Penn State left Lincoln Financial Field with a win, but not with a clean bill of health for the offense.
The Nittany Lions beat Temple 27-9 on Saturday, and the final score still looked comfortable. The tape, though, gave them a lot more to sort through on the ride back to State College. As offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh put it in the tunnel, "It's a long drive back to State College."
Quarterback Rocco Becht framed it as the kind of afternoon that can sharpen a team. "To be humbled coming off a good win, ... it was a good game to have for all of us," Becht said.
That feeling came from the first half, when Penn State looked messy in almost every phase. The offense dropped, or missed, three would-be touchdown passes.
It was flagged four times, including an unusual illegal forward pass by Becht, after not drawing a single offensive penalty against Marshall. And the Nittany Lions also came away empty on two drives inside the Temple 10-yard line in the first quarter, one of them starting at first-and-goal from the 5.
The early rhythm never really clicked. After Koby Howard’s 56-yard catch to open the game, Penn State managed only eight yards on its next seven plays. For a while, the whole operation felt off.
Then the two-minute drill before halftime changed the tone. Becht found tight end Ben Brahmer on consecutive snaps, with the second connection going for a touchdown. Penn State carried that momentum into the second half and scored on its first three possessions after the break.
Becht’s final line looked sharp enough: 21 completions on 27 attempts for 268 yards. He opened 1-for-4, then settled in and at one point completed 12 straight passes while working the middle of the field effectively.
The ground game had its own uneven start, but Carson Hansen eventually settled into the kind of work that suits him best. He finished with 19 carries for 84 yards, leaning into first-down gains, contact, and extra yards after the first hit.
James Peoples averaged 6 yards per carry and also tried an oddly timed hurdle during Penn State’s two-minute drill. Quinton Martin Jr. did not get an offensive carry at all.
Penn State got solid help from its tight ends, too. Andrew Rappleyea delivered strong blocks on both of Brahmer’s touchdown catches, and Chase Sowell responded well after leaving a deep touchdown opportunity on the field, finishing with five receptions.
Even with the offensive sloppiness, the Nittany Lions still finished with 27 unanswered points after Temple opened with a field goal. The defense had plenty to show as well.
Tony Rojas kept rolling, leading Penn State with seven tackles for the second straight week and recording his first interception since 2024. He had a chance to go for the end zone but was stopped at the 5, leaving the offense with a short field it failed to fully cash in.
Penn State nearly posted a second straight shutout before Temple scored in the final two minutes against the second string. The starting returns of safety Jeremiah Cooper and nickelback Zion Tracy helped steady that side of the ball, and Audavion Collins added two pass breakups. There’s real promise in that secondary.
The pass rush, however, lost a major piece when Max Granville suffered a season-ending injury in practice last week. Even so, the front still had chances to do more damage against a Temple offensive line missing four starters.
Temple coach K.C. Keeler said he also shortened Jaxon Smolik’s play sheet because of that situation.
Smolik, the former Penn State quarterback, still showed more speed and burst than he ever got to display with the Nittany Lions. He rushed for 71 yards on seven carries, including a 47-yard run that caught the Penn State defense off guard. His quick movement and release made it harder for Penn State to turn pressure into sacks, even though the pressure was there.
Temple did move the ball a little early, converting three of its first four third-down tries, but finished 1-for-8 after that. Penn State’s size and athleticism eventually took over.
There were a few other small but notable moments. Kicker Ryan Barker missed from 33 yards in the first quarter after entering the game 22-for-22 in his career from under 40 yards, then bounced back with makes from 31 and 39 yards.
Daryus Dixson got a hand on a Temple 52-yard field-goal try in the third quarter, which fit with Temple’s choice to kick from the 34. Zay Robinson also kept flashing as a punt returner and looks close to breaking one.
Head coach Campbell said he questioned himself for not using a timeout with 30 seconds left in the second quarter after Brahmer came up just short of a first down. He said he believed he had the right call ready on second down, and that play led to Brahmer’s 23-yard touchdown catch.
Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser kept leaning into size and physicality, using fullbacks, extra tight ends and even a quarterback draw on second-and-short to show his offense could overwhelm people. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t. Either way, it was more evidence that this group is still a work in progress.
Penn State got the win and the margin eventually looked routine. But Week 2 exposed more on offense than the opener did, and that will be worth cleaning up before the non-conference finale against Buffalo.
In Other News...
Former Penn State Departures Are Already Becoming A Virginia Tech Problem
Virginia Techs 44-21 win over Old Dominion came with a familiar Penn State flavor, and for the Nittany Lions fan base, it was the kind of reminder that departures can quickly become somebody elses gain. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, tight end Luke Reynolds and edge rushers Mylachi Williams and Cortez Harris all played major roles, giving the Hokies a boost on both sides of the ball as they handled business in the opener.
Grunkemeyer threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, while Reynolds put together career highs in catches, yards and scores, and Williams and Harris each piled up multiple tackles for loss and sacks. Penn State coach James Franklin had already pointed to the offensive matchup problems created by Reynolds and slot receiver QueSean Brown, and if Virginia Tech keeps getting that kind of production from former Nittany Lions, it is easy to see why this one may linger as more than a one-game storyline. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Newcomers Are Already Becoming The Heart Of This Team
Penn States newest faces were impossible to miss in the win over Temple, and that is exactly the point of this roster overhaul. The 2026 group includes 40 transfer players, and several of them were already shaping the game in a 27-9 victory that looked a lot more like a team with established answers than one still sorting through fresh parts. Rocco Becht settled in at quarterback and Ben Brahmer made an immediate imprint at tight end, while other transfers popped up all over the field on both sides of the ball.
Becht completed 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, the kind of efficient debut that can change the tone of an entire offense. Brahmer added five catches for 78 yards and two scores, and the supporting cast of newcomers helped Penn State look deeper and more settled than a team still learning itself. The bigger question now is not whether the transfers can help, but how quickly this group can become the backbone of a season with higher ambitions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States 2-0 Start Comes With One Big Defensive Concern
Penn States 2-0 start has the Nittany Lions moving up to No. 14 in the AP Top 25, and there was plenty else around the program to like over the weekend. The football team handled Temple in Week 2, the womens volleyball team swept Stanford, and several Penn State defenders earned Big Ten honors from Pro Football Focus, giving the athletic department a strong early-season snapshot across multiple sports.
The one concern hanging over the football side is a significant one. Head coach Matt Campbell said defensive end Max Granville suffered a season-ending injury, a blow that immediately changes the outlook for a defense that had just started to build momentum. Even with the ranking bump and the rest of the program stacking wins, Penn State now has to figure out how to absorb a major loss up front and keep the early surge on track. [Read more 🡒]