Wide receiver Phil Goodman doesn’t typically hang around after games. After all of the Owls’ previous four home games this year, including their Sept. 18 win over Florida A&M, the senior gathered his belongings and slipped out of the stadium before coach Bobby Wallace had even concluded his post-game press conference.

Goodman was more than willing to stick around and chat last Saturday, however, after Temple (2-8, 1-4) beat Syracuse, 34-24, to break a six-game losing streak. It was the Owls’ first win in the Big East in two years and their first win against a Division I-A team this season.

“I just want to bask in this win with my teammates,” said Goodman, whose 24-yard touchdown reception put the Owls on the board with a first-quarter lead they would not relinquish. “I’m usually out of here by now, but I’m trying to enjoy these last couple times with my teammates. Some of these guys I might never see again.”

Goodman, who caught three passes for 77 yards, was the prime beneficiary of quarterback Walter Washington’s career day. Last week at West Virginia, Wallace called Washington’s performance the best of his career. The Orange might feel differently, after watching the junior compile 315 yards of total offense and four touchdowns with nearly flawless execution.

“It’s so easy for us [on the team] to take Walter Washington for granted,” Wallace said. “We take it in stride because we see it every day in practice, but today he was unbelievable.”

Washington, who was poised to break two major school records against Syracuse, fretted all last week about the possibility of achieving those individual milestones in a loss. The day turned out perfect, as he broke Henry Burris’ single-season record for total offense and tied Paul Palmer’s single-season record for rushing touchdowns in a welcome victory.

“I’m more happy for the team, the program, than anything,” said Washington, who also broke the Big East record for rushing yards by a quarterback.

Washington (10-for-19, 130 yards) found Goodman to open the scoring and the Owls never looked back. Wide receiver Ikey Chuku’s 51-yard completion to Buchie Ibeh on the next drive set up a quarterback sneak to extend the lead to 14-0. Washington then responded to Orange kicker Collin Barber’s 30-yard field goal with a 19-yard touchdown run to make the halftime score 21-3.

Syracuse running back Damien Rhodes dashed for two touchdowns in the third quarter, but each time the Owls answered with a score.

“Every time I got the ball, I was trying to get a first down and keep the clock ticking,” said junior running back Umar Ferguson, who had 56 of the Owls’ 288 team rushing yards.

Syracuse did not waver from its grind-it-out style of play with starting running back Walter Reyes sidelined with a shoulder injury. Rhodes rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, which wasn’t a sure thing until Temple cornerback DeMarco Dodson picked off quarterback Perry Patterson (20-for-35, 240 yards) on the Orange’s last-ditch drive.

“After that, I was so excited,” said cornerback Ray Lamb, who had three tackles and a pass deflection. “But it wasn’t a sigh of relief. There’s not a law on the books that says we’re going to lose every game. When we come here, we’re ready to play.”

Senior safety Bobby Fulmore, stepping in for the injured Lawrence Wade, led the team with 12 tackles. Much-maligned kicker Ryan Lux might have discouraged the naysayers for a week by converting both his field goal attempts, the second of which provided the Owls with insurance in the fourth quarter.

But the man of the hour was Washington. Teammates and coaches agreed that although the win was a total team effort, their quarterback was the deciding factor.

“What a performance,” Wallace said. “He’s harder to stop than you can imagine.”

Benjamin Watanabe can be reached at bgw@temple.edu.