Temple Football Preview: Penn State Boasts Veteran Quarterback, Athletic Defense

The last time Temple faced Penn State, they stunned the Nittany Lions with a 27-point rally after trailing 10-0 in the first quarter. That Owls team turned out as one of their best this century, and they’ll face long odds in the rematch on ESPN2. 

ESPN Analytics see Temple winning in 5.9 percent of simulations when they host No. 16 Penn State at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Owls sit at +1200 underdogs on the money line, with a point spread of +23.5 and an over/under of 50.5. Penn State dismantled Marshall 45-0 in their home opener, with senior quarterback Rocco Becht completing 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns before checking out midway through the third quarter. 

The Nittany Lions’ ground game wasn’t sharp against Marshall, picking up just 163 yards on 45 carries; Carson Hansen who, like Becht, followed head coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State, led the way with 11 carries for 48 yards. 5-foot-11 receiver Koby Howard was Becht’s top target, hauling in six passes for 161 yards and a 42-yard touchdown.

Linebackers Tony Rojas (two tackles for loss) and Caleb Bacon (three TFLs) accounted for the Nittany Lions’ two sacks; they amassed nine tackles for loss as a team, while freshman safety Bryson Williams hauled in a fourth quarter interception as Penn State rotated in their backups.

Scouting the Owls

Veteran quarterbacks like Becht are a cheat code of sorts in college football, their experience augmenting talent as they learn how to dissect opposing defenses. Temple’s defense put up a strong showing in their 38-14 win over Rhode Island in their own season opener, scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns and shutting the Rams down after a touchdown on the opening drive. Head coach K.C. Keeler knows they’ll need to be much better against Penn State, however, pointing to minor adjustments needed from their defensive linemen and linebackers after watching the film. Keeler also praised the Nittany Lions’ defense for their size and athleticism.

The Owls offense relied on the ground game, running for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries behind a banged up, jumbled offensive line; sophomore tailback Keveun Mason contributed 158 yards on two carries, and Temple could have veteran back Sam Brown V at their disposal after he missed Week 1 with an injury. The Owls’ top receiver was Colin Chase, who caught three passes for 43 yards.

Temple’s quarterback situation remains up in the air, with Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard alternating every two drives against Rhode Island. Sheppard completed five of 10 passes for 85 yards; Smolik went 4-of-6 with 57 yards, a touchdown, and two fumbles. Keeler said he isn’t diametrically opposed to a rotation at quarterback, but he did say that one of them will eventually have to take the majority of the snaps. Facing an opponent like Penn State, the Owls will likely need a statement game from one of the two signal callers if they have any hope at victory; their run game showed promise against Rhode Island, but they’ll need more than that on Saturday.