Temple Football’s Defense Stands Tall in Loss to No. 16 Penn State

PHILADELPHIA— The Temple Owls’ defense rose to the occasion on Saturday, Sept. 12, keeping the Owls within striking distance of No. 16 Penn State for much of a 27-9 home loss with a series of red zone stands.

Penn State surged 56 yards downfield on the first play of the game, a wide-open connection between veteran quarterback Rocco Becht and receiver Koby Howard; a facemask penalty tacked another ten yards onto the play, setting the Nittany Lions up with a first-and-goal. Temple’s (1-1) defense held firm, forcing Becht into an illegal forward pass on a bootleg before Curly Ordonez logged a third down sack.

Kicker Ryan Barker’s point blank kick went wide left. Both teams traded three-and-outs, the Nittany Lions wasting a drive that began in Owls territory, and Temple faced disaster when starting quarterback and Penn State transfer Jaxon Smolik threw an interception over the middle. Linebacker Tony Rojas returned the ball to the Owls’ 5-yard line, but Temple’s defense held firm and forced a turnover on downs. The Owls burned 8:11 off the clock on their ensuing drive, covering 91 yards on 15 plays before having to settle for a field goal that put them in front 3-0. Quarterback Ajani Sheppard checked in on the last play of the drive, sailing a pass on third-and-6.

Offense Outlasted

Penn State’s offense began to hum from there, converting on five consecutive scoring drives. Temple continued to punch above their weight, cornerback Adrian Laing breaking up a potential touchdown in the end zone on a field goal drive. They bottled Penn State into a third-and-7 to start the final drive of the half, but Becht found running back Carson Hansen and hit the line to gain.

Tight end Benjamin Brahmer put the Nittany Lions ahead 10-3 at the half with a wide-open 23-yard touchdown catch. Temple stalled out on the edge of field goal range to begin the third quarter, and Penn State blocked Carl Hardin’s 52-yard try. Another ten point burst helped the Nittany Lions coast to victory. Sheppard returned for the final drive, capping it with a three-yard rush for the Owls’ first touchdown of the day.

Temple Football will hit the road in Week 3, taking on Toledo at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19.