Penn State didn’t exactly come out swinging against Temple, and that was the first real surprise of the afternoon. After a sharp opening in Week 1, the Nittany Lions needed time to find their footing before finally separating for a 27-9 win.
The game was tight through the first half, but Penn State flipped the script by scoring on five of its final six drives. That late surge turned a sluggish start into a comfortable finish, even if the opening stretch looked nothing like what the team showed a week earlier.
The offense’s first possession ended without points, and that was part of a broader slow start. Ryan Barker missed a field goal, and after putting up 17 points in the first quarter last week, Penn State didn’t reach that mark until the third quarter this time around.
Matt Campbell didn’t sugarcoat the issue afterward.
“It’s a game of inches, and especially when you play on the road, you have to have great execution, and we didn’t do it,” Matt Campbell said postgame.
The defense had its own rough patches early. Penn State missed tackles at the line and in the secondary, which opened the door for Temple quarterback Jaxon Smolik to break off some damaging runs. Smolik wasn’t much of a factor as a passer, but he did enough with his legs to make Penn State work.
That stood in sharp contrast to the defensive performance from the week before, when the Nittany Lions flew around the field, held Marshall’s dual-threat quarterback in check, and piled up nine tackles for loss and two sacks. Against Temple, Penn State managed only two tackles for loss and a sack.
Smolik made the most of his rushing chances, ripping off a 47-yard run and averaging 10.1 yards per carry on seven attempts. Temple running back Keveun Mason also found room, finishing with 76 yards on 14 carries and averaging nearly 5.5 yards per attempt.
Even with the uneven start, Penn State still had enough firepower to spread the production around. Koby Howard opened the game with a 56-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage, but after his 161-yard breakout last week, Temple kept him in check. He finished with three receptions for 68 yards.
That didn’t stop other targets from stepping forward. Chase Sowell hauled in his first career touchdown as a Nittany Lion on a 16-yard third-down grab in the third quarter, one of three catches he made that gained 10 or more yards and helped keep drives alive.
Ben Brahmer continued to emerge as a reliable option for Rocco Becht inside the 25-yard line. He caught two touchdowns, both from 23 yards out, giving Penn State another weapon capable of producing explosive plays when the offense needed them most.
Becht finished 21-for-27 for 268 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his season total to seven.
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 Answered Early Mistakes But One Offensive Concern Remains
Penn State had every chance to let the first half get away at Lincoln Financial Field, but instead steadied itself quickly against Temple and went into halftime with a 10-3 lead. After shaking off the early adversity, the Nittany Lions answered with a field goal and a touchdown drive, giving their offense something to build on even as Temple made things uncomfortable in spots and kept Koby Howard in check after his initial long catch.
The bigger concern for Penn State was inside the red zone, where the ground game found some room but did not finish often enough. The Nittany Lions turned three chances into only one touchdown, leaving points on the field despite moving the ball well enough to create scoring opportunities. For a team trying to clean up its execution, that kind of inefficiency is the detail worth watching as the game moves on. [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 🡒]