All the momentum the Navy football team built during November came to a screeching halt during its first game in December. Along the way, the Midshipmen's dreams of playing in the Cotton Bowl crashed with a thud.

Temple looked like a team determined to capture the American Athletic Conference championship that eluded it last season. Navy looked like a rudderless ship sailing into uncharted waters.

Quarterback Phillip Walker directed a balanced offense while middle linebacker Jarred Alwan anchored a hard-hitting defense as Temple defeated No. 19 Navy, 34-10, in the AAC championship game before an announced 22,815 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

“First and foremost, all the credit to coach [Matt] Rhule and Temple. They got after us today. They were definitely more prepared and outcoached us,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Navy (9-3), which saw its 15-game home winning streak end, is out of contention for the Group of Five conference berth in a New Year's Six bowl. The Mids will instead play in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 23.

Walker completed 16 of 25 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns for Temple (10-3), which extended its school-record winning streak to seven games. Tailbacks Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead combined for 138 rushing yards and two scores for the Owls.

Temple captured the AAC crown a year after losing to Houston in the championship game. Navy was making its championship game debut and was playing a game the week before meeting archrival Army West Point for the first time since 1941.

Walker threw two touchdown passes while free safety Sean Chandler forced a fumble as the underdog Owls came out tough and took it to the Mids on both sides of the ball. Temple scored on three straight possessions to start the game and took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Things only got worse for Navy as starting quarterback Will Worth and starting slotback Toneo Gulley were knocked out of the game on the same play. Worth and Gulley went into the locker room for treatment and emerged shortly on crutches. Niumatalolo announced later that both seniors had suffered season-ending injuries, Worth likely a broken right foot, Gulley likely a Lisfranc injury in his left foot.

“We suffered some tough losses today, physically. The injuries took some steam out of us,” Niumatalolo said.

Backup quarterback Zach Abey (Archbishop Spalding) was unable to jump-start the Navy offense, which was held 32 points and 164 yards below its season averages. The Mids also lost their other top slotbacks — senior Dishan Romine and junior Darryl Bonner — for the game; their status for the Army game was unknown.

Alwan finished with 13 tackles (six solo) to spearhead the Temple defense, which came in ranked third nationally in total yards allowed per game. Chandler and strong safety Delvon Randall contributed eight and seven stops, respectively, for the Owls, who limited the Mids to 306 yards.

Navy, which scored 66 and 75 points in its two previous games, did not score a touchdown until 2:18 remaining in the third quarter. The Mids had been on a monthlong offensive roll while going undefeated in November.

“We didn't play well. We had some mental mistakes that we haven't had in a long time, some missed assignments we normally don't have,” Niumatalolo said.

Walker mixed up the run and pass to great effect as Temple marched 75 yards on 12 plays on the game's opening possession. Walker completed a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Keith Kirkwood on fourth-and-7 to keep the drive alive and Thomas scored on the next play, taking a jet sweep to the left side into the end zone for a 15-yard run.

Gulley gained 15 yards on third down as Navy drove into Temple territory on its first possession. But the Mids went for it on fourth-and-7 and came up well short.

Temple took over at its 41-yard line and capitalized on the short field with Walker throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ventell Bryant.

Trailing 14-0 with 3:01 left in the first quarter, it appeared the Mids might start catching up after Worth completed a 34-yard pass to Romine on a crossing route, but on first down from the Temple 25, Bonner was stripped of the ball after being stood up on the perimeter. Chandler ripped the ball loose and linebacker Avery Williams (Archbishop Curley) recovered the fumble.

It didn't take long for Temple to increase its lead as Walker found Kirkwood running wide open on a post route for a 56-yard touchdown.

Worth and Gulley were injured on the ensuing possession as Navy went three-and-out. Alex Barta came on to punt as the starting quarterback and offensive captain were carted off the field.

Abey acquitted himself fairly well in just under three quarters of action, rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown while completing seven of 13 passes for 104 yards. He did throw two interceptions, with one allowing the Owls to kick a field goal just before halftime and the other leading to a clinching touchdown.