Penn State left Lincoln Financial Field with a 27-9 win over Temple on Saturday, and the box score had a little bit of everything: a sharp first-half finish, a defense that squeezed the life out of the Owls’ passing game, and enough oddball moments to fill out a full highlight reel.
The play that really set the tone came just before halftime. Rocco Becht found Ben Brahmer on a 23-yard touchdown strike with :08 left in the first half, pushing Penn State ahead 10-3 and giving the Lions some breathing room heading into the break.
Becht was the engine throughout. He finished 21-of-27 for 268 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and his best throw came right out of the gate: a clean 56-yard post to Koby Howard on the game’s first play.
Not everything went smoothly, though. On second-and-goal at the Temple 5, Becht was across the line of scrimmage and was flagged for an illegal forward pass.
Penn State’s defense had its own starring role, and Tony Rojas was front and center. The linebacker led the team with seven tackles and also returned an interception 13 yards.
The most telling number from the day was Temple’s passing output: just 107 yards. Still, the Owls found some success on the ground, outrushing Penn State 176-148 despite running one fewer play, 34-33.
Temple’s best burst came from quarterback Jaxon Smolik, who scrambled 47 yards late in the first quarter to flip field position and move the Owls to the Penn State 29. But the Lions kept making the bigger plays. Siale Taupaki powered a Temple lineman into Smolik for a 7-yard sack in the first quarter, and Jeremiah Cooper delivered the hardest shot of the day when he drilled Kevian Mason after a 14-yard gain in the second quarter.
Penn State also got the kind of contributions that don’t always show up first on the stat sheet. Daryus Dixson broke through to block Temple’s 52-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, and James Peoples turned in a rugged late-second-quarter run, finishing it by leaping over Denzel Chavis. On special teams, Nathan Tiyce pooched a 35-yarder that the Lions caught at the Temple 3, while Ryan Barker’s 33-yard field goal drifted left and spoiled Penn State’s first drive.
There were missed chances, too. Chase Sowell couldn’t haul in what would have been a perfect 48-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and Brahmer dropped another one in the third.
Brahmer also coughed up the ball, though it rolled out of bounds. Penn State was also 0-for-4 on third- and fourth-down tries in the first quarter, a hidden hiccup in an otherwise controlled performance.
The Lions did get one of their best-designed plays to work when, on third-and-6 from Temple’s 16, they called a flanker screen and Sowell glided into the end zone for a 17-3 lead. A different third-down call didn’t pay off as well: on third-and-8 with Penn State ahead 17-3 in the third quarter, Carson Hansen was sent into the line for 3 yards, forcing the field goal unit to come on.
Temple had one more moment of frustration after falling behind 17-3. Kolin Dinkins was flagged for a personal foul after a late hit at the Penn State sidelines, setting off a brief scrum.
In Other News...
Buffalo Coach Sees One Clear Problem With Facing Penn State
Pete Lembo had plenty to say about what Buffalo is walking into at Beaver Stadium, and his breakdown came with the kind of specificity that usually comes only after a coach has spent real time studying an opponent. The Buffalo head coach pointed to Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas, a player he once recruited at South Carolina, and also singled out middle linebacker Kooper Ebel as a steady defensive presence. He did not stop there, either, adding praise for quarterback Rocco Becht and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig as he sized up a roster that looks deep enough to challenge almost every phase of the game.
For Penn State, the interesting part is not just that an opponent noticed the obvious talent. It is that Lembo framed the matchup around the parts of the roster that can tilt a game before the box score ever settles in, from defense to special teams to the quarterback spot. When an opposing coach comes away talking in those terms, it usually means he sees only one clean path for his own team, and it is not the easy one. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Spending Reality Just Raised A Bigger Contender Question
Penn States place in the new college football financial order is getting harder to ignore. The Nittany Lions projected 2026 roster budget sits in the $29 million to $32 million range, a number that leaves them 21st nationally and seventh in the Big Ten, well behind the sports biggest spenders such as Ohio State and Oregon. In a league where roster construction has become as much about money as recruiting, that gap is a real part of the conversation around how Penn State keeps pace.
The roster churn only sharpens the issue. Penn State has 62 new players this season, including 40 transfers, and the program has had to navigate the balancing act of holding onto key contributors while adding talent through the portal. Matt Campbell has managed the budget pressures by keeping important pieces in place and bringing in transfers from his previous team, but the broader question remains whether that approach is enough for Penn State to stay in the same competitive tier as the leagues highest rollers. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Found Its Next Tight End Problem For Defenses
A new tight end presence has already started to change how Penn State can attack defenses. Benjamin Brahmer, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound transfer from Iowa State, has played two games and wasted little time making himself part of the conversation, catching six of nine targets for 87 yards and three touchdowns while flashing the kind of size and versatility that usually creates problems for opposing coverages.
Brahmers value has gone beyond the stat sheet, too. His strong pass-blocking grade and the trust he earned from quarterback Rocco Becht at Iowa State point to a player who can help in multiple phases, and the early signs around his physical development have only added to the intrigue about how high his ceiling might be at tight end. If this is just the start, Penn State may have found a matchup piece defenses will be forced to account for every week. [Read more 🡒]