The charged-up Owls held a brief lead but Notre Dame controlled most of the first half, and the ninth-ranked Irish lead No. 21 Temple 14-10 at the half.
Notre Dame accepted the ball to open the game and promptly moved 74 yards in 12 plays and six minutes, capped by a four-yard DeShone Kizer run, to grab a 7-0 lead. Temple got on the board with a 41-yard Austin Jones field goal with 2:25 left in the first quarter.
Temple then charged ahead with a 94-yard drive, punctuated by a 12-yard scoring strike from P.J. Walker to Brandon Shippen. Notre Dame immediately reclaimed the lead after Kizer raced 79 yards to the house.
Kizer posted excellent numbers - 12-of-21 passing for 134 yards plus seven carries for 110 yards - but he tossed two red zone interceptions, the second of which was snagged by the excellent linebacker Tyler Matakevich just before the half.
Notre Dame out-gained Temple 253-132, but the owls will receive to open the second half.