Penn State’s first half against Temple wasn’t clean, but it ended with the Nittany Lions in control.
After a missed field goal from Ryan Barker inside 40 yards and a turnover on downs that followed a Tony Rojas interception and put Penn State at the Temple 5, the offense could have unraveled. Instead, Penn State settled in and handled the moment better on the next two possessions, leaning on a patient approach and taking what Temple gave them.
That shift mattered. Barker answered with a 31-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ate nearly five minutes and tied the game. Then Ben Brahmer came through with his second tight end touchdown in as many games, giving Penn State the lead and helping the Nittany Lions move ahead 10-3 at Lincoln Financial Field.
There was plenty of early promise for Koby Howard, who opened the game with a 56-yard catch on the first snap from scrimmage. Temple has shut him down since then, though, with a safety staying attached to him whenever he’s on the field. Howard had only one more target in the first half.
The red zone remains the biggest area Penn State has to clean up. The Nittany Lions were 1-for-3 inside the 20, despite repeatedly getting the ball into plus territory.
They ran it seven times in the red zone, including several snaps inside the 10, but still couldn’t punch in a touchdown. The passing game helped move the chains down there, but the ground game has yet to finish the job after Penn State rushed for two touchdowns last week and is averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
In Other News...
How Penn States Most Iconic Chant Became Part Of Its Identity
Long before it became the kind of rallying cry that can shake Beaver Stadium, Penn States We Are chant started as a direct answer to what the cheer squad heard from Ohio State fans. In 1975-76, looking for something that could match a rivals famous rhythm and energy, the squad worked through the idea by trial and error until it felt right. By the time the Nittany Lions opened the 1976 season against Stanford, the chant was ready for the crowd.
What followed was bigger than a simple game-day gimmick. The line took hold, spread through the fan base and settled into the schools identity, turning into one of those traditions that feels as much a part of Penn State as the colors and the stadium itself. Even now, decades later, the chant still carries the same easy power it did when it was first introduced, a reminder that some of the most enduring college football customs begin as an attempt to keep up with somebody else. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Showed Exactly How Much Rocco Becht Already Means
Rocco Becht has become one of the defining reasons Penn State has settled in so quickly this season, and the reaction around him against Temple only reinforced it. When the quarterback was hit late out of bounds, his teammates and coaches were quick to step in and make their feelings clear, a flash of protectiveness that spoke as much about the locker room as it did about Bechts role in it.
Matt Campbell pointed to that response as a sign of the teams unity and togetherness, which has been a theme all year as Becht has looked sharper and healthier than he did during earlier injury-plagued stretches. His growth has given Penn State a steadier center of gravity on offense, and the way the group rallied around him in the moment suggested his value goes well beyond the stat sheet. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Found A Receiver Rocco Becht Trusts
Chase Sowells first season at Penn State has already produced one of those small but meaningful moments that can matter later in the year. In the Nittany Lions 27-9 win over Temple, the fifth-year receiver scored his first touchdown with the program and, even after an earlier dropped scoring chance, stayed involved enough to help keep the offense moving and give quarterback Rocco Becht a target he could lean on.
Sowell didnt hide from the missed opportunity, but he also didnt sound rattled by it. He said he knows there are areas to clean up, while also stressing that the team believes in him and the role he can play. For Penn State, the bigger takeaway may be less about one play and more about whether Sowell can keep building the kind of trust that makes a receiver more than just another option in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]