FOXBOROUGH — The Massachusetts football team has experienced heartbreak before in what has been an emotional up-and-down, roller coaster ride during its short tenure as a member of FBS football.

But nothing could have prepared the Minutemen for Saturday’s collapse.

With 12 seconds remaining, Temple kicker Austin Jones drilled a 32-yard field goal, planting the final dagger in what would have been one of UMass’ biggest wins in recent program history, giving the Owls a 25-23 victory Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

“It feels like deja vu a little bit. With those situations, it’s unbelievable how it unfolds,” UMass quarterback Blake Frohnapfel said.

Just minutes before, the Minutemen (0-2) appeared to have put themselves in position to win the game.

Trailing 20-17 with 2:59 remaining, the Minutemen started a drive at their own 41-yard-line following a fumble by Temple (3-0) running back Jahad Thomas. Frohnapfel led the offense, which was lackluster for most of the second half, on an eight-play, 59-yard drive that was capped off by a 16-yard touchdown pass to running back Jamal Wilson to take a 23-20 lead with 1:20 remaining.

That’s when the Minutemen’s dreams came crashing back down to reality.

Blake Lucas’ ensuing point-after-attempt was blocked, and Temple’s Will Hayes returned it for a successful defensive two-point conversion, cutting the UMass lead to one. Minutemen center Matt Sparks was flagged for unnecessary roughness following the play and the 15-yard penalty was enforced on the following kickoff.

Temple quarterback P.J. Walker (391 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) then marched the Owls 50 yards on 10 plays, putting them in position for the Jones’ game-winning field goal.

“It’s just football,” head coach Mark Whipple said. “You see it at all levels. I’m a lot more experienced with all those games in the NFL, you think crazy things can happen. And you’re dealing with kids and you always talk about finishing.”

The Minutemen defense gave themselves multiple opportunities in the second half, only allowing a pair of field goals after allowing 17 points in the first half. Entering Saturday’s game, Thomas was the nations third-highest rusher with 328 total yards, but he finished with just 66 yards on 25 carries.

“Our defense was phenomenal today. They did a great job. They really responded after last week and they were making a lot of stops,” Frohnapfel said. “On offense, it was like we were going on the field and kind of stepping on our own toes a little bit.”

Frohnapfel finished the game 29-for-55 with 393 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

UMass receiver Tajae Sharpe also impressed, catching 11 passes for 156 yards as a number of NFL scouts looked on from the press box. Sharpe set the team’s career record for receptions (188), breaking Adrian Zullo’s record of 187.

Temple scored first with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter when Walker connected with Adonis Jennings on a 23-yard pass to take a 7-0. After a fumble on the ensuing possession by UMass’ Marken Michel, the Owls scored again off a 14-yard delayed handoff to Thomas, who went untouched into the end zone.

UMass’ offense broke through in the second quarter on a pair of touchdown receptions by Rodney Mills. The first came on a 48-yard pass from Frohnapfel to cut the lead to 14-7, the next coming on a five-yard slant just before the half to tie the game at 17. Both Lucas (34 yards) and Jones (33 yards) made field goals in the second quarter.

The Minutemen finished with a total of 438 yards of total offense with only 45 of those coming from the run game. Despite only allowing one sack, the offense line struggled to create any running lanes, and Frohnapfel was pressured within the pocket throughout the game.

UMass’ defense allowed 458 total yards, including a pair of interceptions from Khary Bailey-Smith and Kelton Brackett. Jovan Santos-Knox led the team with 11 tackles, three of which resulted in a loss of yards.

“I’m proud of the way the guys responded from last week. I didn’t think that was the football team I had been coaching,” Whipple said. “Credit Temple. They made the plays at the end of the game that you need to make and that’s why we came up on the short end.”

“It’s tough, but we have some strong players in our locker room who are going to overcome this,” Santos-Knox said.

Andrew Cyr can be reached at [email protected], and followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.