakers (6-0, 4-0) scored an Ivy League victory over the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-2) at Philadelphia.

Cornell 10, Dartmouth 7--Quarterback Chip Knapp threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Shawn Hawkins in the third quarter and that was the difference as the Big Red (5-1, 4-0) won an Ivy League game at Hanover, N.H. Dartmouth is 0-6, 0-3.

Princeton 14, Harvard 3--Derek Wassink and Jerry Santillo scored on short runs as the Tigers capitalized on two first-quarter fumbles by quarterback Tom Yohe and defeated the Crimson in an Ivy League game at Princeton, N.J. Both teams are 2-4, 2-2.

Holy Cross 22, Brown 7--Tailback Gordon Lochbaum ran for 77 yards, caught 9 passes for 114 yards and scored 2 touchdowns to lead the Crusaders (7-0) at Providence, R.I. Brown is 3-3.

Colgate 54, Columbia 8--Kenny Gamble rushed for 180 yards to go over 3,000 yards for his career as the Red Raiders won easily at New York.

Gamble, a junior tailback, gained 75 yards in the first quarter and scored 3 touchdowns in the game for the Red Raiders (1-6). The Lions fell to 0-6 and have lost 27 straight. Columbia’s last victory was Oct. 15, 1983, when it beat Yale, 21-18.